All About Wedding Traditions: A Turkish-Armenian Wedding

From circling a fire to tossing chestnuts, weddings may bring together many different traditions

By: Lindsay Moran

Washington is definitely an increasingly diverse area, and thus is its wedding scene. The sheer number of international diplomats, World Bank workers, and ukrainian brides second-generation immigrants means multicultural nuptials are typical.

“It’s actually rare for me personally to prepare a wedding in which the wedding couple will be the religion that is same have a similar cultural history, ” states Laura Metro, president of M Street Agency in Bethesda.

Throwing a multicultural event has its challenges. Some couples host two occasions, each reflective of a various tradition. Others design a ceremony and reception that incorporate divergent traditions.

The following is one few whom been able to accomplish such a marriage, each in their own personal method.

A wedding that is turkish-Armenian

A Turkish-Armenian wedding might appear to be one thing out of Shakespearean tragedy, a la Romeo and Juliet. The turks waged a campaign of deportation and death against Armenians during the Ottoman Empire. Historians have actually called it a genocide, a label the federal government of Turkey and lots of cultural Turks reject.

In-may 2004, Melissa McCain, who’s of Turkish lineage, and Carl Bazarian Jr., whoever dad is Armenian, chose to marry. The Arlington few, whom came across as undergrads at United states University, held the wedding in Florida, where Carl’s moms and dads reside.

For Melissa, the challenge that is biggest ended up being her mom, whom lives in Turkey. Her mom didn’t realize why her child made a decision to marry in a church—civil ceremonies are the norm in Turkey because spiritual ceremonies aren’t legitimately recognized—or in this nation.

“It would’ve been impractical to anticipate visitors to travel to Turkey, particularly when a 3rd of the individuals were Armenian, ” says Melissa, a manager that is federal-contracts Accenture.

Then there was clearly the social space between her parents and in-laws: In Turkey, the bride’s household pays for a more sophisticated engagement celebration, whilst the groom’s family pays for the wedding. Armenian tradition requires the bride’s family members to host the marriage.

“My parents had been making no relocate to do this, ” Melissa says. “My in-laws had been great about any of it, though—they paid in most regarding the wedding. We taken care of particular things. ”

A priest was being found by another obstacle through the Armenian Apostolic Church who does marry them. These were happy: Months prior to the wedding, the bride ended up being baptized and confirmed by way of a priest who had been a buddy associated with the Bazarian family, so they really travelled him to Florida to officiate.

The ceremony mostly reflected Carl’s Armenian heritage. One of is own uncles held a cross on the few, whom wore crowns and sat in thronelike chairs. “It’s symbolic to become master and queen of your personal kingdom that is little” says Melissa, 29. In a training typical both in Armenia and Turkey, the bride wore an “evil eye” talisman pinned to her ivory-colored silk-satin gown. The talisman is known to defend against the envious “third eye. ”

Once the newlyweds joined the reception, bridesmaids tossed ribbon-tied tulle packages, that the bride’s mom brought from Turkey. “The packages had been full of gold-colored coins therefore so we never are hungry, and little candies so that we always speak sweetly to each other, ” says Melissa that we never have money problems, grains of rice.

Visitors dined on Turkish-Armenian fare such as boreg (comparable to spanakopita), stuffed grape leaves, shish kebab, and fasulye, a Middle Eastern dish of green beans stewed with tomatoes.

One issue Melissa and Carl, a good investment banker, couldn’t avoid: Some visitors talked about Armenian-Turkish relations. “It wasn’t the full time or location to carry it up, ” she states.

The couple understands it has been even worse. “In the finish, most of the little things that may have gone incorrect never ever occurred, ” states Carl, 33. He and his wife welcomed an infant child in November.