Folk show

Welcome to Turkmen traditional house

The travel agency “OwadanTourism” has the advantage to offer you an interesting folk show, combined with traditional Turkmen dinner. You can see some Turkmen rites and taste national Turkmen dishes, participate in the traditional games and tournaments, have fun, performing a bride or a bridegroom, dressed in traditional Turkmen costumes, play the traditional gopuz, which in other parts of the world is known as a Jew’s harp, enjoy the entertainment and a Turkmen warm hospitality. If you spend an evening with us you will be treated as an honorable guest and understand a Turkmen saying “A guest is higher than a father”, remembering the Hungarian traveler Vambery who wrote about Turkmen’s extremely hospitality.

Through centuries Turkmen people have managed to retain their national peculiarity and traditions. The Turkmen people has a charm and fascination quite its own. Turkmen carpets, Turkmen jewellery and traditional costumes are the values that mark Turkmen.

In Turkmen tradition marriage is a very important social event. When a Turkmen family has wedding toy( a feast) a lot of guests are invited and all neighbors help to celebrate it, bringing crockery and cooking some dishes. Every passer or stranger is welcomed. Marriage is a very lengthy process which begin with arranging the match. The suitor sends matchmakers to the girl’s parents. The matchmakers- relatives of the suitor- would bring lavish gifts to the girl’s parents and ask their consent. Then the bride price and wedding date would be set up. When a Turkmen bride arrives to a bridegroom’s house both mothers offer to the bride and guests sweets, wishing the bride a sweet life. They present toys to children, wishing the bride to have children. At this moment young men toss up telpeks –traditional fur hats, wishing the bride and the bridegroom a long life. Every word and every motion during this ceremony are meaningly loaded.

Different games and tournaments are always held to celebrate this family occasion. During the ceremony “ gushak chozdurme” or untying a sash, the bridegroom and the bride are dressed in traditional costumes. The bride groom is wearing a red silk gown with a scarlet homespun sash and a shaggy hat of snow-white sheepskin. The bride is wearing a long silk dress and her head is covered by traditional robe and her mouth is closed by a special kerchief of silence. Turkmen women have never closed their faces. The legend says that Turkmen have been originated from the light of the Great Creator therefore their faces should be opened to the Sun. That is how Turkmen are dressed for a feast. The Turkmen hat telpek is only a part of the traditional Turkmen costume. It obliges the person with a number of duties- to protect his family, to be wise and to live in dignity, to be true to his word and merciful. The bride takes off the bridegroom’s hat and unties his sash that means she will always serve her husband.

The most agile guests are invited to participate in ‘yaglyga tovushmak’, jumping for scarves hanging high overhead, and the most strongest to participate in ‘goresh’, a Turkmen form of wrestling. Dutar players Bakshi entertain the guests and at the end of this toy( a wedding party) everybody will be invited to dance a traditional energetic ‘Gush Depdi’.

So if you are interested in this, add our dinner and show to your list of alternatives in Turkmenistan and take the opportunity to join us. We will not only leave you entertained, but you’ll walk away with a newfound understanding of Turkmenistan’s rich culture, traditions and folk legends.