Special Ritual in Marriage Traditions: Bridal Bath of Kahramanmaraş/Evlilik Geleneklerinde Özel Ritüel: Kahramanmaraş Gelin Hamamı

Abstract

Bath; it is the place where different rituals are performed beyond the purpose of bathing, cleansing and healing. As in the past, the Turkish hammam has a great place in our social culture. The hammam tradition, which dates back to ancient times, has been formed unique to the customs and traditions of every society. The Turkish hammam tradition has been shaped for different purposes in Turkish culture and the most special and remarkable of these traditions is the bridal bath entertainment made for brides. The bridal bath is a ritual between the bride’s and groom’s female relatives before the wedding and includes colorful entertainment. In the bridal bath, the focus is on the bride and all preparations are prepared according to the bride. Kahramanmaraş is one of the provinces where bridal baths are cared and applied in our country. Since Kahramanmaraş is very rich in water resources, many baths were built and bridal baths, which hold a special place in the marriage tradition, were built in these baths. In this study, information about bridal bath culture applied in the past and present in Kahramanmaraş province have been given and the products in the bath pack prepared for brides have been examined. For this purpose, individuals have been interviewed and products in personal collections have been documented with photographs. At the end of the study; some suggestions were made about transferring the cultural symbols of Kahramanmaraş province to the next generation and bringing them into the literature.

Keywords

• bride
• bath
• hammam
• kahramanmaraş
• marriage