Weddings in Almaty are at least two days long. In general, family and friends of the wedding couple are invited. Family includes the extended family, not just immediate family. And in Almaty, most of your extended family is nearby. So, weddings are relatively large. A professor at KIMEP had his daughter’s wedding this past weekend. I wanted to get invited, but the invitation never came. J But I did get a few details about weddings in KZ. The KIMEP professor thought there would be at least 100 people at his daughter’s wedding, which is a relatively small wedding compared to the US.
On the wedding day, the bride, groom, and wedding party first go to the civil service building from Soviet days. This where they have the government ceremony declaring they are officially by law, man and wife. I am told this is a smaller building, so everyone can’t go to that ceremony. Also, the place is very busy with all the weddings coming in and out, so I don’t think that part lasts long. From there, the wedding party travels to a church or mosque for a religious ceremony, if the wedding couple wants it. Sometimes they don’t. This ceremony is usually larger than the civil service wedding.
After the religious ceremony, the wedding party visits all the major monuments (and there are a good number) and take vodka shots at each of those places. Photos are taken at each of the places as well. A list of some monuments, and pictures of them, are in this email. To get from one place to another, the bride and groom travel in a limo decorated with flowers, ribbons, etc. The rest of the wedding party follows in decorated, white cars; however, other color cars are also used. They race around the city in this decorated procession honking horns and having a good time. I get the feeling that the participants of the wedding party changes every time the wedding couple switches places.
In the evening of the ceremony day there is a wedding reception, like what we have in the US, with food, drinks, and dancing. Again, there is a lot of drinking at the reception. I think the KIMEP professor told me that he bought one bottle of vodka per man attending the reception. And then more for the women, but he didn’t say how many bottles per a woman. That is a lot of money going to alcohol! I think vodka is cheaper here, but still I’m sure the nice stuff still costs a pretty penny.
The second day, drinking, monument visits, and family time continue. It all sounds exhausting to me.
The Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the park is very pretty inside. It is constructed without nails. And is one of the few buildings that survived the 1919 earthquake here. Druing the Soviet time, the building was a museum; however, in 1995 it was restored to its traditional purpose.
The WWII monument is the one with the men and their arms open wide. think it commerates the Kazak soliers who protected Moscow when Hitler almost made it there. I am afraid I don't know all the history behind it. Again this is a place for wedding photos. Another popular place is the man and snow leopard statue and the big building behind that statute. That building is seen in only one of the pics. It is the old national government building and has a lot of flower beds around it. Look at the other pics and you will see a stone/cement fountain type thing. That surrounds the government building I am talking about here.
On the wedding day, the bride, groom, and wedding party first go to the civil service building from Soviet days. This where they have the government ceremony declaring they are officially by law, man and wife. I am told this is a smaller building, so everyone can’t go to that ceremony. Also, the place is very busy with all the weddings coming in and out, so I don’t think that part lasts long. From there, the wedding party travels to a church or mosque for a religious ceremony, if the wedding couple wants it. Sometimes they don’t. This ceremony is usually larger than the civil service wedding.
After the religious ceremony, the wedding party visits all the major monuments (and there are a good number) and take vodka shots at each of those places. Photos are taken at each of the places as well. A list of some monuments, and pictures of them, are in this email. To get from one place to another, the bride and groom travel in a limo decorated with flowers, ribbons, etc. The rest of the wedding party follows in decorated, white cars; however, other color cars are also used. They race around the city in this decorated procession honking horns and having a good time. I get the feeling that the participants of the wedding party changes every time the wedding couple switches places.
In the evening of the ceremony day there is a wedding reception, like what we have in the US, with food, drinks, and dancing. Again, there is a lot of drinking at the reception. I think the KIMEP professor told me that he bought one bottle of vodka per man attending the reception. And then more for the women, but he didn’t say how many bottles per a woman. That is a lot of money going to alcohol! I think vodka is cheaper here, but still I’m sure the nice stuff still costs a pretty penny.
The second day, drinking, monument visits, and family time continue. It all sounds exhausting to me.
The Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the park is very pretty inside. It is constructed without nails. And is one of the few buildings that survived the 1919 earthquake here. Druing the Soviet time, the building was a museum; however, in 1995 it was restored to its traditional purpose.
The WWII monument is the one with the men and their arms open wide. think it commerates the Kazak soliers who protected Moscow when Hitler almost made it there. I am afraid I don't know all the history behind it. Again this is a place for wedding photos. Another popular place is the man and snow leopard statue and the big building behind that statute. That building is seen in only one of the pics. It is the old national government building and has a lot of flower beds around it. Look at the other pics and you will see a stone/cement fountain type thing. That surrounds the government building I am talking about here.
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