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

Summary/Abstract: Bath; is the place where different rituals are performed beyond the purpose of bathing, cleansing and healing. As in the past, the Turkish bath (hammam) has a significant place in our social culture. Turkish bath tradition with its long history has been shaped according to the customs and traditions of each society. The Turkish bath tradition has also been practiced for different purposes in the Turkish culture. In addition to the purposes such as cleaning and health, the bridal bath prepared for brides as a marriage tradition is the most special and remarkable functions of the Turkish bath culture. The bridal bath is a ritual between the bride’s and the 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 made according to the bride. Kahramanmaraş is one of the provinces where bridal baths are considered as important and practiced 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. This study presents information on the historical and current bath culture practices. At the same time, as part of the preparations of the baths carried out according to the brides, as in the past, the bath packs today are meticulously prepared. This study also examines these bath packs and their contents. In the study, on the transfer of Kahramanmaraş baths and bath culture, outdoor and indoor photographs of the baths in the region were taken. For this purpose, people who have knowledge about Kahramanmaraş culture and who live in the region were interviewed, and the products in personal collections have been documented with photographs. Data obtained through unstructured interviews were directly transferred to the study. In addition to this, a field study was conducted to observe the survival of the bath culture. As a result of the study, it has been observed that the bridal bath, which is one of the marriage rituals, was frequently practiced in the past, but it is still practiced even though it is decreasing today and there are changes in the form of practice. It is concluded that the tradition has taken the form of a bachelorette party with the participation of close friends of the bride, for the purpose of having fun by keeping up with the modernization process. 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.

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