COVID-19 restrictions force wedding hosts to create unusual solutions

KARABÜK

Turkey allowed weddings on July 1, after a monthslong ban due to the COVID-19 but social distancing rules along with some precautions remain obligatory for the wedding couples as well as for their guests.

While the bride and groom were required to wear protective face masks as part of the anti-virus measures, a restriction was imposed on the “jewelry pinning” ceremony, which is an old tradition and an integral part of Turkish weddings.

In a wedding ceremony in the Black Sea province of Karabük, jeweleries were pinned on mannequins by the guests instead of the piece of cloth attached to the couples outfits.

The guests also congratulated the bride and groom without physical contact.

In Turkish weddings, “jewelry pinning” ceremony, which sometimes takes more than an hour, the guests form a long queue in front of the couple and congratulates the duo by kissing them on cheeks or shaking their hands.

“Jewelry should be put into the boxes [according to a circular of the Interio Ministry] but the box was a bit strange to us. While we were discussiong what to do about it, my partner came with an idea,” said the wedding hall owner.

“We are maintaining the social distance as well as creating an environment as if the [guests] pin jewelry on the bride and groom,” he added.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca congratulated the residents of the Central Anatolian province of Çankırı’s Kuyupınar village by sharing the photograph of the dancing villagers who adhered to the social distance rules.

In the photo, the villagers performed traditional halay dance, which involves people holding each other’s hands and touching shoulders to form long lines. The residents of the village, however,  performed the dance by holding sticks to observe social distancing.

The country has allowed wedding halls to reopen again as it wound down some of its last major COVID-19 curbs in a bid to return life to normal and revive the economy.

Distances between tables are adjusted according to the government guidelines and body temperature of the guests are checked at the entrances.