Traditional Mongolian Wedding

In October Scott was invited to attend a traditional Mongolian wedding held 400 km west of Ulaanbaatar in the Arhangai aimag outside the small town of Tsetserleg. It took many hours by car to reach their destination and they arrived well after dark. The following morning Scott took this shot of the gers and the surrounding area. The wooden shed to the left of the ger was erected to keep wolves away from the family's supply of meat. 

There are no words in Mongolian that directly translate bride and groom. Here, in the gers of the "woman's side" they await the arrival from the "man's side".

And finally they arrive from over the mountains to the east.

The happy couple, as they wait for the wedding festivities to begin.

The traditional exchange of snuff bottles takes place. Many of the bottles are extremely valuable and are worth a great deal of money, sometimes in the thousands of dollars. 

Then there is the presentation of the aaruu, a collection of bread-like, firm oblong "cake"pieces that are arranged in a particular way, always in an odd number of layers representing happiness, sadness, alternatively but beginning and ending with happiness to invoke a good fortune.

As at all traditional Mongolian festive occasions there is much food and drink offered to guests. To the left at the back of the table the mutton carcass is visible. 

The wood stove in the centre of the ger is always stoked to heat the gallons of milk required for the Mongolian traditional milk tea made of a hint of tea, lots of milk and salt and sometimes with an essence of mutton.

Airag, fermented mare's milk, always in abundance

Symbolic shots of vodka are always given with

some money underneath to balance the energy;

alcohol is dark and money is light.

It wouldn't be a party without singing to the accompaniment of the morin khuur, a traditional horse head fiddle. 

Gifts are offered, accompanied by the

daavuu, the ceremonial

prayer scarf.

The bride receives good-bye kisses from her family ...

... then makes a circumnavigation of the ger, always in a clockwise direction, and officially becomes a member of the "man's side.

She lights her first fire, a tradition once the wedding is complete.

A photo of the immediate families from both sides. 

The only person not a family member is the man in the suit. He is the shaman who presided at the wedding.