Kyz uzatu
The Kazakh and Kyrgyz send-off of the bride at her parents' home.
Also: kiz uzatu, kyz uzatuu, bride send-off
Kyz uzatu, sending off the girl, is a celebration at the bride's parents' home, held before she goes to the groom's family. Relatives and neighbours gather, the bride is dressed in the saukele, and songs of farewell, such as the Kazakh zhar-zhar, are sung, in which the bride's friends and the groom's relatives answer one another. The parents give her a dowry, called sep, of bedding, carpets and clothing. A feast follows. In Kyrgyz the equivalent is kyz uzatuu. The rite is an important part of the wedding sequence.
Region: Central Asia and the Caucasus