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Story Publication logo October 30, 2008

Wedding Drums in Kashgar

Country:

China
Author:
Media file: 629.jpg
English

Project

Unrest in the Uyghur Homeland

Four days before the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese government faced an...

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Uyghur elders arrive at the bride's compound to celebrate a wedding on the outskirts of Kashgar, Xinjiang. Many Uyghur couples are hurrying to get married before the beginning of the Islamic season of Ramadhan in early September.
After political violence rocked several cities near Kashgar before and during the Olympic Games, local Muslims heard rumors that the Chinese government would ban large gatherings of Uyghurs at events such as weddings. So far, young people are still getting married.
Men serve the pollo, a traditional Uyghur dish made of chicken, rice and carrots, through a window in the bride's compound.
Uyghur elders arrive at the bride's compound to celebrate a wedding on the outskirts of Kashgar, Xinjiang China.
Close friends of the bride greet one another after the conclusion of the Islamic wedding ritual.
Musicians play folk tunes on the traditional jaz and hagae instruments at the bride's compound.
Local Kashgar residents admire the bridal vehicle before the start of the family's wedding reception.
Led by a band of musicians, the groom arrives at the bride's house after accepting a blessing by a Muslim cleric earlier in the morning.
Friends shout
Friends shout
As the bride prepares to leave her family and begin a new life with her husband, she cries and bids farewell to her father and mother.
After arriving at her new husband's home, relatives and close friends of the bride offer a prayer before sharing a meal.

Enhanced security measures on the streets of Kashgar have not stopped young couples from tying the knot. On Thursdays and Fridays and through the weekend, caravans of newly-weds troll the streets of this ancient city in everything from taxis to limos. Musicians in flatbed trucks lead the way and announce the couples to Kashgar in a chorus of drumbeats and trumpet blasts. Amidst the simmering violence, the rituals of life and relationships continue.

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