Caucasus experts urge to review wedding tradition of stopping corteges

The tradition of stopping a wedding procession (cortege) for claiming ransom exists in Chechnya and in neighbouring regions, but in urban conditions it becomes dangerous. Authorities should take measures so that the custom does not lead to accidents and traumas, the Orientalists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Prosecutor's Office had launched a check after the video was posted in which children claimed "ransom" from participants in the wedding procession in a street of Grozny.

Ruslan Gereev, a publicist and Director of the Centre for Islamic Studies of Northern Caucasus, told the "Caucasian Knot" that all the Caucasian nations have similar traditions. "This 'ransom' is purely symbolic; it's just a nice ritual. But today, the tradition of stopping the cortege is dangerous, since the participants have changed live horses for iron ones. Indeed, this leads to a lot of accidents," Mr Gereev has stated.

It is necessary to enforce a legislative ban on stopping cars within the framework of such a tradition, says Alexei Gunya, a senior researcher at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Doctor of Geography.

"This is very dangerous and can lead to tragedy," he told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 21, 2019 at 09:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.