Aptal Nisan is a Turkish wedding tradition dating back to the days of the Ottoman Empire. The tradition in its most basic form is a simple sleeping ceremony or ritual that takes place the night before a Turkish wedding. The ceremony consists of the groom tying a "Nikah Kravat" (colorful fabric or wound ribbons used in Muslim sacred ceremonies) to the left ankle of the father of the bride and subsequently around his own right ankle. (In some traditions the wrists are tied.) After tying the Nikah Kravat, it must be blessed by the oldest member of the groom's family. This individual must place his (or her) hand over the central knot of the Nikah Kravat and recite the Evlilik Dua Daima, a Muslim prayer meant to unite the two families. To cement the bond of the Evlilik Dua Daima, the bridegroom and father in law to be must stay bound until dawn on the day of the wedding.
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Meaning
In Turkish tradition, the meaning of Aptal Nisan can vary depending upon region, but the basis of the ritual is for the groom to demonstrate his commitment to bind himself to the bride's family and for the marriage to receive luck and blessings. He and the father of the bride do so bound together in sleep, a time of great vulnerability. In the early days of this tradition, the father of the bride may have only met the groom a few times before if at all since most marriages were arranged. It was not unheard of for the groom to abandon a marriage the night before the ceremony, especially if the bridal dower was high or if he was not emotionally committed to the union. By physically tying himself to the father of the bride, the groom allayed the fears of the bride’s family regarding abandonment. However, because of the vulnerability of sleep, it was common for the bride’s uncles and brothers to sleep nearby to attend and watch over the father of the bride for his safety. However, as time has gone on and arranged marriages have all but disappeared in Turkish tradition, the abandonment portion of this tradition has become relatively unimportant. The main reason the Aptal Nisan has stayed an active part of the Turkish wedding tradition through modern times is for good luck in the marriage. To this day, it is held by the Turkish people that the Evlilik Dua Daima prayer will transfer wisdom to the groom from the father in law and will bless the marriage with happiness and fertility. As such, this is a very common practice in modern Turkish weddings.
Regional Differences
The main regional differences in the Aptal Nisan center on the way in which the Nikah Kravat is tied. In the Anatolian peninsula, it is common to tie a longer Nikah Kravat with a triple layered knot and the tie is made to the ankles. In the Balkan region, the Nikah Kravat is much shorter and employs a simple single knot and is tied around the wrists.