At the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Asunción, Paraguay on December 4, the traditional Kazakh wedding ritual Betashar was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“Betashar is one of the most vivid and widespread rituals in the living heritage of the Kazakh people. Its recognition as an integral part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will strengthen our collective efforts to systematically study, preserve, and promote the invaluable traditions passed from generation to generation,” emphasized Askar Abdrakhmanov, Permanent Ambassador of Kazakhstan to UNESCO.
The ritual of Betashar (translated literally as “opening of the face”) is the ceremony of revealing the bride’s face during a wedding ceremony. It originated in medieval times, when the groom rarely saw his future bride before the wedding. At the beginning of the ceremony, the bride’s mother dresses her in the traditional Kazakh headdress and a veil. She is escorted into the hall, where the guests await her appearance. The “akyn” (the singer and master of ceremony) starts his improvised song, praising the groom’s family and ancestors. As a sign of respect and greeting, the bride and her sisters-in-law bow to each person or group as they are mentioned. The “akyn” then lifts the bride’s veil to reveal her face to the guests. The groom’s mother welcomes the bride as a new family member, and the groom takes her by the hand. Relatives then shower the newlyweds with sweets and coins.
Betashar became the 14th element inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO, six of which are national: “Art of Dombra kuy” (2014), “Kures in Kazakhstan” (2016), “Kazakh traditional asyk games” (2017), “Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders” (2018), “Orteke, traditional performing art in Kazakhstan: dance, puppet and music” (2022), and “Betashar, Traditional Wedding Ritual” (2024), and eight multinational ones, “Yurt making” (2014), “Aitys, the art of improvisation” (2015), “Nauryz” and “Flatbread making and sharing culture” (2016), “Korkyt ata heritage” (2018), “Togyzqumalak” (2020), “Falconry” (2021), and “The telling tradition of Kozhanasyr jokes” (2022).
