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http://www.newsweek.com/grab-and-run-1634

http://www.rferl.org/content/bride-kidnapping-in-kyrgyzstan/25403604.html

DATABASE : http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/275340

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I think bride kidnapping is important in Kyrgyzstan because it symbolizes that the man is the head of the household. It shows an activity from almost a 100 years ago being carried over to present day, and shows the evolution of this tradition. Although there is no religious meaning to this tradition, it is also important to people today because they feel like they are carrying on the legacy of their ancestors, most of whom married through bride kidnappings.

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Another thing I discovered is that some parts of traditions are especially meaningful, and removing it would remove the purpose of the tradition itself. This applies to this tradition through the white scarf. This scarf symbolizes that the woman has agreed to marry the man, as it is the symbol of marriage. This conclusion does not connect with my generalization because it shows that over the course of time that bride kidnapping has existed, one factor has stayed strong the whole time, not changing despite the change of everything else around it - the scarf and what it symbolizes.

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Although traditions themselves may not change over time, the acceptance and the occurrence could change. This conclusion corresponds to the generalization and bride kidnappings because these kidnappings started out as something that both parties of the wedding wanted and planned together, however, an outside factor, time, has changed this. As society advances in Kyrgyzstan, so does the feeling that men are more powerful than women, therefore, men feel as if they have the right to marry any women that they want.

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Although bride kidnappings were outlawed in Kyrgyzstan in 1994, the practice still continues because Kyrgyzstan’s large rural population maintains a traditional lifestyle. Therefore, most authorities do not enforce this law as much as they could be.

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Many women have committed suicide as a result of these bride kidnappings, as they are not happy with their lives, but there is nothing that they can do about it.

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One major reason that most girls accept even if they don’t want to marry the groom is because once the girl enters the man’s home, they are no longer considered “pure”, making it hard for them to find another marriage proposal.

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After the groom kidnaps the girl, he takes her back to his house, where his female family relatives try to convince the girl to stay and accept the marriage. They try to place a white scarf on the girl’s head, and one it is fully on, it means that the girl has accepted the marriage proposal. They are usually very forceful and stubborn, convincing the girl in any way they can.

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Around 11,800 girls are kidnapped each year, and after struggling, around 84% of these women end up agreeing to the marriage. The rest manage to convince the groom’s family to let them go back home.

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Bride kidnapping has been occurring for over 80 years now in Kyrgyzstan. However, bride kidnapping has changed. In the past, the bride and groom would know each other, and would agree to the kidnapping, often planning it before hand together. Now, these kidnappings have become much more violent and the woman is often forced into the marriage.

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The festival of Apokries has stayed the same over the years in many ways, but it has also changed in different ways too. The traditions relating to food and meat have stayed the same, as have most celebrations. But some aspects have changed, or rather been adapted, to fit the modern day situation better. One of these things is the timing of the festival. In ancient Greece, this festival in honor of Dionysus took place in early Spring, as Dionysus symbolized life's rebirth after Winter. Today Apokries is held in the same period but not on a fixed date, as it depends on the movable feast of easter, and the 40 days of lent preceding easter. This coincides with the generalization as it shows that traditions do often become influenced by outside factors, which in this case is the date of Easter, and become altered by them. Traditions can be adapted to better fit the circumstances.

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This festival was important because of its role as predecessor to the 40 days of Lent. It included important tasks completed during the three weeks, such as cleaning of utensils and melting of extra fat, in its rituals. It signified the cleansing of a person from all meat so they could withhold a promise they made during the fasting of Lent. The festival was also a time of celebration and happiness that everyone in the country shared at the same time for the same reason, and brought them all closer.

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Apokries was originally for the God Dionysus, god of wine, because wine brought celebration and festivities.

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http://www.livingincrete.net/apokries.html
https://helleniclegacy.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/apokries-traditions-the-age-old-festivities-before-lent/
http://www.explorecrete.com/traditions/apokries-carnival.htm
http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/search?q=greece&s=GO

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The final Saturday and Sunday before Clean Monday is known as Carnival Weekend and the majority of festivities and parades are held over this weekend. It is the last day weddings are allowed to take place in church until after Easter, although it is considered to be bad luck on the marriage if it does occur on this day.

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Apokries runs for the three weeks immediately preceding the starting of Lent. It is divided into parts by its three weeks. The first week starts with the opening of the book of the Triodion and the three holy sacraments.
The second week is the meat week. It is officially the last week of eating meat until Lent. In the olden times, on Smoke Thursday it was tradition to charcoal grill meat and melt fat  over it so that the smell of burning meat filled the entire villages.
The third week is known as Cheese week. People ate mostly dairy products during this week and meat was forbidden. Women never washed their hair during this week, as it was believed it would turn white if they did.

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The festival starts before the 40 days of Lent begin, and is the saying goodbye to meat. The second Thursday before lent starts is known as Tsiknopempti, or Smoke Thursday, and meat is supposed to be cooked at every house. Celebrations continue until the week before and the last day before is know as Clean Monday or Ash Monday. On this day, all kitchen utensils are cleaned of animal products and meat-free feasts take place. Kites are flown all over the country

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Apokries is the Carnival festival from Greece and Crete and is celebrated before Lent starts. It means "Away from meat."

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The festival is very crucial for Romans because Saturnalia marks a time period where they are able to rejoice as they please. Romans are permitted to gamble which
in traditional times was not allowed by the Roman Senate. Additionally, a positivity between slaves and masters is depicted by having them rejoice as a family. Saturnalia created unity in between statuses and classes. It continues to be crucial for current Roman descendants, however there has been a loss of the religion behind it and worship of Lord Saturn.

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Currently, the human sacrifice has been outlawed and so has the slave and master role reversal (as mentioned above) for obvious reasons concerning human cruelty. Today, people throw parties and some families also incorporate the "King of Misrule" as a crucial custom. Another tradition still upheld is the gift exchanging. Furthermore, the adults and (maybe) the children take part in gambling. The current tradition of Saturnalia does not have the emphasis on worship for Lord Saturn as non-Romans take part in the festivities. This is partly because it has evolved into several other festivals in different cultures. For example, when a lot of Christian influence came into the Roman empire, Saturnalia was adapted as the Feast of Fools where jesters would make fun of Kings and Emperors in Courts. It was also a festival where people rejoiced and had fun. Saturnalia relates to my generalization because Saturnalia has developed overtime as mentioned above in the conclusions because customs have been altered because of laws and regulations against human cruelty. The part regarding gambling is limited now because of gambling age restrictions. Especially the religious part has been altered since people have adapted it to different cultures. Saturnalia is a perfect example of the generalization because it has lost a lot of its meaning and customs.

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Additionally, a person of a lower status, instead of one of upper status was assigned as a "King of Misrule" and everyone in the household would have to temporarily comply to his or her demands for the duration of the festival. The "Kings" could be a slave or a child of the household.

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Throughout the last day of Saturnalia, Sigillaria, celebrators exchange gifts such as fruits, nuts, wax candles and lamps engulfed in pieces of holly. Kids are given dolls, rings, seals and other miniscule nick-nacks. The gift giving signifies the return of the daylight is coming. Although, these gifts were originally presented to one another, silver versions of these objects became traditionally known and still continue as so today. All of the gifts also include short, witty poems addressed to the recipient.

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On the first day of Saturnalia, before celebration parties begun, Romans gathered around the Temple of Saturn to perform a human sacrifice in front of the steps of the temple. An effigy of the god would be build filled to the brim with olive oil. This was to ensure the presence of the god so that he saw the dedication of the Romans. After the ritual, Senators and other Romans yell in a chorus of "Lo Saturnalia" (Ee-yo sa-tur-NAH-lee-yuh) and the festivities commence.
Below is a picture of the ruins of the Temple of Saturn.

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Furthermore, gambling is a huge part of the celebrations. Especially since, in first century Rome, gambling was banned by the senate except for the few days of Saturnalia. All celebrators gamble regardless of age, class and gender. The children gamble utilizing nuts, while adults would use money. Spinning the top is an example of a gambling game which is played.

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http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/8445/3/honoring-the-lares

http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/4175/6?search=saturnalia

http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/10328/2?search=saturnalia

http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/8346/4?search=saturnalia

http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/8503/3?search=saturnalia

http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/4426/5?search=saturnalia

http://www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/4552/3?search=saturnalia

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=WHIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&u=fairfaxcps&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&p=WHIC%3AUHIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3407710069

http://www.historytoday.com/matt-salusbury/did-romans-invent-christmas

http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Saturnalia

http://www.carnaval.com/saturnalia/

http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/saturnalia-december-festival-joy-and-merriment-ancient-rome-004963

http://www.novaroma.org/religio_romana/saturnalia.html

http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com/2011/12/ancient-roman-christmas.html

http://www.cracked.com/article_15719_pagan-orgies-to-human-sacrifice-bizarre-origins-christmas.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/how-about-a-saturnalia-di_b_4469720.html

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A common practice which still takes place now took place is the role reversal between slaves and their masters or the lower class and the upper class. On Saturnalia, the masters waited on their slaves to emphasize that their slaves were a part of the family.

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As the name suggests, Saturnalia is a festival to worship the god Saturn (the Roman equivalent to the Greek Titan Kronos) who is the god of sowing seeds. However during the Golden Age, he was represented as the god of merriment and joy due to the excitement provoked by Saturnalia. For instance, the poet, Catullus stated the festival was "the best of days".

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Saturnalia is an ancient annual Roman festival which is generally held between December 17 and 23 based on the Julian Calendar as stated by Macrobius (Saturn. 1.7).

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Kidnapping of the Bride - Sanjana Meduri

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Kidnapping of the Bride - Sanjana Meduri

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Bride kidnapping is something that occurs all over the world. I will be focusing on Kyrgyzstan, the place with one of the most kidnappings. People in Kyrgyzstan call it ala kachuu, or "grab and run."