SAEDNEWS: Among the Qashqai people, girls respond to marriage proposals in an artistic and symbolic way—an ancient tradition that reflects the tribe’s cultural heritage.
According to SAEDNEWS, Every ethnic group has its own unique customs for proposing marriage and responding to a proposal, and the bride’s family often conveys their answer through culturally specific traditions. Among some ethnic groups, these practices are especially distinctive. One fascinating example is found among the Qashqai people, where girls traditionally responded to suitors in an artistic and symbolic way.
Although in today’s urbanized world many ethnic groups have been influenced by city life and old traditions have gradually faded, some customs still play a role in how marriage proposals are answered. One such tradition among Qashqai girls involved using art as a means of response.
Traditionally, if a Qashqai girl agreed to a marriage proposal, her family would weave a carpet featuring a lion motif with its tail raised upward and send it to the suitor. However, if the lion’s tail in the woven carpet pointed downward, it clearly signified a negative response to the proposal.
The main center of the Qashqai people is located in Fars Province, Iran. However, due to the vastness of their territory and historical migrations, they also reside in several other provinces. These include Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari (such as Borujen, Saman, Kian, Junqan, Boldaji, and Taqanak), Khuzestan (including Haftkel and Qaleh Tol), Isfahan (parts of Semirom, Shahrza, Dehaghan, Fereydan, and areas of Lenjan County, especially around Zarrinshahr), as well as Qom, Markazi, and Bushehr (including Dashtestan and Dashti).
Over different historical periods, the Qashqai gradually migrated to and settled in these regions. Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes are spread across Iran, and the settlement of Turkic tribes increased particularly during the Seljuk, Timurid, and Safavid eras. The population of the Qashqai people was estimated at around half a million in 1986, and today it is estimated to exceed 923,000 people.
