Wedding Tradition

In the traditional family, marriage is still a family issue rather than a personal one. In contemporary Turkey marriages are not conducted by the Imam anymore as they were before the Republic of Turkey was established. The new Turkish laws state that marriages have to be civil, not just religious.

Currently, approximately 40% of marriages are only civil, 50% are both civil and religious, 10% are only religious which means they are not legal. Polygamy was inherent in Turkey once, and still is in some Islamic states. Now it is very rare, though, and only in some small towns and villages men have several wives that comprise a harem. Since the age of marriage varies according to the different regions, today the average marriage age of men is 17-22, while girls marry at the age of 17-20. In fact, it is legally forbidden to marry before the age of 15 for women and 17 for men. Early marriages are more frequent in rural areas. For young men in big cities the problems of receiving an education, military service and acquiring a job are among the reasons that delay marriage.