Turkmen ritual of Elleshdirmeh added to Iran’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List

The National Intangible Cultural Heritage list of Iran has inscribed the ritual of Elleshdirmeh, which is a part of wedding ceremonies among Turkmen people in the northern Golestan Province.

Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced the inscription through a letter to the governor-general of the province.

Some more items including local dolls, the skill of sewing Qezelbash traditional clothes, and the skill of Qazaq-duzi (traditional needlework) were also registered on the list.

Silk weaving master Effat Moradi and wickerwork master Seyyed Mohsen Mazangi were also added to the list as Living Human Treasures.

Following Aghd ceremony, Elleshdirmeh comes along in which the couple becomes officially husband and wife when their families put the bride and groom’s hands together as a symbol of happiness.

During this ceremony, different songs are vocalized and the guests wish the couple a long life full of joy and happiness.

Iranian province of Golestan embraces some 2,500 historical and natural sites, with UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus – a one-millennium-old brick tower – amongst its most famous.

MM/FM