Xoşbəxt Olsun!

(Me chilling at my local restaurant, along with the staff thereof. A bottle graveyard, a testament to the love of spirits here. Yes, those are all vodka and beer bottles, with a couple of wine bottles tossed in for good measure.

Finally, the two signs in Azeri read, respectively, "The martyrs' spirits will live on in our hearts" and "May Allah accept you in paradise".

Since my last post was thoroughly depressing, I decided I might as well spend the rest of my time here in the internet club trying to lighten the mood. So now a positive story! Hooray!

I went to my first Azeri wedding! I'm sure most of you would expect to be quite a different affair from our weddings in America since this is a Muslim country, and you would be right. However, not how you think. The bride and groom dress in Western wedding clothes, just like us. They have a small wedding ceremony at the house, where a red ribbon is tied around the bride's waist and they walk around a mirror three times and a bunch of other stuff I don't understand. Afterwards they are, at least in the eyes of Allah, married. However, this ceremony is restricted to family, and is just a small part of the whole. After this, the bride a groom load up in a Mercedes decked out with ribbons and flowers, and proceed to drive around town, followed by a line of cars, all of which are blaring their horns, flashing their lights, and generally driving like complete maniacs. After a few trips around town the new couple arrive at the "Şadlıq Sarayı", which literally means "Palace of Joy". Then the real party begins. This part of the event is officially known as a "toy", which means wedding. I think the real translation should be "testament to excess". Imagine a banquet/dance party created in collaboration with Madonna and the Shah of Iran, with a touch of Turkish flair...and you get the general idea. It's LOUD, and considering my feelings on Azeri music you can imagine how well this sat with me. It starts benignly enough with the bride and groom being officially married by the state, signing the marriage license, etc. Then the fun beings. FOOD, and I mean a ton of it. An endless stream of soup, vegetables, fruit, cold cuts, kebabs, and everything else in the Azeri culinary lineup. This is accompanied by drinks, and of course by drinks I mean vodka. There are two waiters to every table, and every time a toast is made your glass is immediately refilled. This continues until you either refuse or can no longer walk. Once everyone has been well lubricated by the copious libations and general cheer, it's time to DANCE! Azeri dancing is a rather foolish looking pratice, but increbidly easy to learn. Essentially you stand up, hold your arms out to your side, kick your feet around and look really depressed. I don't know why the last part is important, but apparently it is., because faces completely bereft of cheer dominate the dance floor until late into the night, when the more reserved people have gone home and the floor becomes a land of drunkards and maniacs. These things can go on for hours. I managed to stay for a total of three and felt rather proud of myself for even that much. Hardcore toy-goers can go on for 7-8 hours straight, eating and drinking enough to kill most mortal men.

I've already got two more wedding invitations for the month of December. Next time I'll try to bring a camera and get some upclose shots of the action as it unfolds. Till then, xoşbext olsun! (be happy!)