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Weddings in Kyrgyzstan – communist style

August 28, 2019 | Michael Turtle | 6 Comments

SOVIET YEARS

The Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

A George Michael song is playing through the speakers. I listen for a second – it’s Freedom! ’90. I recognise some of the lyrics.

It’s not what I would have expected here in Bishkek. Especially not inside a building that feels like a crystal cathedral.

It’s making a strange experience even stranger, but somehow the song doesn’t feel too out of place amongst the gaudy decorations and brightly-coloured stained-glass windows.

Welcome to Kyrgyzstan’s Wedding Palace.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

It’s not hard to spot the Wedding Palace from the outside – an enormous concrete monolith with large jewel-like windows pointing up to the blue sky.

In the circular driveway at the front, limousines and stretch hummers wait. A tiled fountain is colourful… but waterless. Well, it is summer, I guess.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

It looks like it could be a castle, a church, a temple. It looks futuristic on one hand, but distinctly brutalist communist on the other.

It’s almost like something from science fiction, perhaps one of those monuments built in the past by an advanced alien race that was wiped out before humans even existed.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

To understand the Wedding Palace, we need to go back to 1980s, when Bishkek was part of the USSR. Under Soviet rule, religion (and religious ceremonies) were prohibited.

This caused create consternation for the leaders of the various religions represented in Kyrgyzstan and one of their biggest concerns was that they could not perform weddings. To them, a couple was not truly joined in matrimony unless it was done in a holy place.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The Soviets wouldn’t allow religious weddings to take place but they did offer one compromise – the ceremonies could take place at a central ‘multi-faith’ building that would be shared by all the religions.

This, of course, is the Wedding Palace and it was opened in 1987.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

I go in through the main entrance and right in front of me is a large marble staircase covered in a red carpet leading up to a door surrounded by glowing white circles.

It’s up here that couples are married, in the inner sanctum of the palace, where nobody else may step foot. Velvet ropes, probably straight out of a sticky nightclub, block the bottom of the stairs.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

But it seems that I can walk around and have a look at some of the other parts of the building.

I walk past the stained-glass windows, blue and green and red and orange. They are fairly meaningless geometric shapes now, the communist symbols of labour and patriotism from the original designs having been removed.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

There are paintings of legendary figures of Kyrgyzstan’s folklore, pots full of fake flowers, white leather couches, red woven rugs, and marble tiles.

The different doors coming off the main hall lead to dressing rooms for the bride and her family on one side, and the groom and his family on the other. There’s a space for a photoshoot, and offices for administration work.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Although the building is open and I can have a look around, it is almost empty. A few people, I notice, are coming in and out with paperwork – presumably to make appointments or arrangements for weddings. Because the ceremonies didn’t stop when the Soviet Union fell apart.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The Wedding Palace is still a popular place for young couples to get married here in Bishkek.

Not as popular as it used to be, sure. And probably not as popular as the religious buildings that it sought to replace. But there is something about this concrete temple with its ostentatious glitz and glamour that still holds appeal.

Maybe it’s simple: that it represents what so many weddings are these day, garish displays reaching for extremes.

Wedding Palace, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

I pause before leaving, having one last look around, and waiting until the end of the song.

When I first heard it, I thought George Michael was a strange thing to be playing here. I realise, it’s not.

It fits perfectly. A song released during Soviet years, with an upbeat retro vibe and a whole lot of tacky. That’s what you get!

>> See my guide to Bishkek's Soviet architecture <<

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of Discover Kyrgyzstan but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own. This trip was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KYRGYZSTAN?

See my Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide

To help you plan your trip to Kyrgyzstan:

  • A self-guided tour of the Soviet monuments in Bishkek
  • The strange Bishkek monument built for weddings
  • The best food to eat in Kyrgyzstan
  • See the Soviet murals left in Osh
  • Discover why this mountain has been sacred for centuries
  • You need to see Sary Chelek Lake for yourself to understand its beauty
  • Spending three days on a horse exploring the mountains
  • Would you drink horse milk? This place may change your mind!
  • Burana Tower is part of Kyrgyzstan’s Silk Road World Heritage Site
  • One of the mnost interesting Silk Road sites in the country

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Kyrgyzstan, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Kyrgyzstan.

You could consider:

  • Highlights of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan (9 days)
  • Best of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (14 days)
  • The Five Stans of the Silk Road (26 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. golden triangle tour with udaipur |

    November 30, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    Reply

    Wow! I never knew wedding palaces could be so interesting. I love the windows of the Bishkek one!

  2. Ankit Gupta |

    November 30, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    Reply

    good blog post /…/.//.

  3. Best flight deals |

    November 30, 2017 at 11:15 pm

    Reply

    I have heard about this city very much, the beauty of this city attracts many people. This city my dream city and now I started dreaming of having wedding their.

  4. Same day taj mahal tour by car |

    December 1, 2017 at 4:35 pm

    Reply

    It looks amazing! lovely place and pictures in your post.

  5. Ronnie Walter |

    December 1, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    Reply

    Wow! it not just looks grand but also damn beautiful. Having a wedding in such a palace is not less than a dream. Loved it!

  6. same day agra tour by car |

    December 2, 2017 at 10:43 pm

    Reply

    Wow! This looks fabulous. Loved it! Thank you so much for sharing a great experience.

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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