Özet:

It is a fact that Turks have accepted various belief systems such as Kok Tengri, Totemism, Animism, Shamanism (in Siberian and Central Asian Turkic communities), Buddhism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. This reveals that the Turks have been in a very wide geographical and cultural spectrum. Historians of religions state that adopting these various belief systems is the result of the geography in which the majority of Turks live and their social and cultural interactions. Derived from the word ‘kara- (K-R-A)’ meaning ‘those who read’ in the Aramaic-Hebrew language, which is considered a sect of Judaism that emerged in the Middle Ages within this religious diversity, Karaism has become the name of a noble Turkish community over time. The Karaites, who claim to be the remnants/descendants of the Khazar State, are a Turkish tribe belonging to the Karaite sect, who accept only the Torah/Torah (those who recognize the authority of the written law) of Judaism. The Karaites do not acknowledge the Tanakh as the sole source of religious decrees. Therefore, this ethnic group owes its national equality to the general ethnogenesis of religion and language. There are three important phases of human beings, namely ‘birth, marriage, and death’, which are described as the ‘passage’. It is necessary to identify the new state of the person in these transitional periods, to bless him, and at the same time to protect the person from some of the dangers and harmful effects that are believed to be intensified during this time. The customs, traditions, and ceremonies in the transitional periods, as some of the processes and practices included in them, constitute the main stages of the traditional culture of the Turkish noble peoples. Karaite Turkish society also attaches great importance to marriage, being one of these transition periods, as in other Turkish tribes, and implements various practices in their own way within the framework of the Karai belief system. These rituals applied in marriage have an important function in the continuity of their traditions and customs, ensuring the connection between the old and new generations, and maintaining unity and harmony for the Karaites. The Karays are in danger of extinction because they do not have a positive opinion of marriages from different religions (other Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist Turkish tribes) and Jewish sects (Rabbanists). This situation enabled them to preserve their identity more than other Turkish tribes and to lean on their culture more. So much so that, since their dialects are included in the classification called “Dialects that are on the verge of extinction”, many religious, cultural, and grammatical books have been prepared in order to keep the Karaite dialect alive. In this study, both the basic beliefs of the Karaites on marriage, which they brought from the roots of the Turkic tree and the rituals that they kneaded with the belief of the Karai sect were examined together. In detecting this information, especially the text and word compilations made by the Karaite Turks residing in Trakai, the old capital of Lithuania, with the data obtained through observation were utilized. In addition, in this study, the similarities in the rituals of the Karaites living in Crimea and the Karaites living in Lithuania, as well as differences due to geography and contact with different cultures are discussed.

Anahtar Kelimeler: