Emotional Bonding in Wedding Rituals of the Turkish/Kurdish Community in Berlin

Having a focus on wedding rituals of the Turkish/Kurdish communities in Berlin, this research is based on ways through which rituals strengthen community bonding within a society of immigration background, away from their homeland. When done periodically, such rituals reassure social connections within immigrant communities, while creating borders to keep others outside. Unlike weddings in Turkey, those in Germany are performed in purpose-built indoor spaces, isolated from the German community. This voluntary isolation enables the restaging of cultural codes and forms of the homeland, which often results in excess of emotions related to nostalgia. This in turn mutates cultural symbols for younger members of the immigrant community and paves the way to confused identities.