The Pshav-Khevsurian „Dakvleva-Gariga“ and the Megrelian „Ginodzirapa“

(Based on Ethnographic and Folkloric Material)

Abstract

Marriage is one of the most complex and multi-staged institutions of society. The customs and rites associated with it have traveled a considerably long path of development. Marriage, representing a historically conditioned relationship between woman and man shaped by the social existence of the time, changed and developed in step with the development of society.
Scholarly literature duly notes that the traditional Georgian wedding consisted of several principal stages: 1. Dakvleva-gariga (inquiry and arrangement), 2. Datsindva, or betrothal, 3. Farewell to the bride, 4. The wedding itself, and 5. The bride›s induction into (marital) work.
Within the ritual complex of customary poetry, wedding poetry occupies one of  the most significant places. One form of the appropriation of a woman is represented by the Pshav-Khevsurian „dakvleva-gariga“, that is, the inspection of the prospective
bride, corresponding to the Megrelian „ginodzirapa“. This inspection (ginodzirapa) denotes a comprehensive examination of the prospective bride, an assessment of her merits and shortcomings. In Megrelian, this word occurs only within wedding-related
phraseology.
A Khevsur man could not ask for a woman›s hand directly; he was obliged to proceed through the mediation of a „ts’inamdzghvari“ (literally, „leader“ or „guide“). The ts’inamdzghvari was, in effect, a matchmaker. He would negotiate the matter with the woman›s parents and, upon obtaining their consent, would inform the parents of the groom.
A similar tradition existed in Samegrelo as well; there, the role of intermediary was played by the „marebeli“.
As the present study has shown, the Khevsurian and Megrelian marriage traditions intersect on many common points, though certain distinct features are also present.
Drawing on the scholarly literature as well as on the rich ethnographic material gathered by the authors in the fifield, this study compares the Khevsurian „dakvlevagariga“ with the Megrelian „ginodzirapa“, identifying the similarities and differences
that exist between them.