The time on my watch showed 6:55pm Beijing time. Exactly 24 hours earlier my involvement in this Uyghur wedding had begun and things were finally coming to a head in the building in front of me. Everybody was arriving to enjoy the final act of this Uygur wedding: the grand reception.

If you’re lucky, as a tourist you might see a few of of these public displays in the streets of a Xinjiang city. A parade of 6-20 cars, led by a flat-bed truck, slowly winds its way through the city making as much noise and ruckus as possible.

Uyghur weddings, as with every culture, can take on many different forms and the differences between these diverse celebrations can be confusing; however there is one part of the process that has remained practically unchanged for centuries in the Uyghur culture: the wedding ceremony.

I never knew it was possible to eat so much food.  Greasy, oily, irresistibly tasty Uyghur food.  It wasn’t long into my first experience with a traditional Uyghur wedding, however, before I realized that I shouldn’t have worn my belt.

It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m excited to finally be able to share with you one of my favorite experiences living in Xinjiang.
This week will be dedicated to an incredible Xinjiang tradition known as the Uyghur wedding.