Wedding as a Mirror of Social Change: Continuity and Transformation in the Wedding Customs of the Bosniaks in Novi Pazar

Folkloristics 10/2 (2025): 107–148
Author: Biljana Anđelković
Text:

This paper presents the results of ethnographic research on weddings and wedding customs among the Bosniaks in Novi Pazar, conducted during 2023 and 2024. The study focuses on the period spanning over the late 20th century and early 21st century, with particular attention to the practices in urban settings. Given the significant social and political transformations that occurred during this timeframe, a central aim of the research was to explore the impact of these changes on the Bosniak wedding tradition. The paper further examines how members of different generations interpret individual customs, which elements they have preserved from traditional weddings and why, and the criteria by which they select specific customs to incorporate into contemporary wedding practices.

Keywords: wedding, wedding customs, Bosniaks, Muslims, Novi Pazar.