TRADITIONS OF THE "FIRST WEDDING NIGHT" IN THE WEDDING RITES OF THE PEOPLES OF DAGESTAN (XIX - EARLY XX CENTURY)

Based on field ethnographic material, studies of family, marriage and family rituals, the article describes and analyzes a sensitive and controversial topic in the traditions of the peoples of Dagestan related to the preservation of the integrity of a girl before marriage. The concept of interpreting the values of chastity is considered in a complex of rituals, ideas and beliefs of the Dagestani peoples, not only through the prism of such an important family and social event as a wedding, but also as an independent object, although closely related to it.Chastity, the virginity of a girl before marriage is an object of heated debate in society, since the attitude towards him transforms from era to era, from people to people. Despite this, there is no special study devoted specifically to the traditions associated with the "wedding night".The peoples of Dagestan have an extensive ritual complex associated with the "first wedding night", in which both ancient beliefs and popular ideas about healthy offspring are intertwined. The successful completion of one of the epoch-making events in the human life cycle - the creation of a family, as well as the happiness of a woman and her status in society, in the Dagestan realities depend not only on the time under study, but also today, on the outcome of this "night". The fact of chastity, proven on the "wedding night", has not lost its relevance among the majority of the peoples of Dagestan at the present time. Accordingly, some ethnographic nuances will undoubtedly be of interest not only to specialists.