spouse because, “even a monster would flee from such a spouse,” as they say.

A sweet word opens all doors; a bitter one causes enmity toward you!

It is the husband’s and his relatives’ duty to help the new bride to get used to the habits and behaviour of the family.

The Türkmen have a beautiful tradition; a new bride bows her head to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, then the daughters in the house take her to the neighbours’ and relatives’ houses. The bride greets them in the same way. She shows respect to her new relatives by complying with this wise Türkmen tradition. This amounts to saying that if you have respect for your husband, then you should also show respect to his family. That is how relationships are grounded on the foundation of respect. May this respect and affection turn into a great love and friendship as time passes. May the new bride be the most beloved and beautiful bride of the family and the neighbourhood. This depends on how the men act in this regard.

There is a principle in life: One should choose a profession and spouse for oneself in youth. However the young have their heads in the clouds. They wish they could marry the most beautiful and cleverest girls. But the wisest thing to do is to choose your equal.

I remember listening to a story when I was a child:

Once, a young boy jumped into the river to swim. He sees with surprise that a water fairy is swimming in the river unaware of what is happening around her. The young boy moves close to her without being seen and catches the fairy:

“I love you. Marry me!” he says.