Why Turks Are “Read” to Weddings

The Social History of "Okumak"

If you learn Turkish long enough, you eventually encounter a phrase that feels slightly illogical: düğüne okunmak. Literally, it means “to be read to a wedding.”

For native speakers, this expression feels completely natural. For learners, it raises a legitimate question: what does reading have to do with being invited?

The answer lies not in metaphor, but in history.

Okumak Before Books

In modern Turkish, okumak means to read written text. Yet this is a relatively late layer of meaning.

In Old Turkic, the verb okı- primarily meant to call, to summon, or to invite. It described a vocal, social act, not a private intellectual one.

This usage is clearly documented.

In the Orkhon Inscriptions from the 8th century, among the earliest written records of Turkish, forms of okı- appear with the meaning “to call” or “to summon.” One inscription describes people who came because they were called, not because they read anything.

In the 11th century, Divan-ı Lügat-it Türk records the sentence “Ol meni okıdı”, explicitly glossed as “He called me.” At this stage of the language, okumak still refers to inviting someone into presence, not into text.

Similarly, Kutadgu Bilig uses related nouns such as okıtçı to describe a person whose role is to call or invite others. The word names a social function.

Across these sources, the pattern is consistent: okumak belongs to the sphere of gathering people, not decoding writing.

The Arrow as a Call

The semantic relationship between okumak and ok meaning arrow is not accidental.

In early Turkic societies, the arrow functioned as a communicative object. It carried authority, intention, and summons.

Historical and epic sources describe arrows being used to mark gathering places, announce weddings, and call people to war or communal feasts. Sending an arrow was a formal way of saying: come, assemble, be present.

In the Oğuz Kağan tradition, arrows are used to divide land and authority. In Dede Korkut narratives, an arrow determines where a wedding tent will be erected. The arrow does not merely point. It calls.

Within this cultural logic, okumak emerges naturally as a verb of invitation. To “read” someone is to direct a call toward them.

Okuntu: A Living Practice

This ancient meaning of okumak did not disappear. In many regions of Anatolia, it survives in the tradition known as okuntu.

Okuntu refers to a wedding invitation delivered not through paper, but through small household gifts such as towels, fabric, socks, or scarves. These items are brought personally, often by a designated okıtçı.

According to the Turkish Language Association, okuntu is defined as “a wedding invitation made through small gifts.” Ethnographic studies show that the practice has been documented from the Aegean region to Central and Southern Anatolia, particularly among Yörük and Turkmen communities.

What matters here is not the gift itself, but the gesture. The invitation enters the guest’s home physically. It establishes proximity before the event even begins.

In this sense, okuntu reflects the original function of okumak: creating a bond through presence, not paperwork.

From Calling to Reading

How did a verb meaning “to summon” become the verb for reading?

The shift appears gradually with literacy and religious practice. Reading sacred texts aloud, especially prayers and the Qur’an, preserved the idea of calling meaning into the world through voice. Over time, the act of vocalizing written words became dominant, while the older social meaning retreated into idioms and traditions.

Yet it never fully vanished.

Even today, expressions like meydan okumak retain the older sense. To challenge someone is, etymologically, to call them to the square, to face them in public space.

Why This Matters

For learners of Turkish, düğüne okunmak is not a poetic curiosity. It is a linguistic fossil that still functions.

Understanding it reveals something essential about Turkish as a language: words often carry social memory. They remember how people once gathered, invited, and recognized one another.

To be “read” to a wedding is to be called into a shared moment. And that meaning, quietly preserved across centuries, still shapes how Turkish speakers talk about belonging.

Key Terms for Learners

• Okumak: to read; historically, to call or invite

• Ok: arrow

• Okuntu: traditional wedding invitation delivered with small gifts

• Okıtçı: the person who delivers the invitation

• Meydan okumak: to challenge; historically, to summon someone to meet

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why does Turkish use the verb okumak (to read) for wedding invitations?

A: In Old Turkic, okumak did not primarily mean reading a text. Its original meaning was to call, summon, or invite. This earlier sense survived in expressions like düğüne okunmak, where the verb reflects an act of social calling rather than literacy.

Q: What is the relationship between ok (arrow) and okumak in Turkish culture?

A: In early Turkic societies, arrows functioned as tools of communication and authority. Sending an arrow signaled a call to gather, celebrate, or prepare for war. This symbolic function connects ok (arrow) with okumak as an act of summoning or invitation.

Q: What does the tradition of okuntu reveal about Turkish social values?A: Okuntu shows that invitations in Turkish culture were historically relational rather than formal. By sending a physical object instead of a paper card, the host established a tangible bond, emphasizing sincerity, obligation, and communal participation over mere notification.