The lady sitting on a chair is a bride, waiting to be brought to the parental home of her future husband.
Her head and shoulders are covered with a big red scarf, that will be taken away after her transfer.
She wears a velvet ‘bindallı’ dress, adorned with motives of flower vases and bouquets.

The young girl to her left wears a pink two-piece embroidered silk dress. She holds two candles on small dishes (one in each hand). She is performing a wedding dance. This ritual is widely spread in Anatolia, keeping alive the ancient symbolism of light (= welfare) versus darkness (= evil). It is performed to bring luck to the new couple.
In fact, this dance is never performed by one dancer alone. You need a group (male, female or mixed), obscurity, burning candles, and music. Of course, in a museum setting, this is difficult to realize...

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.