As soon as the sun rises,
Smoke smells are felt in the village.
As soon as Chuvash opens his eyes,
Goes to his baths to wash.
It goes from century to century.
Following ancient traditions,
In Simek all people go to the baths,
And sweat using Simek grass.
(This rite was practised by
Our grandmothers and fathers.)
So today Chuvashes wash off
The dirt and all their troubles.
Putting on clean clothes,
They all went to the street.
All moving slowly
To see the wedding.
“Our wedding is cheerful.
Oh, yes, it’s wonderful!”
Songs are heard in half the village -
Turikas is full of people.

* * *

Mikheter’s house, like a palace
Can be seen from afar.
Through his gates on the street
People come and go.
In front of the house
There are a lot of people.
The old men, open-mouthed,
Wait for beer to be offered.
The melody of shabar
Makes everyone dance.
All people have fun,
All celebrate the wedding.
The wedding people are
A bit tired, but merry.
When the shabar stops playing,
And starts a wedding song:
“Why do you sit silent,
Why do you sit silent?
We must not be silent,
We’re not baby nightingales!”

* * *

But unmoven, the shabar
Invites all to dance once again.
With all the dancing,
The floor is bent from jolting.
The guests sit proudly
At the table, in the room.
Having fun, drinking, eating,
They toast the young couple:
“Be always healthy and stay wealthy,
Have a lot of children,
Live in peace, and never
Hear bad words.
Let us eat and drink,
And live together forever!
Loving the bride and the groom,
Let us celebrate this better!”
Look, like a young boy
How the khuzya is dancing -
He, though old, is pleased with
His daughter’s wedding party.

And boys compete in dancing,
Making a circle, while
The songs and jokes of girlfriends
Echo along these dances.

* * *

Curtains with a silk fringe
From the ceiling tremble.
And behind the red curtain
Sits the bride under a veil.
Under her bridal veil she grieves,
And cries while in distress.
As her girlfriends sing,
Her voice is not heard.
They say that Mikheter
Marries Narspi, they recollect;
Her happy days have already passed,
They celebrate her wedding.
Her spouse Takhtaman
Will take Narspi away.
She is to part with her love,
How to forget the maiden years?
When you leave us here,
What will your Setner do?
Dear Narspi, our sister,
Where is your good fortune?

* * *

There is no end to the wedding
It is crowded and magnificent.
If you visit your friends,
There are many - no end.
The leather covered cart
Is very high indeed.
The song of girlfriends
Is heard far away.
The whole day and night,
Not abating, strange enough,
Shabar is not tired to play,
And boys dance incessantly.
And the children play
Around the wedding party.
An old man behind the house
Sleeps, as if he’s dead.
Let’s celebrate the tuy party,
But the old man is exhausted.
He wants to dance,
But he cannot, he is so weary.