go to the market and buy sweetmeats and candy and hold a feast in their homes. In Bandar Torkaman, the 'Laleh' singing ceremony has been performed for many centuries. Women assemble and sing Laleh' which is a melancholy song. Its composer is unknown, but the song laments the hard life of brides in ancient times among Turkmans, historical events, love of life, and the pain of separation from the tribe and homeland. In old times the brides were separated from their natives tribes and were taken to distant regions by their husbands and often never again saw their parents. Thus in their loneliness it was the following charming and melancholy song which gave them comfort: Tell me if the mountain beside our village still stands? Are the jungles there still full of fruit? O white birds which are flying, tell me if my clan and friends are safe and sound. For five days during Fitr or Qorban (sacrifice) holidays the Turkman rejoice and feast. They open their house gates to permit any stranger who is passing the town to step into the house and join their feast. When a child is being born they repeat the old proverb which says: "If the newborn is a son he will become a farmer and if a girl she will become carpet weaver." This shows the importance they attach to farming and carpet weaving. In the past, when Turkman tribesmen moved from one place to another, they did not carry some of their heavy belongings and instead buried them in graves; because of the sanctity of graveyards, nobody dared to steal the items. When courting, the groom-to-be must prepare a Qatlama, which is a special sweetmeat. If the bride's family accepts the Qatlama, it means that they agree to the wedding. The family of the bride-groom adorns a camel with ornamented clothes and lays a litter on it to mount the bride over the animal and carry her to the groom's house. The camel is driven by a respected elder among the tribe and at times by the groom himself. However, with the arrival of cars, this tradition has been abandoned in most cities; but in remote mountainous regions such as Gelidagh, Maraveh tappeh, Dashli boroon and Kalaleh, the bride is still carried away according to the tradition. Turkmans hold an interesting ceremony for circumcision. On that occasion they hold a big feast