In an effort to bring some of my family's Ukrainian culture into my wedding, I've been researching lots of wedding traditions to see what we might be able to throw in to our ceremony. While I've been reading, all I can think is, "Goodness, these people are weird. Am I really one of these guys"?
Didn't see -that- one coming.
Most of these traditions have some easily recognizable ties to wedding traditions today, but most of them just make me laugh. These are my favorites.
#1: The Betrothal
- The day before the celebration of St. John the Baptist (also known as Ivan Kupala Day), village folk roam the forests and search for a magical flower that supposedly brings great wealth. Unmarried women are the first who are allowed to go into the forests to search, and they wear a wreath around their neck to show their purity. The young men then follow them into the forest. If a couple emerges and the young man is wearing the girl's wreath, they are now engaged to be married.
#2: Paying the Ransom (Not as bad as it sounds, I swear)
- Before the wedding, the groom must go to his future-in-laws's house and offer a ransom to retrieve his bride. Her bridesmaids protect her from being "stolen" without a ransom. Usually the groom offers something valuable like money or jewelry for his bride, and if they accept it, they bring out a woman or a man dressed as his bride while wearing a veil so the groom can't see her face. (Hopefully) When the groom realizes it's not his intended, he asks again for his one true love, and the family demands a bigger ransom because their daughter is so valuable. Once the ransom is negotiated, the family offers the bride to the groom.
However; if the parents of the bride meet the bridegroom at the doorstep with a pumpkin, it means that the offer of marriage was not accepted by either the bride or her parents. The pumpkin is something for him to carry, so he can't say "he left empty-handed".
#3: Blahoslovennia (Say that one three times fast. I dare you.)
- During this ceremony, the couple asks for blessings on the wedding from their parents. A ceremonial text is read that says something like this: "As these two children stand before their own mother and their own father, before uncles and godparents; maybe they did not listen to one of you, but I ask you to forgive them and bless this union." and family members reply "Proschannia!" which translates into forgiving someone of their offenses and bidding them farewell.
#4: Handfasting
- This involves the tying of ribbons around the right hands of both the bride and the groom for the duration of the wedding ceremony and celebration. In the 17th Century, handfasting was a way to solidify the legality of the wedding by forcing the couple to "shake hands" on the contract of marriage that they were entering into, and to symbolize their agreement to fulfill their vows.
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment