The national tradition of any country, in particular Belarus, requires a very careful approach to many aspects of planning events at a wedding. You will learn how to do everything correctly in this article.
Wedding outfit
Our portal Svadbaholik.ru will first tell you about the outfit of the Belarusian bride. A girl's wedding dress should be distinguished by grace and subtlety. Use lace and embroidery to create a bridal look. Wear a white shirt and a skirt made of thick fabric. On top of the skirt, wear an apron with various decorative elements. It is important that everything fits harmoniously into your image. According to tradition, a vest with embroidery is worn over the shirt.
The groom should wear a white shirt and linen pants. Don’t forget about bright accessories, for example, a belt with a national pattern.
Towels for a wedding
The towel at a Belarusian wedding is an integral part of the ceremony. According to Belarusian custom, you need to stock up on at least 40 towels. They are presented to the bride's parents and used to decorate the wedding procession (cars, horse-drawn carriage) on which the happy newlyweds will ride. The newlyweds keep towels on their way to church and tie their clothes with them. This is where the tradition of tying them on the clothes of witnesses at a wedding arose.
Wedding floristry
One of the very important points is the wedding bouquet and wedding wreath. These elements must be carefully selected. They should emphasize all the wonderful flavor of the wedding celebration and should not stand out from the image of the beautiful bride.
You can use any variations when composing a bridal bouquet; it is better, of course, to choose wildflowers (daisies, cornflowers, etc.). For the wreath, you need to use fresh flowers and twigs with berries, such as rue, periwinkle, viburnum and others.
Wedding procession
The groom and his friends must travel in one car, and the bride, according to custom, gets into another vehicle. This could be a horse-drawn carriage or just wedding cars. The wedding cortege must consist of no less than seven cars, because seven is a symbolic number in Belarus.
As soon as everyone is seated in the cortege, the father of the beautiful bride walks around the cortege with the icon, moving in the direction of the sun. Behind him comes his mother, who must sprinkle the cortege with grain. Parents should not be present at the wedding in church, because according to the Belarusian rite, they can destroy the circle that they so diligently created.
Wedding
In the temple, the newlyweds are placed on a specially prepared towel, and two coins are placed on the places where the newlyweds will stand. After the wedding, these towels are taken with them, because according to tradition they cannot be left in the temple and they must be preserved throughout their happy life together. During the wedding, the groom must stand on the right and the bride on the left.
Feast
At the threshold of a restaurant or cafe, the newlyweds are greeted with their parents’ bread and salt and two glasses of vodka, the portal www.svadbagolik.ru reminds. Keeping bread and salt can only be done by parents who live happily together; you can also entrust this procedure to imprisoned parents. At this time, you can sprinkle the newlyweds with a small amount of sweets and grains.
Liana RaimanovaA travel style wedding is one of the one of the most original events. The holiday is very fun, unique and memorable for a long time. There are some rules that will need to be taken into account when organizing such a wedding. The wedding begins with invitations, and the journey begins with tickets.
To make it immediately clear to guests that something exciting is waiting for them, invitations can be sent to them in the form of tickets
Or you can design an invitation envelope from a geographical map. Any country can be chosen.
The hall where the feast will take place is decorated in the colors of the country. They decorate it with a flag and other symbols that will indicate their relationship to a particular area. Place globes, compasses, road signs, images of trains, planes, and ships. Of course, you will need balloons and flowers to make it colorful.
The bride and groom should not choose too chic outfits for themselves. It would be appropriate for the bride to wear a light short dress in light colors, and the groom can choose a blue suit with a bow tie. Can add national elements to wedding dresses of the people whose country takes up the idea of decorating a wedding. For example, at a wedding in the Cossack style it would be appropriate to wear trousers for the groom, and a wreath and veil for the bride. Even the ring box can be made in the shape of a globe or compass. It is advisable to bake the cake in the shape of a suitcase, map or desert island. There may be other interesting ideas.
Organizing a wedding in the style of different countries
You can organize a wedding in the style of any country. The main thing is to get acquainted with its features and distinctive features in advance.
Italian style wedding
For a wedding in Italian style, it is recommended use all shades of green. Olive branches and an Italian flag are suitable for decorating the hall. Don't forget about the sultry, fiery music. Such an event is held outdoors or in a cafe with an open veranda. The bride can safely choose a long white dress with lace; a veil or veil is required. Some girls choose a dress in green shades. This does not go out of the general style. It looks very original and unusual. But blondes should avoid this tone: it does not suit fair skin.
The groom should wear a vest instead of a traditional jacket and opt for a bow tie. The suit should match the bride's dress. An olive branch or a snow-white bouquet is placed in the buttonhole.
Photos of a wedding in Italian style
Indian style wedding
Indian-style weddings in Russia have become popular lately. It is usually carried out partly outdoors and partly indoors. For decoration you need to choose red and gold colors. This wedding is very bright, With many rituals, it is difficult to prepare. For example, it is not customary to install tables. Small tables in front of the newlyweds are allowed. The bride dresses in red, this color symbolizes innocence in India.
Photos of a wedding in Indian style
American style wedding
Usually the celebration itself is held separately from the registration day. It is best to have an American-style wedding outdoors. Guests must be warned about this, as It is customary for bridesmaids to dress alike. The bride can choose any dress. Mandatory moment: the bride throws her wedding bouquet; it should have a round shape and be in pink tones.
American style wedding photo
Spanish style wedding
A Spanish-style wedding involves Mediterranean decorations. The bride should wear a white dress with black and orange flowers. This is a symbol of a happy married life. The hairstyle may include a large red flower. The entire wedding should be held with incendiary music; you can rehearse Flamenco elements and surprise all the guests with this dance.
Photos of a wedding in Spanish style
Wedding in English style
England is a strict, prim country that respects its traditions. An English style wedding is suitable for reserved people. More like a formal reception. You can make deals here. It will be an excellent option for business, prosperous people who consider entertainment a waste of time. Bridal costumes should be traditional and discreet. Fluffy bridesmaid dresses are not allowed.
English style wedding photo
Hawaiian style wedding
A Hawaiian-style tropical wedding should be held near a body of water. You can rent a restaurant with a swimming pool for these purposes or organize an event on the seashore or river. The wedding is bright, cheerful, noisy, colorful . The Hawaiian wedding scenario should include a variety of competitions and dances. The clothes of the newlyweds and guests should be decorated with flowers. There is no hint of rigor or formality here.
Hawaiian style wedding photo
French style wedding
Wedding in Paris style for romantic natures. All design should be done in soft pastel colors, it is better not to resort to bright colors. The newlyweds' costumes should also correspond to the French style . The fabric of the dress should be light, flowing, and light in color. It is better for the groom to choose a light suit. Everything should be filled with love and tenderness. Don't forget about French music.
Photos of a wedding in French style
Japanese style wedding
You can decorate the place of celebration with sakura branches, fans, figurines of dragons and Buddha. At a Japanese-style wedding, the main attention should be paid to the bride's outfit. She is recommended to choose a white kimono; you can use a wig if it is not possible to create a high hairstyle. During the feast, a red cape is draped, and this ritual is repeated at the end of the event. The wedding table should be rich in Japanese cuisine: sushi, seafood, sake.
Japanese style wedding photo
Scandinavian style wedding
Perfect for a winter wedding. The main colors are white and light shades. Characterized by simplicity and minimalism. The bride's dress should be of a simple cut, long, and white. Pomp is not welcome. Silver jewelry is required. A Scandinavian-style wedding can be organized with a trip to nature. The hall is decorated with snowflakes and deer figures. Scandinavia is a snowy country.
Scandinavian style wedding photo
Irish style wedding
An Irish-style wedding can be a very spectacular event. The color of Ireland is green, so the design should be consistent with it. You can use a medieval font for your invitations. On the festive table The main wedding dish is lamb with potatoes. And as a wedding cake, it is better to serve a cherry cupcake decorated with cream. There is a special ritual of tying the hands of a couple that can be played out. At the same time, the bride and groom swear their love to each other. It will be great if you can invite a group that can play Irish folk tunes. The bride can wear a blue dress and the groom in a checkered suit - these are Irish wedding dresses. Bridesmaids can dress up in bright skirts and colorful knee socks.
Irish style wedding photo
Mexican style wedding
It is better to organize a Mexican-style wedding on the shore of a pond in sunny times. The design should be bright and rich. At the holiday table, give preference to Mexican cuisine, and choose tequila from alcohol. The bride should choose a discreet outfit with long sleeves. A wedding requires a wedding. Lots of colors, music, national cuisine, fruits - that's all you need to host such an event.
Photos of a wedding in Mexican style
Cuban style wedding
This event is suitable for those who like Cuban traditions. Many customs come from there. Also colorful decoration, obligatory wedding, the same outfit for the bride. It is preferable for the bride to wear a satin dress. And the music and dancing should not stop for a minute. A Cuban style wedding is a lot of fun. There is a ritual to give the newlyweds paper money: they are attached directly to the hem of the bride’s dress. But the young people themselves must give gifts to everyone present.
Photos of a wedding in Cuban style
Wedding in Venetian style
The decoration should be made in the spirit of an ancient castle, and the whole atmosphere should be imbued with romance. An excellent solution would be to hold the event on a yacht. A wedding should be luxurious. The bride will need to dress up in a dress of a medieval model. You can give all guests masks that hide their eyes, or warn them about this important element of the outfit. Candles, gilding, lush costumes for women with bare shoulders and a deep neckline will help create the atmosphere of a medieval holiday. Mediterranean cuisine should dominate the Venetian-style wedding table.
Venetian style wedding photo
Wedding in Latin style
A Latin wedding should be full of fiery Latin American songs. The hall needs to be decorated very brightly, with cacti and vases of fruit placed everywhere. This wedding is suitable for lovers of Brazilian carnivals. The bride can choose a dress with an open back and sequins. She should take into account that she will dance all night. Therefore, both the outfit and shoes should be comfortable. It is better to send a message to guests about the need to come to the holiday in colorful carnival costumes. Get ready to party until the morning!
Photos of a wedding in Latin style
Wedding in Belarusian style
For a wedding in the Belarusian style, newlyweds must wear national Belarusian costumes. A wreath of flowers is placed on the bride's head. A mandatory element is towels (embroidered towels). They decorate tables, benches, window sills, and walls. They are tied to witnesses. There is a tradition: young people should give 40 of these towels. Guests will surely love this idea. Instead of a birthday cake, there is a decorated loaf. The newlyweds are greeted with him from the wedding. Lovers of folklore will really like it. Lead round dances, sing suffering and other folk songs. Such a wedding will be remembered for a long time.
Photos of a wedding in Belarusian style
It doesn’t matter what style the wedding will take place, the main thing is to love and take care of each other. This is the basic law of a happy marriage in all countries!
6 September 2018, 19:25A wedding without competitions and entertainment is like a joke without humor. It is the entertaining moments that create the overall atmosphere of fun and real celebration. Well-chosen competitions will not make you blush the next day, but on the contrary, they will give you wonderful memories of one of the best weddings in your life.
For convenience, we have divided 13 ideas into groups.
Competitions for guests
1. Impromptu “Welcome Guests”
The host asks what the guests wish for the young intangible values. The following will definitely be listed: happiness, health, success, luck, joy, warmth, mutual understanding, harmony and, of course, love. Everyone who guessed correctly is given cards indicating the role and phrases. The text is read out. Participants must say the phrase immediately after mentioning their character.
Roles and phrases:
Love:“I’ll warm your blood!”
Happiness:"Here I am! Hello everyone!"
Health:“I’ll add to my genealogy!”
Success:“I’m the coolest among you!”
Luck:“I’m coming to join you!”
Understanding: “Just a moment!”
Patience:“I’ll tell you the solution!”
Harmony (all guests in chorus): “Advice and love!”
The day has come when Harmony came to the world. A beautiful woman rules over him Love. Hovering over our young people is huge Happiness. Promises to be in perfect order and cheerful Health. Swears he's just around the corner, loud Success. The inevitable comes to us on the wings of a blue bird Luck. It's serious at the table Understanding. And with it came cheerfulness Patience. This is what we have Harmony. Very loudly promises unrestrained Love. Even louder - persistent Health. The unbelted one tries to keep up with them Success. I'm having fun Harmony. Especially when, while flirting, she said a word Luck, and joined her, winking meaningfully, Happiness. I couldn’t stand it because of the abundance of emotions Harmony. She just burst into tears from wild Happiness. But here it came to the rescue with adventurous intonations Patience. The drunken man understood him without a word Understanding. Everyone came to the conclusion that the main thing among them was the Caucasian Health. And you just need to raise your glasses to him. Mutual understanding and Patience, Success and Luck, Happiness and Love and, of course, Health wish our newlyweds that there will always be absolute Harmony in their family!
2. Wedding forecast
The presenter offers to give everyone a gift-wish to the newlyweds, using certain gestures. The text will contain key words, upon hearing which you need to show the indicated gesture. Before starting, rehearse each gesture.
Love– married ladies draw a heart in the air.
Happiness– unmarried girls blow a kiss to the newlyweds.
Health– married men, bending their arms at the elbow, show their biceps.
Wealth– unmarried guys show the young man the “yes” gesture, lowering his arm bent at the elbow down.
Passion– everyone together shows the “Wow!” sign with both hands, extending them towards the young people.
We will read you the forecast
For the next hundred years.
How to live them is not a question,
We have the answer to everything!
A hurricane is waiting for you love,
Torrential downpour from happiness,
AND wealth on a way,
AND health, sea passions.
will become happiness Sweet home -
U love he will be a prisoner
AND wealth will be in it
AND health, undoubtedly!
Passions there will be a typhoon in it,
Happiness will be with children's laughter.
AND Love among the lagoons,
AND wealth, and joy!
Will always serve you
AND wealth, And health.
Passion, Love
you won't survive -
Happiness will be at the head!
3. Flash mob of love
During the dance break, guests are invited to make a flash mob for the young people. To a cheerful, rhythmic melody, tell the love story of the newlyweds in dance. The presenter shows and rehearses the movements - first without music, then with it. The young people are shown an already rehearsed number.
Movements:
- Went- rhythmically step from foot to foot.
- Saw– hold your palms clenched into a fist with your index and middle fingers extended (“V” gesture) in front of your eyes.
- Fell in love– draw a heart with your hands.
- My head is spinning with happiness – turns around an axis with arms extended upward: first in one direction, then in the other.
- Started to soar on the wings of love - the same thing, just swing your arms like wings.
- Made an offer – put your hands to your heart and spread them to the side: to the heart – to the left side – to the heart – to the right side.
- She agreed– bend your elbows, move up and down, simultaneously turning in one direction or the other.
- Air kisses to the young.
Repeat movements 4-8 times. You can “tell” the story 2-3 times in a row, but reduce the number of repetitions.
4. Body designers
Two teams of 7-8 people are recruited. No inventory. They are given tasks to depict a certain object as a team. Each team has 3-4 tasks. For example: teapot, car, bouquet, window, multi-armed Shiva, airplane and so on.
5. Rainbow of wishes
Competition to unite related teams.
7 people each from the bride and groom participate. Participants randomly pull out one ribbon of a certain rainbow color, 1 m long, from the bags. Next, the teams line up opposite each other. The presenter suggests castling and uniting in pairs of participants with the same color of ribbons.
- Educated couples must tie their ribbon to what they consider to be the more attractive part of their partner’s body.
- All couples become a semicircle - facing the young people. Excerpts from songs are played (20-30 seconds), in which one of the colors of the rainbow is mentioned. Participants with the same color ribbons come forward and dance. The most active dancing part of the body should be the one on which the ribbon is tied.
- By applause A winner is selected for each pair.
- Everyone dances together to a common song about a rainbow.
Props: two bags, 7 pairs of ribbons 1 m long.
Recommended songs: “Orange Sun” (Paints), “Blue Frost” (Prime Minister), “Yellow Autumn Leaf” (Hummingbird), “Blue Eyes” (Mr Credo), “Red Dress” (Shtar), “Don’t Hide Green Eyes” (I. Sarukhanov), “Purple Powder” (Propaganda), “Rainbow of Desires” (E. Lashuk).
6. Spy at a wedding
Participants are called who, after the question “who considers themselves sober?” raised their hands. They take turns blowing into the “tubes.” After each time, the “breathalyzer” comment is voiced.
Belarusian weddings have long been breaking stereotypes and old traditions.
Modern brides are abandoning the bridesmaids and glasses in their shoes that our mothers are accustomed to and are discovering American ideas.
So at weddings there appear magnificent arches for on-site registration, candy bars and a photo zone, the host replaces the toastmaster, and the wedding manager supervises this celebration.
How does a stylish Belarusian wedding go?
This is the story of the recent bride Olga and her husband Oleg.
Olga:
Our wedding had a classic theme, but we gave it a modern twist with decor and accessories. We had a candy bar, a tree and a wish book. We are both programmers and made a website about our wedding, our colleagues appreciated it.
We also had friends visiting who were exactly one year old from their own wedding. And we prepared congratulations for them. For them it was unexpected and very pleasant.
Preparations for the wedding lasted 9 months. We did not have a strict division of responsibilities in preparing for the wedding. I, my parents and my wedding planner thought through every detail. I probably thought more about the general theme of the wedding, about the decor, about the photo shoot.
We chose the contractors together. In general, my husband helped a lot and even voluntarily. I tried not to ask him to do anything he wasn't interested in. But he even liked participating in the creation of the website, designing invitations and seating cards.
The daily routine was not the same as my parents were used to seeing it - a photo shoot before painting and without guests, late painting. But we talked about all the advantages and they agreed with us. There was a question whether to take the video or not. Here we looked for a compromise and found it: they took the video, but not for long.
Perhaps the most touching moment at the wedding was the words of gratitude to the parents. We prepared baskets of flowers for them and kept it a strict secret. But there was a casualty of my train: the groom’s aunt slipped and fell on it.
Unfortunately, the restaurant has not performed very well when it comes to honesty. But he was beautiful, so I would have taken him anyway.
Perhaps I would like a wedding with fewer guests.
But I believe that this is a holiday for parents too. And we have many anniversaries ahead, so there is room for imagination.
Oleg:
When I saw Olya in a wedding dress, I thought that she was especially beautiful today.
She's great, she took on a huge part of the work. Therefore, there was little left for me to do: prepare materials for printing, meet with the presenter and photographers together with my wife, go for alcohol and drinks, and other little things.
Now the impressions are already erased, but it seems to me that the most touching episode at the wedding was the congratulations of the parents.
Everyone imagines their wedding differently. Some people have an image of a bride in a luxurious white dress and a snow-white limousine, others have a dream of putting on cowboy hats and boots and showing up at the registry office in torn jeans. But there are also those who dream of having their wedding in the national Belarusian style.
Inna and Alexey got married on October 20, 2012. The young people met in a Grodno public organization. “The first time I saw Inna was at the Grodno School of Young Journalists. I came on vacation from the University of Krakow, and I was invited as an outsider to criticize aspiring journalists,” recalls Alexey. Then the young people met several more times in the organization’s office. A joint trip to Cinema Night and a 2-day hitchhiking trip to Gervyaty became the beginning of their romantic story, which ended with a wedding. 
Since childhood, Inna dreamed of a wedding in the Belarusian style and often imagined herself as a Belarusian bride in her dreams: “I went to the Belarusian culture club, I was always interested in different rituals and national costumes. And all my life I consciously dreamed of a wedding in the Belarusian style, as traditional as possible.”
The young people's relatives reacted well to this idea - they came to the meeting and supported it. “And our matchmakers, Lesha’s uncle and aunt, encouraged us to continue the tradition and said that we were great,” Inna recalls.
One of the most important elements of any wedding is the outfits of the bride and groom. If the wedding is planned in a national style, as it turns out, a number of difficulties arise with the outfits.
“Our wedding suits were handmade; we specially ordered them from craftsmen in Minsk, where we periodically went for fittings,” says Alexey and adds that such trips became the main difficulty in preparing for the wedding. “The fact that everything could not be done locally, in our city, was of course inconvenient. Handmade leather shoes - boots - could be bought in Grodno. Some other elements of the national costume had to be ordered in Minsk. Now there is no such problem - a crafts center has opened in Lida, which is designed to cultivate the tradition, and there you can order a national costume.”
Inna added that previously it was necessary to collect something almost all over Belarus: “Today I know that in Grodno there were people who began to deal with similar orders. We turned to Zhenya Markevich from Lida, who is engaged in weaving. He made a skirt and towels for us.”
Pseudo-handmade - machine-made - clothes can easily be bought in large department stores, this is not a problem, but if you need something handmade, it’s more difficult. “The national shirt that I had was a copy made from an exhibit at the Grodno Historical Museum. In the Old Castle there is a hall dedicated to folk traditions. There is a shirt from the Grodno region. It's unfinished, plus the shirtfront is crooked. Everything has already been done for me normally, but based on this exhibit,” Alexey describes his costume. His wedding suit consisted of a shirt, pants and leather boots. The costumes were selected by region; they were similar to what our grandparents wore. For Inna it was a skirt, an apron, a shirt, a vest and a corset.
Information on outfits was collected from literary works, Belarusian, Polish and Lithuanian books and albums.
“Nastya Glushko made the costumes. We came to her, she had a whole closet with various literature, albums on regions. I’m originally from Krasnoselsk, so we considered the Kamenets, Kobrin and Volkovysk districts, that is, we tried to make a combined option from nearby areas. The corset was from Novogrudok. We had a huge amount of work, so she involved other craftswomen in making the costumes. I received my outfit only the day before the wedding,” Inna explains the complexity of the task.
The young people had a modern wedding with elements of national style. Some ritual things have been preserved at ordinary weddings - sprinkling with oats, seeing off the bride and groom with an accordion, blessing with icons. Previously, horses were sprinkled with oats. Today, however, it’s easier to go buy rice and sprinkle it on the newlyweds. To maintain tradition, Alexey and Inna bought oats specially at the fair.
“Lesha is Catholic, and I am Orthodox. Therefore, he was seen off according to Catholic rites, and I was escorted according to Orthodox rites. We still have icons hanging next to each other – Catholic and Orthodox,” says the girl.
Grodno composer and musician Evgeniy Petrashevich came to the wedding. He wrote a hymn for the newly-made family and solemnly presented it. Designed in the form of a scroll, where the text and notes were written. In addition, he gave the bride huge cymbals and a pipe. As it turned out, Inna is a cymbalist, although the musical instrument is still lying somewhere behind the bed.
At the wedding, a small master class on folk dancing was held in the courtyard of the cafe where the celebration took place.
“Near this place there is a monastery, the nuns were watching us from their windows, and we thought that they would drive us now, after all, it was Saturday, late evening of the weekend. But on the contrary, they watched with great interest. During the master class, “thick guys without necks” drove up, got out of their cars and said: “Oh, some Georgians are relaxing here,” recalls Alexey.
Not only the newlyweds, but also friends from the folk culture club swapped their wedding dresses for traditional costumes. True, they made do with machine-made rather than hand-made outfits.
It turned out that in Belarus it is problematic to sign at the registry office in Belarusian. “The only employee of the registry office who wrote in Belarusian was supposed to go on vacation at that time. They could not invite anyone from other registry offices. We sought our goal for a long time, and in the end, on our third visit, they agreed to paint us in Belarusian, although they said that it would not be a specialist who wanted it, so they were not responsible for the quality. Already on the wedding day at the registry office, the ceremony was greatly shortened, but they spoke Belarusian quite well, I only noticed one mistake,” explains Alexey. - We still use our wedding dresses today. We wore them to friends’ weddings, which were also made in the Belarusian style, we wore them to concerts of ethnic groups, to some festivals. It turned out to be a very useful thing on the farm.”
Another Grodno couple, Nastya and Anton, celebrated one of the most important events in their lives a few months ago, on June 22. The young people met in the folk culture circle we have already mentioned.
“I teach folklore and am interested in tradition, and fate turned out that after 4 months from the beginning of the group’s existence, I ended up there. It was in this circle that we met Nastya, our relationship began and began to develop,” says Anton.
“I also thought at our first meeting - so, this guy came from Vitebsk, this one came from Mogilev, and what kind of guy is this?” Nastya laughs.
Both were interested in the national Belarusian culture and traditions, so when it came to the wedding, there were no other options but to have a celebration in the Belarusian style. “The two of us love tradition, we do it, we met through tradition. Therefore, to take a limousine or not to take it was not even a question for us. We had a question: will the horse ride from the registry office or only from the beginning of the village. We knew what we wanted and why we wanted it. We didn’t have any disputes about how to do what,” notes Anton.
The young people are very grateful to their parents, who understood everything and supported their idea. “We have friends who wanted to have a national wedding, but their parents said no, it should be a white dress, just like everyone else. All our relatives accepted our idea very well, we warned everyone in advance about what the wedding would be like. They asked everyone not to wear dresses with sequins and not to wear too high heels - otherwise they would be killed, because the wedding was outside, in an agricultural estate. We didn’t force anyone to learn any texts or stand in a certain place, everything was natural,” says Nastya.
“Our parents gave us the opportunity to have a wedding the way we want, and not the way they would like. Often weddings are done not for the newlyweds, but for the guests. So that Aunt Manya is satisfied. Our parents put everything in our hands, some aspects they didn’t even control. They understood what we were doing and why we were doing it. They may not have initially been as familiar with the tradition as we are. But in the process of preparing for the wedding, Nastya’s mother began to study the tradition, sometimes telling us that she remembers how her mother told her about certain things. Everyone was interested. Everyone didn’t think that we were being perverted here, that we were inventing something, but on the contrary, everyone wanted to become a participant in a tradition that was being revived,” Anton recalls.
At the organization stage, the young couple studied the Grodno tradition of weddings in order to be as close as possible to the local tradition. “We immediately gave up on memorizing words, let everyone speak from the heart, let them speak Russian, Trasyanka, whatever language they want, but don’t say memorized words. We tried to ensure that our wedding did not become theatrical. We took some ritual actions, traditional moments, but in a modern version. That is, it was possible to say “I give you dollars”, and not “I give you three rubles so that you grow up beautiful.” Tradition is the sincerity and naturalness of behavior. Let it be today’s, modern slang, but let it remain sincere,” says Anton.
The young people did not want the celebration to become just a feast in the Belarusian language, so it turned out to be very difficult to find a good toastmaster.
“I teach directing, so I know how it should be done and how it shouldn’t be done. And it was very difficult to find a toastmaster in Grodno who knew Belarusian traditions, to make him speak Belarusian, and not Trasyanka, and so that he understood what he was doing, and not what he was just told. Sergei Georgievich Vyskvarka saved us; they were transporting the toastmaster from near Lyuban. This is a man who has been involved in tradition for more than 20 years, the head of the Verabeyka team, he has many regalia,” shares Anton.
The newlyweds met him at a dance school, which was organized near Lyubon. “There, master classes on regional dances were held every day for a week. We went there, met Sergei Georgievich, became friends, gained courage and offered to officiate our wedding. He, it seemed, had previously worked as a toastmaster and had not done this for a long time, but he agreed to hold the wedding for us. He was also interested in the fact that the wedding was planned to be traditional. He helped us a lot in many ways, suggested many little things related specifically to the Grodno tradition and rituals,” says Nastya.
By the way, the girl embroidered wedding dresses with her own hands for six months - for herself and her husband. “We ordered some parts, but mostly I sewed everything myself,” Nastya emphasizes.
According to Anton, according to tradition, the girl was already preparing for the wedding from the age of 14 and slowly sewed her dowry: “We didn’t have that much time, we did everything in six months. They only ordered belts because they didn’t have time to make them themselves. Previously, we didn’t order anything for a wedding, but did everything ourselves. We tried to adopt this tradition and do everything ourselves. By embroidering outfits, you put your energy and feelings into them, which is why these costumes become even more valuable.”
The problem was to come up with a complete ensemble, an image, so that everything would correspond to the region, the ornament would fit the semantics. “This is a very difficult and long process, but in the end everything worked out. My mother kept walking around and skeptically saying: “What will you have? Shirt? At the wedding?" Everything was done in parts, and when everything was put together before the wedding, I tried it on, and my mother said, “Oh! Fine! It may well be."
On many issues, we consulted with friends from the Student Ethnographic Association, with Minsk residents who have been involved in this topic for a long time, from whom they order outfits for weddings in the Belarusian style. And of course, we studied various literature. They spied something in Poland - the Bialystok tradition as the closest to the Grodno region. It turned out to be something combined,” says Nastya. Problems arose with purely Grodno attire, because civilization came to the Grodno region very quickly, so embroidered shirts were soon replaced with store-bought dresses. “Therefore, it was difficult to find the original shirts in order to make a reconstruction from them. In Polesie, Mogilev region - as much as you want, but in Grodno region...” the girl sighs.
Wedding suits do not gather dust even after the wedding – newlyweds actively use them, wearing them for various events.
The young people took the towels very seriously: they studied Grodno ornaments and picked out doves. According to tradition, the bride and groom should sit on the same bench or towel at the wedding. The towels themselves were ordered from a master from Lida.
A few days before the wedding, Nastya held a bachelorette party. At the same time - also in a traditional style. “These were traditional evenings, or in other words, a bachelorette party. Before the wedding, we got together with my girlfriends, who, according to tradition, helped me make flowers for the wedding wreath. In some regions, such evenings are called prefabricated Saturdays. They are used to make a wreath for the bride and wedding decorations.
Guys usually have dance parties for a bachelor party,” says Nastya.
The toastmaster got a taste for it and sent the young people a 10-page script. Not everything came out of the script, but most of it. According to the newlyweds, many traditional moments fit logically into a modern way.
“Among the ritual things was, for example, that my friends dressed me. Musical accompaniment - they played folk melodies for us accompanied by two accordions and one drum. Some traditional elements remain in ordinary weddings, but in our country everything is just more conscious. For example, a gate with which neighbors block the path of the newlyweds, or the fact that guests walk around the table three times while sending the newlyweds out of the house. But many people don't know why they do it. Let's go - and that's okay. Our toastmaster, or rather matchmaker, explained such things to those present,” notes Nastya.
According to tradition, the groom had to pick up the bride from somewhere other than her home. The newlyweds managed to keep this tradition; Anton took his future wife from her brother’s house. “This house must be good, so that a happy, prosperous family with children lives there, so that the new family can live well,” explains Nastya.
At the wedding, the ritual of removing the wreath and tying a scarf was performed. “I had a wreath that I made from artificial flowers. To the accompaniment of a folk song, they took off the wreath and put on a scarf. Then I danced with all the unmarried girls, each trying on this wreath in order to also get married. A wreath is a symbol of a wedding,” says Nastya.
According to tradition, the wreath should be preserved for life, so it was made from artificial flowers. Of course, wreaths made from fresh flowers look more beautiful and fresh, but the point is that a wreath is a symbol of marriage for life, so you also need to preserve it for life. Wreaths were usually made from myrtle, plants with hard leaves that remained presentable when dried. Flowers were made from paper and fabric.
The matchmaker also prepared ritual dances: the bride danced with the women of her clan, they held a dance with scarves, symbolizing the unification of clans, when 4 people each came out from the clan of the bride and groom. The marriage ceremony of vodka also became a symbol of the unification of two families - vodka from the bride and groom is poured into one container, from which everyone drinks.
The painting took place outside, the whole celebration took place in the village of Korolino. The newlyweds decided to go all the way and, to the sounds of an accordion, rode throughout the village to their destination in a horse-drawn carriage.
They baked a large loaf for the wedding. “We found a woman loaf maker who baked us a loaf according to all the canons. We didn't have a wedding cake. Our parents greeted us with a simple loaf of bread, salt and honey. They came to the table in a certain way - according to the sun, first unmarried girls and guys, I don’t remember exactly now, our matchmaker was in charge of it all,” notes Nastya.
At the wedding, all dishes were traditional: a dish of wild boar, mochanka with potato pancakes, no pineapples or shrimp. Mead was brewed specially for the celebration, and guests were treated to cranberry juice and birch sap. According to the newlyweds, they were very lucky to have a chef who was very enthusiastic about the idea of a wedding in the Belarusian style. All the guests were satisfied.
“We had a lot of young people, among whom were friends from the folk culture club. To please everyone, we had traditional and ritual dances to live music, and more modern music, to which all the guests partied at the end of the wedding,” the girl recalls.
By the way, two of our couples speak the Belarusian language and are going to follow traditions further, for example: they want to do the same baptism of children according to the traditional rite. And this is not a tribute to fashion, but a sincere admiration for Belarusian culture and a desire to revive beautiful Belarusian traditions.
Olga Korsun, "Belarusian Partisan"
