Present-day wedding rituals

published on 10/26/10 10:38 AM

Photo: Albena Bezovska

Present-day wedding rituals

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Man is born only once, and only once he marries and dies, one of the most popular Bulgarian proverbs goes. It is quite telling of the way Bulgarians understand key values. The three main occasions in a lifetime were once upon a time accompanied by a system of rituals including strictly defined behavior patterns and symbols. Some key rituals have survived to the present day – regardless of the colossal changes that have transformed the Bulgarian society in both social and economic terms. Next in Folk Studio we bring you more about some traditional elements surviving in the present-day Bulgarian wedding model.

The Bulgarian traditional wedding is an incredibly rich, beautiful and sophisticated ritual. It is based on three elements that have not changed in time. In the past wedding celebrations took as long as a week. Today most people can hardly give the occasion so much time. Nevertheless, families still tend to elaborate on every detail of the wedding ceremony and party. The first round of rituals in the traditional wedding comprises the engagement and the preparation for the central event. Today the only thing surviving from it is the visit made to the house of the future bride, as well as the hen party. In the past hen parties were held in the home of the bride, while today young women opt for eating and clubbing out. On the other side, the friends of the bridegroom go out for a stag party. There are isolated cases when the ritual shaving is practiced – a memory of a mandatory ritual in the past. The wedding day proper is the time when many traditional rituals are still practiced widely. In anticipation of the big event, the families of the young couple convene for a discussion of details. Very often they compile a list with tasks. Very often the best man or the parents hire folklore wedding bands to provide live music during rituals. Some still believe that the bride should in no way leave her home before she has been symbolically bought off by the bridegroom’s relations. The bridegroom’s relatives and friends besiege the door of the bride’s room and start negotiations on the “price”. Even today the money for the “ransom” is put into the young woman’s shoe. Listen next to one of the most popular songs performed when the bride is taken out of her home.

An old historical source mentions the wedding of Miroslava, daughter of Bulgarian King Samuil. In 999 Miroslava married Ashot, the son of Thessaloniki strategist Grigorius Taronit. The wedding ritual was conducted by the bride’s father, and the young couple was covered with a cloth. This ritual is alive today, with the cover symbolizing the common way to go, the common roof and the common responsibilities of the future spouses. There is a range of ritual actions performed in restaurants where wedding receptions are held. One of them is the dance in front of the best man. Young guests at the wedding are selected to play a folk dance carrying a rooster and a loaf of bread.

Today many young couples prefer to hire wedding agencies for proper handling of the long list of tasks surrounding the big occasion. Some of those companies draw on western experience in the trade. Due to that there are a few neologisms that have been ushered into the Bulgarian wedding vocabulary such as ‘catering’ or ‘dress code’. These foreign words co-exist with simple phrases inherited from folk traditions – such as kicking the copper. The ritual is as follows: a white and red flower are put into a small copper vessel. The white color denotes the masculine quality and the red one – the feminine quality. As the couple enters the house, or today the restaurant, the bride kicks the copper spilling the water in the vessel. It is believed that depending of which flower comes out first the couple’s firstborn will belong to the respective gender. Another ritual is called povratki, the first visit of the newlyweds to the bride’s parents after the wedding. On this occasion sweet brandy and various dishes are served. Today many rituals are held for their fun and colorful fascination, not so much for their traditional meaning. What is more important however is that core traditional practices linked to the wedding occasion have become an integral part of modern weddings. Let us finally mention the throwing of wheat corn, small sweets and petty coins over the bride and bridegroom as they go out of the church.

English version Daniela Konstantinova

По публикацията работи: Albena Bezovska

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Present-day wedding rituals

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