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Russian
Tradition
Russian
church weddings are not considered official, and
so couples wanting to get married must exchange
their wedding vows at a Russian marriage civil
ceremony. Here, the bride and groom receive
bread and salt, symbolizing health, prosperity
and long life.
The
Russian civil ceremony is often considered
unimportant to friends and relatives of the
bride and groom. The main affair is the wedding
reception, a great two day celebration with
music, dancing, feasting and drinking.
Once
the reception celebration has begun, a relative
or close friend will make a wedding toast to the
bride and groom. In keeping with Russian custom,
everyone throws their champagne glasses on the
floor. It is considered good luck if the glasses
break when they hit the ground.
When
a traditional Orthodox couple get married in
Russia, they are crowned as royalty for the day.
The bride and groom must stand on a special
carpet as they recite their marriage vows, but
first they race each other to it. Whoever
reaches the carpet first will, presumably, be
the head of the household.
Polish
Tradition
Traditional
Rebraiding of the Polish Bride's Hair
The
night before a girl in Poland hears her wedding
bells, her mother and female relatives redo her
customary single maidenly braid into two. This
traditional wedding hair style symbolizes the
new step the bride-to-be is taking into
marriage.
Polish
Wedding Reception
The
reception celebration usually includes lively
polka music and dancing. If a Polish bride can
drink from her glass of wine, and not spill a
drop, she is considered lucky.
The
"money dance" is always popular at a
traditional reception in Poland. Guests pin
money to the bride's wedding dress to buy a
dance from her. The newlyweds might put these
gifts of cash towards their honeymoon expenses.
More traditionally, the maid of honor wears an
apron and collects the money given by the guest
to dance with the bride. After all the guests
have danced with the bride, they form a tight
circle around her, and the groom tries to break
through the circle while the guests try hard to
keep him out. Once he breaks through, he picks
up his bride and carries her away from the
wedding reception. The money collected during
the dance is sent with them to spend on their
honeymoon.
At
the wedding reception, the bride will dance with
her father, whilst a relative holds out an
apron. Guests who place money in the apron win
the opportunity to dance with the bride. After a
time, the groom will throw in his wallet, thus
surpassing all the other contributions. He will
then whisk away his new wife on their honeymoon.
The
sharing of bread, salt and wine is an important
feature of weddings in Poland. The parents of
the newly married couple will present them with
rye bread, lightly sprinkled with salt, and a
glass of wine. The bread represents the hope
that the bride and groom will never go hungry.
The salt is a reminder that life may be
difficult at times, but that they will learn to
cope. The wine symbolizes the desire that the
couple will never go thirsty, and that their
lives will be filled with health and happiness.
The
removal of the bridal veil, known as the
oczepiny ceremony, is another traditional
element of a Polish wedding day. The bride's
veil will be removed as she enters the reception
hall, signifying the end of her maidenhood and
her transition to a married woman. A funny hat
will be placed on the groom's head, representing
the wish that the marriage will be full of
happiness and laughter.
source:
World
Wedding Traditions
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