Ukrainian weddings are always fun. If you have never attended one, you’ve missed a lot! The number of traditions that you can see at the wedding is overwhelming. Let’s talk about it for a bit here. On this page, you can read more about the best Ukrainian wedding traditions and why they are so important in Ukraine. Enjoy the article!
Top 7 Ukrainian Wedding Traditions You Haven’t Heard Of!
Ukraine women for marriage are often called the best women to marry. And marrying Ukrainians is always fun because of so many traditions that you can experience at a Ukrainian wedding. Spoiler alert: there is going to be a lot of drinking and kissing! Here are the 7 traditions that will definitely surprise you:
- Blessings. Before the partners get married, their parents should give them blessings, or blagoslovennya: not only the couple will have to exchange vows, but their parents as well. If the parents give their blessings to the couple, it means that they will have a happy life together without any troubles.
- Korovai. This is an alternative wedding cake with interesting ornaments and symbols on it. It is so huge that it is impossible to finish it on the day of the wedding. Usually, it is consumed within the following week after the wedding day.
- Hirko! It means “Bitter” in English. It is a cute tradition that involves drinking and kissing. What does it mean? Whenever there is something bitter, the kiss should make it sweeter. Usually, the guests would shout “Hirko” whenever they got a drink, and the couple would be tired of kissing all the time.
- Single ladies dance. It is another activity that you might find a bit awkward at first. All the women who aren’t married or dating someone would have to line up and dance with a bride. After a few minutes of dancing, the bride would spin everyone who is dancing and sit on the chair. Ladies would have to stand up from the chair very quickly and grab their love prophecy.
- Toasts. Whenever there is a chance to make a toast at a Ukrainian wedding, the guests won’t miss it. It feels like it is impossible to even take a sip of a drink without hearing something making a toast. The guests would make toasts of all kinds while wishing the couple long life, happiness, kids, and other stuff.
- Wedding games. There is no Ukrainian wedding without all kinds of activities! The couple would hire a “tamada” for their wedding whose main goal would be to keep the guests entertained. As a result, for the whole evening, the tamada would invite guests to play games.
- Stepping on the rushnyk. Rushnyk is an embroidered cloth that’s usually decorated with beautiful symbols that represent happiness and wealth. This tradition is usually performed before the bride and groom take vows.
Ukrainian Weddings Are Always Fun
Let’s agree that even though many traditions are outdated, they are still fun. Ukrainian wedding is not something you are going to forget about, even if you attend it just once. Every wedding differs, and it will be hard for you to say that there are the same weddings in Ukraine, even if you attend hundreds of those. This is what’s so great about Ukraine: people here like to have fun and to drink, but what is more, they like to see two people fall in love and be happy. And the Ukrainian wedding is an amazing celebration of love and happiness.