Belarus Wedding
Belarus weddings typically involve both a mandatory civil ceremony and a preferred church ceremony, with modern couples marrying for love, although arranged marriages were common in the past. Traditional customs include the groom arriving at the bride's home before the ceremony, the use of a ceremonial towel ("padnozhnik"), and bridesmaids dressing like the bride to ward off evil spirits. Wedding receptions feature unique traditions like a symbolic wedding pie, the bride being "kidnapped" and ransomed back, and guests shouting for the couple to kiss to "sweeten" the event.
Belarus Weddings
In Belarus the civil wedding ceremony is a must. Still most people prefer the one held in church. Nowadays the people get married out of love. Still in the past arranged marriages were very common. These marriages were set by the fathers.
Most families do not care about it. But some still believe an older brother or sister should marry first. Every change in this order is treated negatively.
The groom traditionally arrives to the bride's home and then they together go to the wedding ceremony.
The object that used to have an important role in the local wedding is a towel. It was tied to the bride's hand on her way to the wedding. During the traditional wedding ceremony the bride and groom used to stand on the "padnozhnik" towel. Nowadays many guests often wrap their presents in a towel.
Every Belarus bride has her bridesmaids. In the past they wore the same kind of dress as the bride. It was done to kind of cheat the evil powers. The spirits were not sure which soul to posses. So, it was believed that this way the bride was safe.
The bride traditionally throws her wedding veil towards a group of single women. The one who manages to catch it is going to get married first.
After the wedding ceremony the newlyweds are often photographed in front of some important historical monument. Some couples perform a lovely tradition by visiting a potter. There they make a piece of pottery together.
The wedding reception in Belarus includes a wedding pie. It symbolizes success in life. The same as in some other European countries a bride is being kidnapped and the groom has to pay some money or finish several tasks to set his bride free.
The guests are often not "satisfied" with the quality of the alcoholic beverages served at the wedding reception. That is why they shout that they are to bitter. Then they require for the couple to kiss and that way sweeten everything.
References
Belarus Wedding Traditions
http://www.best-country.com/europe/belarus/wedding
Belarusian Wedding Traditions
http://www.worldweddingtraditions.net/belarusian-wedding-traditions/
Image(s)
Belarus newlyweds (photo by Heut Denis, Flickr)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/demean/6182622226/
Creative Commons - File:Belarus-Minsk-Church of Alexander Nevsky-34.jpg