Helpful information
How to Survive a Bulgarian Wedding
How to Survive a Bulgarian Wedding
A wedding in Bulgaria is fun, noisy, and sometimes puzzles foreigners. There are many traditions that have been followed in the past, but today young people often choose only some of them and skip others. However, if you've been invited to a truly traditional Bulgarian wedding, here's a little background to help you understand what's going on and why.
"Redemption" of the bride.
The wedding day begins late in the morning or at noon, when the groom and his friends rush to the bride's house to symbolically ransom her from the family. The bride's friends and family lock her in a room and only put a shoe out from behind the door for the groom to fill it with money. The ritual requires the bride's family to return the slipper several times, pretending that there is not enough money for their precious bride. In a playful manner, real shoes are often traded for ski boots or other shoes that can hold more money.
The last dance of an unmarried woman.
If a woman who is getting married lives in an apartment building, usually all the neighbors know about it, because the last time she leaves the house as an unmarried woman, she must dance her last horo (Bulgarian folk dance). She is accompanied by a live orchestra and soon everyone is dancing well.
Throwing coins and grains.
There are two different ways of getting married in Bulgaria - in a church (religious) or in a municipality (legal). The church ritual involves reading passages from the Bible, going around the table with icons, putting crowns on the heads of the bride, groom and their first witnesses (in Bulgaria there are always two of them - godfather and godfather). ”), etc. After the end of the religious ritual, the “best woman” throws coins mixed with grains into the air above the heads of the newlyweds. It is believed that it will bring wealth, health and good luck.
Divination of the sex of the first child.
The wedding continues at the restaurant. When all the guests have taken their places, the bride and groom officially enter. At the end of the walk, their parents are waiting for them. The mother-in-law gives her son and daughter-in-law small pieces of bread and honey as a symbol of joining the family. Then the bride kicks a small bucket of water, white and red flowers. If the white flower is further away, then the first-born of the young family will be a boy, and if the red flower, then it will be a girl.
Who will be in charge.
Another tradition determines who will command in the family. The bride and groom stand back to back and hold a large round loaf over their heads. On a special signal, both are trying to split it in two and get a larger piece, symbolizing who will have power in the family.
What to do at a party.
The good news for you as a guest is that you don't have any special obligations other than being part of the couple's special day. When it comes to gifts, many young families report what they want - a specific gift or just the money they use to pay for a wedding or go to an exotic honeymoon destination. 18-02-2023