We promised you all already a long time ago to write something about traditions and customs related to Polish weddings. And here they are! Most of them you will experience during our wedding on 29th of May… and we hope you will enjoy all of them…
In the past, each couple had to go through two wedding ceremonies: first the civil marriage at a local magistrate and then the religious vows in church. The reason for the double ceremony was the fact that the communist government did not accept the Roman Catholic Church weddings as legal despite the fact that well over 90% of Poles were Catholic, so both ceremonies had to be undertaken to make the marriage legal and righteous. Today, one wedding ceremony in Poland
The wedding ceremony itself is normally accompanied with a mass celebration at the heart of which are the vows and blessing of the marriage. While in the Western countries the vows are read by the pastor and the bride and the groom just confirm with a short "I do," in Poland both the bride and the groom have to repeat the whole pledge after the priest, so the priest in fact just leads the couple and witnesses their vows. It is the bride and the groom themselves who enter the marriage and make promises of love, faithfulness, marital honesty, and never leaving the spouse until death to each other.
Most Polish weddings take place on Saturdays and continue through Sundays. The marriage ceremony and wedding reception for all guests are held on Saturday, while a smaller, more private party for close friends and family is continued on Sunday. There are no weddings during the 40-day Lent before Easter and during the Advent before Christmas. Those periods of year are believed to be the time dedicated for penance and preparation for the most important Christian holidays, so there is not space for public celebrations and dancing parties. Interestingly enough, there are very few weddings in May as well. This is mostly due to superstition, as many people believe that persons who marry in May are not going to be happy and won’t live together long. (of course we beg to differ).
The wedding starts with the groom arriving to the house of the bride before they head to the church. His parents, godparents, closest family, and the best man accompany him. Once the couple is ready, both parents give their blessings to the kneeling couple and they all are off to church.
In the church, the bride and the groom walk up the aisle together preceded by their groomsmen and bridesmaids. The parents and other guests are usually already seated when the couple enters the church. Whether the ceremony takes place in church or at a local magistrate, there must be two witnesses of the marriage, who endorse the documents alongside of the bride and groom.
In the church, the bride and the groom walk up the aisle together preceded by their groomsmen and bridesmaids. The parents and other guests are usually already seated when the couple enters the church. Whether the ceremony takes place in church or at a local magistrate, there must be two witnesses of the marriage, who endorse the documents alongside of the bride and groom.
After the happy newlyweds exit the building, they are taken by storm with congratulations, best wishes, and flowers. The most typical wish to the newlywed: "Zycze Wam wszystkiego najlepszego na nowej drodze zycia." (I wish you all of the best on your new road through life.)
Once every attending guest had kissed and hugged the couple, everyone is heading to the reception site, be it a restaurant, banquet hall, or one of the newlyweds house. On the way to the destination, a very popular custom is preparation by the wedding participants, (although not necessarily), passing "gates" for the couple. To pass such gates, in most cases barricades on the road by objects or people, the newlyweds have to give out some food and vodka.
The wedding reception starts once the married couple arrives and is traditionally welcomed by the entrance with bread and salt. The Bread and Salt Blessing is an old and most popular Polish tradition. At the wedding reception, the parents of the bride and groom greet the newly married couple with bread, which is lightly sprinkled with salt and a goblet of wine or vodka. Parents usually say:
"Staropolskim zwyczajem witamy Was chlebem i sola, aby w Waszym domu zawsze goscil dostatek."
"According to our Old Polish tradition, we greet you with bread and salt, so that your home might always enjoy abundance."
Bread and salt are the symbols of future prosperity so that the couple never goes about hungry in their lives. Furthermore, with the salt, parents are reminding the couple that their life may be difficult at times, and they must learn to cope with life's struggles. Also it was believed that salt had the power to heal and cleanse, uncover thieves, protect houses against fire, dispel storms and hail, and drive away evil spirits. The wine symbolizes the desire that the couple will never go thirsty, and that their lives will be filled with health and happiness. After the bride and groom each taste a piece of bread they break the glass for good luck. Please keep the distance ;)
First toast and song called "Sto lat" which literally translated means "one hundred years". Sto Lat, usually is sung by the guests that signifies 100 years of good health for the bride and groom.
STO LAT - ONE HUNDRED YEARS
Sto lat, sto lat niech zyje, zyje nam,
Sto lat, sto lat niech zyje, zyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz,
niech zyje, zyje nam, niech zyje nam....
(Good health, good cheer, may you live a hundred years,
one hundred years....)
STO LAT is often sung to celebrate any major occasion, such as weddings, birthdays, etc..
The wedding party lasts as long as the guests want to stay, in most cases overnight. Polish weddings are known for an unbelievable abundance of all kinds of foods and alcohol. In the past decades, Polish weddings were basically two-day feasts with dancing and games. In recent years, most people scale their budgeting and time, so the weddings start to resemble wedding receptions in the West with a nice dinner and a short duration.
First toast and song called "Sto lat" which literally translated means "one hundred years". Sto Lat, usually is sung by the guests that signifies 100 years of good health for the bride and groom.
STO LAT - ONE HUNDRED YEARS
Sto lat, sto lat niech zyje, zyje nam,
Sto lat, sto lat niech zyje, zyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz,
niech zyje, zyje nam, niech zyje nam....
(Good health, good cheer, may you live a hundred years,
one hundred years....)
STO LAT is often sung to celebrate any major occasion, such as weddings, birthdays, etc..
The wedding party lasts as long as the guests want to stay, in most cases overnight. Polish weddings are known for an unbelievable abundance of all kinds of foods and alcohol. In the past decades, Polish weddings were basically two-day feasts with dancing and games. In recent years, most people scale their budgeting and time, so the weddings start to resemble wedding receptions in the West with a nice dinner and a short duration.
In Poland
A special moment on the first day of Polish wedding celebrations is the unveiling and capping ceremony ( called "oczepiny") when the Polish bride is taken the white veil off. This tradition is still the mainstay of many Polish brides, representing a rite of passage from young woman to married woman. All single ladies circle the bride as the maid or matron of honor stands behind the bride and removes the veil/cap (welon, czepek) from the bride's head as music is played. A married woman is given the responsibility of pinning the cap on the bride as all married women circle around the bride. At this moment, the bride is officially considered a married woman.
Once the wedding is over and the couple arrives to their own house or apartment, the groom has to carry his bride over the threshold for the first time they enter the place after being married. This is to prove that he will always carry his treasured wife in his arms throughout their whole live together. ;)
Once the wedding is over and the couple arrives to their own house or apartment, the groom has to carry his bride over the threshold for the first time they enter the place after being married. This is to prove that he will always carry his treasured wife in his arms throughout their whole live together. ;)
First toast and song called "Sto lat" which literally translated means "one hundred years". Sto Lat, usually is sung by the guests that signifies 100 years of good health for the bride and groom.
Next day after reception party, there is a follow-up party the day after the wedding (poprawiny). This is held at the home of one of the newlyweds' parents (in our case at the same location as wedding ceremony), especially when there is quite a bit of food and drink left over from the previous day's festivities.
For those of you who didn't get enough yet, read the following (hilarious) report on Polish weddings:
http://polandian.home.pl/index.php/2009/05/11/15-things-you-need-to-know-about-polish-weddings-%E2%80%93-the-survival-guide/
http://polandian.home.pl/index.php/2009/05/11/15-things-you-need-to-know-about-polish-weddings-%E2%80%93-the-survival-guide/
