Ukrainian Wedding Traditions

For readers aged 16+ and for anyone interested in the culture, customs, symbolism, and history of Ukrainian weddings.

Dousing with water or even pushing into a river, bestowing pysanky, embroidered handkerchiefs, and shirts — this is how the journey to marriage began for our ancestors. How could one refuse matchmakers, besides offering a pumpkin? Why is the request for a drink of water not as innocent as it might seem at first glance? What does a cracked wedding bread portend for the newlyweds, and what is a wedding tree? How many kalachi are needed for an authentic wedding, and whom should the bride invite to dance first? And why did the bride have to unharness horses or drink from a sieve?

Ethnologist Lesia Horoshko-Pohoretska describes all stages of an authentic Ukrainian wedding in her book — from courtship and matchmaking to the bride's relocation to the groom's house and the tying of the woman's headwear. You will not only learn how a traditional Ukrainian wedding took place but also be able to recreate some of its customs.