Content:
The Ukrainian people, like the culture as a whole, have always been famous for their songs. Ukrainian traditional ones deserve special attention. There are dozens of them, and they relate not only to the seasons, but also to special events in the life of each person. One of these events is a wedding, and the Ukrainian wedding tradition dates back to ancient times.
The song has always been and will be an integral part of a Ukrainian wedding. The Ukrainian traditional wedding lasted more than a week, and the Ukrainian woman played a decisive role in the organization of this wedding. These songs were usually performed by a choir and were accompanied by various folk traditions of the Ukrainian people. For example, sprinkling the young with hops or cereals, or coins, covering the young couple with a handkerchief to protect them from troubles.
A special attribute is a baked loaf of bread, on which, according to a tradition, salt is always put. Very often at a Ukrainian wedding, the bride addresses her parents with a song, such songs are called monologues, for example: "Come out, come out, little girl!", "Look, little girl, at my position", "Little girl, don't bother me", "Oh, my mother, now I’m not yours", and others. Songs are also sung at almost every stage of the wedding, for example, when untying a braid, when the bride is dressed for marriage, you can hear the song "Ducks float to the pond" or "Brother untangles the braid". When baking a loaf of bread they sing:
"Three pounds of flour. Seven barrels of water. Butter from seven cows." At the important stage of wedding invitations, there are also songs, for example, "Oh, we were at the young man's house, they didn't give us anything." Even when young people go to church, parents appeal to the priest with the song "Hey, Pope, Pope, our father, and create a church against us”.
Oddly enough, wedding songs have their own subspecies, which are sung throughout the entire wedding, because according to the Ukrainian tradition, it lasts almost a week. A bachelorette party is a traditional stage of a Ukrainian wedding. At this event, the bride's friends help the young woman in braiding, where they discuss the new, unknown destiny of the young woman in marriage. After all, this is the key theme of songs about a bachelorette party, for example, "It will come out, girls, wreaths for yourself and me", which conveys the process of braiding wreaths or a pine branch decorated with viburnum.
One of the most famous Ukrainian wedding traditions is buying the bride. This tradition takes its roots from ancient times, when the groom had to go through a certain obstacle course like a knight, solve riddles in order to finally marry his bride in the church. Now the level of obstacles has decreased, but this tradition has not lost its uniqueness.
According to Ukrainian tradition, the groom arrived with his friends at the bride's house, where the parents of the bride were waiting for him, ready to ask the young man riddles and perform various tests. Of course, there were traditional songs. Some of the most popular are: "Good afternoon to you, good people, we have already arrived, show us the young woman, how you dressed her" and "Brother craftsman, sit in your chair and don't give sister Tano, because sister is dear". And if the groom passes these tests, then their marriage with the bride will be long and strong.
Most often, these songs in the wedding tradition of the Ukrainian people are performed by the bride and groom's matchmakers.
After the groom has guessed all the riddles and passed each of the obstacles, the groom must pay the one who sat next to the bride for the so-called "princely seat" and, thus, be reunited with her. Ukrainian wedding songs also praised the courage and strength of a Ukrainian woman, for example, that she can work long and tirelessly.
Another type of wedding songs comprises the songs for blessing, one of them is "Don't break a tree branch, a baby is leaning...". In songs of this type, the blessing of the father and mother is asked so that the parents bless the couple on a good path. There are also so-called shame songs, which are a humorous style of singing with slightly vulgar motifs. For example, a song that calls on a boyar to sew up a friend's patch that she tore: "A friend climbed into the house, but it was torn to shreds, boyars, don't yawn, yes, sew it up, friends." There is also a song about how the boys, catching up with the girls, beat their eggs and now the girls have nothing to bake a loaf of bread with: "We went to make a loaf, they carried half a dozen eggs."
Invitation to a wedding through a song has also become a tradition. Most often, this was done by the parents of young people. In one of these songs
"Oh, I'll stand on the grass
And I'll call my family..."
parents invite "both the poor and the rich" to their children's weddings, they also say where the guests should be accommodated and how they should celebrate.
Also, in the rich song tradition of the Ukrainian people, there are wedding songs about orphans, in which they sing how an orphan asks for a blessing and how a wreath is made for her. One of these songs: "Oh, the gate fell in the valley, orphan Mary bows..."
Currently, the number of wedding songs has significantly increased, but traditional songs are classics that will never die and will not lose their volume at any wedding. "The songs "Oy Marichko chicheri" and "Guests have arrived" are quite energetic, and therefore they are sung at weddings during dancing, as well as after toasts. Songs of this type are the hallmark of a unique Ukrainian wedding. Such song as "Gorila sosna..." is universal in terms of its use at wedding parties.
However, this song is most often performed after everyone has had a good meal and the wedding is coming to its logical ending. Inviting songs such as "Oh, I've become a bully" are used if you want to invite someone to a wedding or to buy a bride, and such songs are also used during engagements. For example, "We will not drink" is ideal for table songs. In it, the main motive is emphasized for the groom to kiss his beloved as soon as possible.
Bridesmaids who actually act as toastmasters perform energetic and cheerful songs to entertain the audience, organize competitions and observe traditions. Most often they perform the song "The Cossacks were riding", which tells about the girl's relationship with the Cossacks, or, for example, "Oh, don't go, young lady", which sings about the process of braiding a wreath.
These songs symbolize the fact that Ukrainians have always respected their wedding traditions and cherished them like the apple of their eye. Each of these songs is unique in its own way, and the Ukrainian wedding is generally a phenomenon of modern folklore, because hundreds of songs describing each stage of the wedding are collected in this event.
And these songs are the product of our nation and are something to be really proud of. And the special pride of the Ukrainian people is their women, who are not only beautiful but also hard working. It is not so easy to marry them. To do this, you had to go through a whole quest to buy a bride, because you can't get a Ukrainian woman just like that.
Various wedding songs are designed to glorify the young couple and their parents, to reflect the thoughts and moods of the participants in the wedding drama, or to describe the main actors and their actions. Yes, the wedding songs are about matchmakers, newlyweds, bridesmaids, groomsmen (boyars), elders, and friendship. Only women sing wedding songs. Men, on the other hand, take part only in the most dramatic episodes of the ceremony - during the attack of the boyars, the ransom of the bride. It can be said that all wedding songs are one big dramatic action.
Kenneth O'Riley – a relationship coach and psychologist based in Montreal, Canada. Besides a huge experience of working with couples and singles, Kenneth can share knowledge about Slavic women and the peculiarities of dating ladies from Ukraine and Russia. Our author has Ukrainian origin and lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, for 10 years. Such experience allows us to call him a real expert in Slavic girls and share working tips with you.
Being in a relationship is one of the most incredible feelings; relationships are also a time of stress. This article is about how to break the touch barrier, deeming the right opportunity of when it is suitable in the relationship to make your move.
You are probably wondering why seemingly the entire universe is obsessed with women from Russia. “I want to date a Russian girl” is what you’ve heard from your peers and it made you think about it more and more. What’s so special about these intriguing women? What makes them so popular among men? In this article, we’ll tell you everything you want and need to know about gorgeous Russian girls.<...
The story of Christian Tailor (39), an IT specialist from Glasgow, UK, and Oksana Rudnick (35), a bank manager from Tula, Russia, may not be that exciting, but it proves that true feelings can stand the test of distance.
The story of Emre Nizamoglu (41), a tourist guide from Ankara, Turkey, and Yulia Kravets (33), a shop assistant from Kharkiv, Ukraine, is a bright example of how lonely hearts find each other despite distances, family conflicts, and language barriers.
