Wedding day is the most important day in life for every bride and every groom. It is a day that you want to remember forever. The way everyone celebrates this great event varies significantly according to country’s traditions. So what are Czech wedding traditions?
The Czech Republic has many wedding traditions dating back through the ages. Some of them, however, are long forgotten, some of them are quite new. I am going to tell you about those traditions that have prevailed, and are being celebrated nowadays. Without them, Czech wedding would be incomplete.
The most important thing on every wedding is the bride. Czech bride has to wear on her wedding day, beyond the wedding dress, something new, something old, something borrowed, and something blue. Blue is usually the garter, which will come handy later on the wedding day. Something borrowed is usually from some happily married girlfriend, so that the newly married couple will be also happy. Something old comes from the bride’s family, mostly some family jewel. Something new represents the new period of life that the bride is going to start.
Most traditions follow after the ceremony. When the newlyweds step out of the ceremonial place, their friends and family shower them with rice, lentils or peas to ensure fertility. At this moment, the groom may receive a horse-collar meaning that he might become henpecked.
Shortly after that, the bride throws her bouquet into the crowd. The crowd consists of unmarried girls only. The girl who catches the flowers will get married within a year.
Before the young married couple enters the restaurant for wedding reception, the owner of the restaurant breaks a plate since glass cullet brings happiness. What is more, bride and groom have to clean the place and by doing that show everyone how synchronized they are. This tradition points out that bride and groom will work together now on.
Bride and groom eat soup together. They have one spoon only and are bound together. This tradition shows how husband and wife will have to overcome all difficulties that will arise together. Moreover, it represents the need to go halves in a marriage.
Garter belt can then play two roles. It can either be thrown by the groom into unmarried men (results are the same as with the bouquet), or it can be auctioned off. Money will help to start the new life.
When the atmosphere is at its peak, the bride is being carried away by friends of the groom. The groom has to find his wife as soon as possible. If he fails to find her, he has to buy her back from his friends. This symbolizes the girl’s separation from her parents and a new phase of life. It also shows that the groom should be watchful!
All this ends when the married couple arrives at the place where they live. The “fresh” husband should carry his wife in his arms over the threshold. This tradition should secure the demons not to wake up.
http://www.prague.net/blog/article/70/traditions-on-czech-weddings
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