Lithuania wedding traditions

Lithuania wedding traditions

G: I haven’t seen you for ages! Nice to meet you but. what are you doing here?

R: I’m so glad that we meet in Lithuania. I see you are surprised to see me but I came here to take part in my cousin’s wedding.

G: Fancy that! What a wonder! But you have never mentioned about your relatives in my homeland.

R: For my part, let’s go to some coffee and continue our speaking. You know, I would like to kknow more about Lithuania wedding traditions.

G: Ok, ok, let’s go!

G: Well, I understood that you are quite educated speaking about nowadays Lithuania wedding traditions so I with pleasure tell you something about old customs of marriage. Do you know that at the end of XIX century the most important facts in choosing your life partner were economical and social situation of his or her. And love was of no importance.

R: Do you mean that parents would choose a wife oor husband for their child? I think it’s impossible.

G: Heh. but you are quite right! And it was sad if parents didn’t agree with the choice of their child, the priest couldn’t marry them.

R: Oh, I see! In my country wwhen two people decide to wed they must have 2 witness and in your country there are called.. I don’t remember the exact word..

G: Could I interrupt you?

R: Oh, sure!

G: In Lithuania they are called matchmakers. But there is one thing you don’t know; sometimes in place of matchmaker who matched the couple went a woman called tulkininkė.

R: Can you repeat the last word?

G: Tulkininkė.

R: How do you spell that?

G: Ty ju el kei ai en ai en kei y

R: I don’t understand. Could you say it in other words?

G: Tulkininkė is a woman who has the same functions as the matchmaker but she was popular in the north east of Lithuania at the end of XIX century. Do you uunderstand me now?

R: All right, I got that. But I know that in marriage rituals very important role belongs to matron, if I am not mistaken.

G: Sorry to interrupt, but very important role belongs to whom?

R: To matron

G: Uh, yeah, you aren’t. In some regions the functions of matron are the same as of made of honour.

R: In other words matron is the same as a maid of honour?

G: No, I didn’t say that I just said that in some rregions their functions were the same. To continue, there were some cases when the bride invited even 3 matrons: one matron went with the bride and groom to church, another performed rituals in which bride passed into position of married woman and the third one went with the bride to groom’s house and was like a maid???? Between two families.

R: Really very interesting customs. When I was invited in my friend’s wedding I took part in the evening where were all girls and we were celebrating before her wedding. It was great, only girls.

G: Just a quick interruption, if that’s okay; it was wedding eve or in other words her party?

R: Yes, exactly. But I heard that these wedding eves now aren’t the same as they were. Nowadays everybody is cheerful.

G: sorry to interrupt, but I’ve read a book in which was described such like custom when bride and her friends gathered together in one place, during the evening dominated sad parting mood, bride was mourning.

R: Could I ask the question?

G: Yeah!

R: Why she was mourning?