POLISH WEDDING / – my Travel-Recommandation

www.janpetrus.no - Most of us have contact with a migrant or more through work and services. But still we are strangers to each other, because of language, culture and lifestyle. – Aware of this and many other experiences, MyBestJourneys - advise is to say YES, if you get the opportunity to participate in an wedding or other rare moments. For my part, this occurred on the river San, outside the old military town of Sanok, close to the border between Poland and Ukraine one Saturday in mai.

THAT BECOME an unforgettable experience full of strange rites and rituals, music and tradition that lasted for more one day and night to end, along with about one hundred of people from the village and the close family. It all happen in the spring, while the sun shone and the scenery exploded in green along the river with mountain water from the Ukraine and dense schools of fish on their way to their spawning grounds higher up. From the hotel stairs we observed the fishermen with rods that stood side by side with their long wading boots as far as we could see. In this landscape, we should follow our longstanding friend / Darek as an groom, to the bride Katanyna's, childhood home, to ask for the parent's permission to marry their daughter. The bridegroom was dressed stiff, brought the bridal bouquet and his best man. We felt it very special to be involved from the beginning. After a fifteen minute drive we arrived in the village. The house was decorated with flowers and balloons. A temporary music group in traditional costumes played up, and knocked on the groom to perform his errand. He was well received and led into the little room. Musicians and some of the guests came with it, while the groom knelt on the floor and handed the bridal bouquet to the bride as expected. Both knelt, while the family clapped and sang. It becomes a rare moment marked by joy and tradition, expectation and blessing.

THE NEXT STEP gathered the wedding party to walk towards the little church. The sun was shining and the big ones looked over the edge of their nest at the new family. But suddenly everything changed. Just around the next corner were greedy neighbors who would not let us proceed without ransom. Slightly confused I grabbed for my wallet, while the situation was rescued by two bottles of vodka as the best man had conveniently hidden in a stroller. The rest of the trek went at a slow pace toward new peak.

THE VILLAGE CHURCH was adorned and dressed for the wedding party. The priest and a choirboy, musicians and helpers took their places and it all began. From our point it was mainly catholic in theology, but traditional and local in execution. It was a solemn moment of the rare. All the guests participated to the rituals through the unison prayers and worship. Here were all participants and not observers. Finally, the wedding couple's first born was baptized and all the guests invited to communion, before it all tinted out with the bride and groom knelt before a shrine dedicated to virgin Maria, with thanks and praise. - Well out on the church stairs were bridal people standing, while all kissed and hugged and gave their gifts. It becomes a big moment in a small church in a foreign country.

THE WEDDING PARTY began after one hour, at an nearby party room. Here waited a long table edges and music, balloons and canopy, and food and soft drinks, wine and vodka in great quantities. The meal started at 16 o'clock and went on continuously in the following 12 hours, with new dishes of meal every hour - while the music plays, dances and ceremonies gave it all a great social flow. However – even we do not understand many words, we felt us strongly included from the very first moment. At midnight came the wedding cake and at the dawn the famous Bosj-soup. - Vodka also seems to tie it all together, to a traditional power of joy and liberation unless we felt that it was ever too much.

WEDDING JOURNEY to Poland and Sanok was a strong cultural experience and a great travel experience, which we treat our MyBestJourneys browsers: Seize always the chance of being invited to a wedding in a foreign country! With my best regards. / jph