Marrying A Ukraine Lady? Ukrainian Marriage Traditions Explained

Ukraine is a country with a long and rich history during which a variety of customs developed, including Ukrainian marriage traditions, which can be a great deal of fun for all involved.

Although many women in the world may not anymore fuss about marriage, many women in Ukraine are still keen on getting married. They even make it one of the top priorities in their lives. As it is, with a history that is rich and dates far back.

Having marriage as top priority only means that Ukrainian women tend to keep Ukrainian marriage traditions from both sides of the spectrum - from the contemporary traditions to the historical, with the religious traditions in-between. But to make your marriage to a Ukrainian woman official, you need to register the marriage in State Registry offices, which are the only agencies appointed to make marriages legal.

It was during the Soviet times that such a legal procedure came about and along with it came new, albeit forced, rules and traditions in marriage. Nowadays however, most Ukrainians prefer to keep their national and religious traditions.

And so it goes that if you opt to get married in Ukraine, you have no choice but to register your marriage at the State Registry offices and get on with the wedding ceremony there. However, you do have a hand on what type of kind of wedding celebrations you are going to have afterward. You can opt for a church marriage or hold a more secular celebration, or you can combine religious and Ukrainian folk celebrations.

As a rule, certain Ukrainian marriage traditions are kept even during the official ceremony in the State Registry Office. Besides exchanging rings and drinking champagne, the newlywed couple may be presented with round loaf of white bread and salt. They take a bit of bread dip it in the salt eat it and than crush the loaf on the floor. The more pieces it crushes to, the better. This tradition is the symbol of happy married life.

Going out of the ceremony hall, the couple then has to step on a nicely decorated towel, and whoever steps on it first is believed to be the man of the house, regardless if it is the wife who first stepped on it.

As to the secular marriage celebration, there is a tradition to invite many guests and to set up a big table loaded with food and drinks. As a rule, Ukrainian weddings are loud and crowded. People come there to have much fun. One of the most common wedding traditions is stealing the bride or her shoe. The bridegroom and his best man have to pay the bride a price or ransom to return his treasure. Sometimes the price is paid in money; it also can be paid by accomplishing various funny tasks or drinking champagne or vodka from the bride's shoe.

These are only few and most common Ukrainian marriage traditions. Some people in this country take keeping traditions very seriously and if you want to marry a Ukrainian lady, you have to be prepared to honour your future relatives by joining them in keeping these traditions as well.