Dating and marriage

[Vera]

From CultureGrams world edition:
"Young Ukrainians meet at discos and concerts, in school and at work, and through friends. When dating they usually visit friends, go to bars or movies. From April to October they spend a lot of time in parks, engaging in veriety of outdoor activities. Young couples usually marry in their early twenties. A marriage is legal only if performed in a city hall or a "wedding palace". Most couples today also have a religious ceremony.

Urban wedding parties are fancy but do not involve much tradition. On the other hand, rural weddings are big events that usually last for three days. Such weddings resemble a combination of a grand party and a performance, since many people are responsible for completing traditional acts. For example, at some point the bride must be "stolen”. The successful thieves "demand” a ransom for her return".

[P-N]

Typical - we got married Urban style. 

Would have been a test of "true love" if Anechka had been kidnapped and the randsom had been anything more than 75 kopeks, half a bowl of borshe and a collection of home grown green peppers...........would I have paid it?..............guess we will never know 

[SilverBullet]

A 3-day wedding celebration sounds like a nice tradition!!! I guess it will have to be a rural wedding for me one day then 

[Vera]

A 3-day weeding celebration sounds like a nice tradition. I guess it will have to be a rural wedding for me one day 

Ok, SB, just for you.......))))
You know what is the most commonly asked for "ransom" for the bride?
It goes like this......whoever succeeds in "stealing" the bride then presents her shoe as an evidence that they indeed have her and as a ransom they ask the bridgroom or sometimes the best man to drink vodka from the brides shoe.
Still think you are having you wedding the village way ))??

[3000ftup]

That sounds like a whole lot of fun!!! and a great party with life long memories  Long live old Ukainina wedding customs  

[SilverBullet]

A 3-day weeding celebration sounds like a nice tradition. I guess it will have to be a rural wedding for me one day 

Ok, SB, just for you.......))))
You know what is the most commonly asked for "ransom" for the bride?
It goes like this......whoever succeeds in "stealing" the bride then presents her shoe as an evidence that they indeed have her and as a ransom they ask the bridgroom or sometimes the best man to drink vodka from the brides shoe.
Still think you are having you wedding the village way ))??

I can let the best man handle the vodka drinking then.  Still it sounds like a nice tradition, a 3-day party. Wouldn't be too bad in a Crimean seaside village or somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains.   

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