Global Lehigh Strategic Initiatives (without descriptions)
Wedding beliefs and superstitions in Poland
1. Wedding reception
It is a party that the bride
and groom and their
guests have after the
marriage ceremony.
2. traditions
•According to tradition, the newlyweds are
greeted with the Mendelssohn’s Wedding
March during which the groom carries his
newlywed wife over the threshold.
•Parents welcome the young couple as a part
of the old Polish custom and treat them with
bread and salt.
•The first dance is performed by the bride and
groom.
3. More Wedding customs and
traditions
• The first ritual, performed by the bride, is throwing a veil.
All unmarried women gather behind the bride, and when
the veil is thrown they must catch it. The groom follows
this procedure, but he throws his bow-tie which must be
caught by the one of the bachelors present in the ball
room.
• Wedding cake is cut by the newly-weds. They also taste it
first.
• Preparing the after-party the following day is not
obligatory.
• When all the guests shout the word „bitter, bitter” the
young couple is supposed to kiss themselves to the joy of
all the gathered people.
4. Wedding superstitions
The date of the wedding – the wedding and
the reception must take place in the months
in the names of which the letter „r” is present.
Choosing the day on which the wedding
will take place is also important. It is said
that we should not choose Monday as
"Monday is not worth it”, and Friday is not the
luckiest day either as „it is bad to start
anything on Friday”. It is assumed that the
best day to marry is Saturday.
On the day of the wedding – if the the bride
and groom see the pigeon or magpie before
the ceremony it will bring good luck as
opposed to observing crows or ravens.
5. Clothes the bride and groom should
remember to wear:
- Something blue (usually a garter)
- Something white (a symbol of purity of feelings)
- Something borrowed (to ensure the favor of her
husband's family)
- Something new (symbol of prosperity),
- Something old (when being in difficult time, to do
not need the assistance of relatives and friends),
- During the wedding bride and groom should not
wear anything pink.
- Until the wedding ceremony the groom should not
see the wedding dress.
- Small coin should be inserted into the bride's shoe.
- The bridesmaid (who must be not married woman)
puts the veil onto the bride’s head.
