Wedding bread avaThere is a nice Slavic wedding tradition to use ceremonial wedding bread to bless the newlyweds and ritually feed the guests. Usually, this wedding bread is made in a round shape or sometimes in the shape of a braid. But in Ukraine, the ceremonial breads can be really curiously or even weirdly shaped. For instance, what would you think about wedding bread shaped like a stick, a boot, an antique laundry beater, etc? Intrigued? Let’s look at different Ukrainian wedding bread loaves from a thematic exhibition.

Pastry boots avaFor the majority of Slavic countries, wedding bread is a very significant item. There are many traditions connected to it, some of which are really adorable and fun. For example, some Ukrainian grooms traditionally present their bride’s mother with specially-baked pastry shaped like a pair of boots. How did such a strange custom appear? Who bakes these cookies? And actually, why boots?! Let’s find out.

Wedding war avaUkraine is now involved in a full-fledged ugly war with Russia. But it doesn’t mean we have to become ugly as well. Ukrainians can find beauty and romance in everything, even in a war. Life goes on, love goes on, couples continue to get married and give birth to babies. In this post, we’d like to show you the reality of Ukrainian wedding fashion 2022. We consciously choose these wedding looks or sometimes don’t have a lot of a choice. Let’s see how Ukrainian brides and grooms look at their military weddings 2022.

dowry chest avaTraditionally, every Ukrainian bride had a dowry chest with her treasures. She gathered these things during all her youth, and before that, her mother gathered them practically from the moment of her daughter’s birth. Why did they need so many years to prepare the dowry? And what items did it include? In the 19th century, such dowry chests or hope chests were not just storage places but very important furniture. Why?

Wreath avaOld Ukrainian tradition dictated for brides to wear a wedding wreath with their wedding attire. Such a headdress was an obligatory accessory worn with pride. During the wedding ceremony, a special wedding ritual was performed and a wreath was replaced by a kerchief that covered the bride’s hair. A wedding wreath was a ceremonial and meaningful headpiece and, despite being used for only one day, it had to be glorious – large, fancy, and eye-catching. The more imaginative you were with your wreath, the better. Here’s one of the many exquisite Ukrainian bridal wreaths – this rare item, remarkably, made from wooden shavings.

Fashion show1 avaCrimean Tatars are a small ethnic group originating from the Crimean Peninsula (Europe, the northern coast of the Black Sea). They’re mostly Muslim, but their wedding traditions are a bit different from those in other Muslim countries. The Islamic rules in the Crimean Tatar culture are somewhat less strict. For example, a Crimean Tatar girl has a say in the engagement, her father can suggest or advise a husband for her, but only the girl decides whether she wants to marry him or not. Also, Crimean Tatar traditional weddings are very beautiful and spectacular events because of the traditional costumes used by the bride and groom.

Bride avaWe’ve already published a post about ceremonial towels being used as the bride’s belt at Ukrainian traditional weddings. This custom was rather popular in certain areas of several Slavic countries. A long and ornate traditional towel looks much more eye-catching than the usual belt. To prove that, we have another museum exhibit – Ukrainian bride’s folk costume that sports a hand-woven ceremonial towel instead of a belt. Note also the amount of jewelry on the bride’s neck – we can’t even count how many rows of necklaces there are!

Dukach4 avaModern Western-style wedding jewelry is usually gold or silver with diamonds or Swarovski crystals, but traditional jewelry pieces worn by our ancestors varied greatly around the world. In some countries massive gold necklaces, pendants, bracelets, etc were used; other brides wore coral, amber, and pearls; still other countries were world-famous for their beadwork. It’s wonderful how lovely vintage bridal jewelry looks, especially handmade adornments manufactured by the local jewelers. Here are a few authentic sets of Ukrainian wedding jewelry from the late 19th – early 20th century. They’re striking even for a modern eye.

ukrainian wreath ava2This wedding headdress of a bride is truly unique. It is traditionally used (for several centuries in a row) only in one particular area of western Ukraine. The headpiece of the local brides looks opulent, eye-catching, and impressive. When a bride is wearing such a wreath, you can’t miss her. And by the way, even today, local women sometimes choose to get married in this authentic headgear, though not very often. Let’s find out more about this elaborate wedding headdress.

Woven towel1 avaEmbroidered and woven ceremonial towels called “rushnyk” were traditionally used in many wedding rituals in Ukraine. For example, it was used during the ritual of engagement. The bride and groom stepped on such a towel in church during the wedding ceremony. A bride could use an ornate towel instead of a belt. The wedding witnesses wore ceremonial towels tied around their body. A lot of different wedding traditions are connected with a bridal towel. Here are a few samples of old Ukrainian wedding towels, hand-woven on a loom.