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OUR LIFE Monthly, published by Ukrainian National Women s League of America VOL. XLV в е р е с е н ь — 1988 — S e p te m b e r Editor: Marta Baczynsky LARISSA M. L. ZALESKA ONYSHKEVYCH BASIC ELEMENTS OF A TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN WEDDING FOR TODAY Since time immemorial, weddings and their traditions involved not only the bride and groom, but also their immediate and extended families, as well as their com munity. In order for these important social and religious rituals to proceed with grace and pleasure, but without panic — they acquired a set way of being held. The tra ditional rituals, therefore, became like a play, with roles performed according to custom. The marriage ritual itself revolves not only around the age group of the bride and groom, but also other members, and therefore reflects the mores, values, and traditions of the given community and family. Many ethnic groups had brought their customs to the North American continent. Some of these rituals remain rele vant to contemporary society and contemporary values. The following listing of important elements of a tradi tional Ukrainian wedding are only the very basic ones which appeared in many variations all over Ukraine. Many of them can be applied today, and still possess considerable relevance for Ukrainians. EQUALITY OF THE SEXES Equality of the sexes was deeply ingrained in Ukrainian life. It is quite noticeable in the bethrothal ceremony. The young man would send his emissaries to the young lady, who would make her decision known by handing them a pumpkin if she refused to marry the man, or an embroidered ceremonial cloth, a rushnyk, if she liked him. The rushnyk, therefore, appears in the ceremony several times. During the wedding ceremony, the father does not give away the bride to the groom; the young lady and her man enter the church as equal partners. The state of matrimony itself is also considered as a partnership, a mating or joining of two people in a team, as reflected in the very word “to marry” — odruzhytysia, meaning to acquire a friend and a support group. Wedding invitations reflect this equality too. The names of both the bride’s and the groom’s parents appear on the invitation with the announcement that their children are to be married. The text usually begins in the manner: “Oksana and Bohdan Hetmansky, and Hanna and Orest Pavlenko...” Please note, that in the Ukrainian (or continental) tradition, ladies’ names are listed first. In a manner of combining the two customs Коровай. Korovay
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