Untitled - Tarom

OBICEIURI Customs 56
Domni[oara [i cavalerul de onoare, nelipsi]i de la ceremonie
The bridesmaid and the best man are “a must“
RITUAL COMPLEX, PRILEJ DE
BUCURII {I OSPE}E F|R|
NUM|R, NUNTA }|R|NEASC|
~NCEPE CU MASA PE}ITO-
RILOR, CONTINU| CU MASA DE
LOGODN|, ATINGE O CULME
AME}ITOARE CU MASA CEA
MARE {I SE ~NCHIDE U{UREL
CU MASA VORNICILOR {I A
DRUSTELOR, CU CEA A
SOCRILOR {I CU MASA
COLACILOR.
A COMPLEX RITUAL, AS WELL
A MOMENT OF JOY AND
NUMEROUS BANQUETS,
THE TRADITIONAL PEASANT
WEDDING STARTSWITH THE
SUITOR’S CEREMONIAL
DINNER, GOES ON WITH
THE ENGAGEMENT FEAST,
REACHES AN EUPHORIC PEAK
DURING THE SO-CALLED BIG
DINNER AND THEN SLOWLY
HEADS TO THE END WITH THE
FEASTS OF THE BEST MEN
AND BRIDESMAIDS, THE
PARENTS-IN-LAW’S DINNER,
AND FINALLY THE CEREMONIAL
OF THE KNOT-SHAPED BREAD.
By Diana Marcu
Ia-]i mireas\
Dear Bride, Say
~n tradi]ia rom‚neasc\, nunta are un loc privilegiat, p\strat `n timp [i
`ntre file de poveste, c‚nd osp\]ul dura o s\pt\m‚n\: de joi p‚n\
miercuri diminea]\. Trezi]i cu greu din mrejele lui Bachus [i cu stomacul
probabil `ngreunat, rom‚nii au redus petrecerea la trei zile: „de
s‚mb\t\ p‚n\ luni,/c-a[a beau oamenii buni“.
Azi, pu]ine nun]i mai ]in o s\pt\m‚n\. Totul se concentreaz\ `ntr-o
zi [i o noapte, scria Radu Anton Roman: „Diminea]a la prim\rie, la pr‚nz
la biseric\ [i dup\-masa-seara-noaptea, la osp\]ul de nunt\; care, dac\ d\
Dumnezeu vreme bun\, se `ntinde [i prin curte, sub frunza nucilor [i
r\coarea stelelor“.
Participarea la cea mai mare bucurie a satului nu `nseamn\ doar simpla
prezen]\, ci [i implicarea total\ a rudelor, a vecinilor, a celor dou\
lumi din care provin mirii, chiar [i `n preg\tirea meselor. ~n plus,
m‚ncarea d\ruit\, vasele sau mobilele `mprumutate sunt dovezi ale
rela]iilor sociale din satul tradi]ional.
C\s\toria trece prin c‚teva momente speciale: pe]itul, strig\rile,
chemarea la nunt\, ruperea turtei, masa miresei, jocul zestrei, aducerea
miresei, iert\ciunea, cununia, masa mare, `nchinatul, `mbroboditul miresei
[i... calea primar\.
The Romanian tradition
praises the wedding as a
very special fairy-tale moment,
as once upon a time the wedding
meant a week-long banquet:
it started on Thursday and ended
the next Wednesday.
But as afterwards they could
barely wake up because of
Bacchus’s spells and the full stomach,
the Romanians decided the
wedding party should continue
for only three days and nights:
“from Saturday to Monday/as this
is the way to drink“.
Today only few weddings last
a whole week. Everything happens
during one day and one
night, Radu Anton Roman used to
say. “Early in the morning at the
City Hall, at church at noon and
then the wedding feast; and if God
gives us a sunny weather, the feast
takes place in the backyard, under
the walnut trees and the stars.“
Sharing the village’s greatest
joy doesn’t mean just attending
the ceremony, but also taking part
in the preparations that involve all
the relatives and neighbors.
Furthermore, giving food as a
present and lending furniture or
tableware are a proof of the affectionate
relationships that are typical
for the Romanian traditional
village.
The traditional wedding ritual
comprises several sequences: the