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On a weekend in August, I went with a friend to his sister’s wedding. It took place in Auleja, a small community near the Russian border. It was different from the rest of Latvia. Everyone spoke Latgalian, which is somewhat similiar to Latvian and hard for me to understand everything. We stayed in a house on a farm off of a dirt road. The whole community helped with the event. There were many rituals. The night before the wedding, all of the girls sang songs to the bride. The point of this was to make her cry, although I didn't know why. That day we also got to go into a real sauna- it was dark inside so I couldn't tell if the water was clean, but that is where people take showers out there. The farmhouse was right in between two lakes, and it was gorgeous country. The next day there was lots of preparing to do for the wedding. All the food was fixed, the house was decorated with garlands, and items were sewed for the ceremony. Once that was done, the bride got dressed and they had another singing ceremony while she had her makeup and hair done by the ladies. They made a green halo topped with white roses for her to wear on her head. She was required to wait for her groom to pick her up. Meanwhile, musicians played traditional music and sung. |
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The groom pulled up in a Volkswagen. He was accompanied by a couple who did the “bargaining” for him. The bride also had a couple representing her. They were to be advisors to the couple, in case either one ever needed advice. This was all part of the tradition and the fun of the ceremony. |
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The bride’s couple presented the groom with a very young bride and he sent her back. Then they presented him with a very old bride, as seen on the left. He also sent her away. Everyone crowded around to watch this amusing act. |
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Finally, his real bride was presented and they rode off to the church in a horse drawn carriage. |
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It was a traditional Catholic wedding. In the audience, we were required to sit and stand many times. The church was beautiful very old. Afterwards, the party went on all night with many dances, traditional songs, and games. It was a great experience but I don’t think I could ever live there. I was glad after a weekend, to get back to the city life. |
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