The bridal meeting itself is often accompanied by both a religious and civil services https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/advice/a9641/things-men-dont-know-about-women-caitlin-moran/, but there are many additional conventions that make up polish marriage cultures. Some are more intricate than individuals, but all are meant to show the couple that their family and friends are united in their help of them and wish them a happy life up.
One of the most prominent polish wedding traditions is the Oczepiny meet polish women (unveiling of the bride). The opening is a major part of the relationship and it represents her changeover from one person to married spouse. The bride’s parents, aunts, godmothers and grandmothers all join her on the dance floor in a circle and, at the command of the druzba ( band leader ), they remove the bride’s veil while the guests sing a song called Oj Chmielu Chmielu ( which some claim is the oldest known polish wedding song ).
Another conventional Polish bridal convention is zmowiny – this is where the relatives of the groom and bride meet for the first time. The auberge d’ or band leader will declare the parents, who subsequently come to a modest table with bread and salt. The breads symbolizes the hope that the couple will never experience hunger and the salt reminds them that life did sometimes get difficult and they must learn to cope jointly.
After the display of bread and salt, the few has their earliest toast- typically this is a shot of vodka passed from person to person. The couple drinks from their glasses and, according to tradition, whoever ends up with the glass of vodka will wear the pants in the relationship!