I write to you from beautiful Budapest, Hungary, one of the grand cities of the Austro- Hungarian Empire. I have been fortunate to spend time over here during the last several years, as it is the motherland of my partner Laszlo. Budapest is a beautiful, stately city, hugging the Danube River. Now two decades since the fall of Communism, Budapest is restoring its luster of eras gone by.
My love of weddings well pre-dates my becoming a Celebrant. During much of my 30’s, I travelled a good deal. It was a wonderful time of self-growth and learning, one that I hope positively informs my Celebrancy practice. No matter where I wandered, I was always on the lookout for weddings. From near or far, I truly enjoyed peeking in on these happy days for brides, grooms, and their families. And I prided myself on having a “sixth sense” of knowing when and where I might run into a wedding celebration (think “Wedding Crashers” meets “Roman Holiday”).
As I am now an officiant, I use any travel opportunity to help me become a more creative Celebrant—meeting new colleagues, visiting museums, or learning about local wedding customs. So, of course, coming to Hungary has piqued my curiosity of wedding customs in Central Europe.
Of those Hungarians declaring a religious affiliation, about half are Roman Catholic, about 20 percent are Protestant, with small numbers of Greek Orthodox and Jews. According to a wedding traditions website, all Hungarian marriages must have a civil ceremony. Many couples choose to have a religious ceremony after the civil service. Some, in fact, parade from the civil service immediately to the house of worship.
In the past, Hungarian brides wore colorful dresses, heavily embroidered with flower motifs. In her elaborate dress, with many petticoats and an impressive headpiece, symbols of wheat were sewn in, as a sign of fertility. Today, most brides wear modern “western style” white bridal gowns. During traditional church ceremonies, it is customary for the bride and groom to sit on a platform, outside the house of worship. As guests arrive, they will read poems, sing songs, or share memories or good wishes with the bride and groom. And, today it is still customary for couples to wear wedding rings on their left hands during the engagement period. After the wedding ceremony, the rings are switched to the right hand. After the wedding the bride gives a gift of three or seven handkerchiefs to the groom. Both three and seven are thought to be lucky numbers. The groom usually presents his bride with a small bag of coins—this symbolizes that the husband will give all that he has to his new bride, entrusting her with his worldly fortunes. The wedding reception includes food and drink and things near and dear to the hearts of Hungarians—most notably food heavily seasoned with Paprika, the national treasure to which Hungarians attribute magical properties.
The photo included here is from a Saturday wedding that I ambled into while walking around the Castle in Budapest. Wonderful!
My love of weddings well pre-dates my becoming a Celebrant. During much of my 30’s, I travelled a good deal. It was a wonderful time of self-growth and learning, one that I hope positively informs my Celebrancy practice. No matter where I wandered, I was always on the lookout for weddings. From near or far, I truly enjoyed peeking in on these happy days for brides, grooms, and their families. And I prided myself on having a “sixth sense” of knowing when and where I might run into a wedding celebration (think “Wedding Crashers” meets “Roman Holiday”).
As I am now an officiant, I use any travel opportunity to help me become a more creative Celebrant—meeting new colleagues, visiting museums, or learning about local wedding customs. So, of course, coming to Hungary has piqued my curiosity of wedding customs in Central Europe.
Of those Hungarians declaring a religious affiliation, about half are Roman Catholic, about 20 percent are Protestant, with small numbers of Greek Orthodox and Jews. According to a wedding traditions website, all Hungarian marriages must have a civil ceremony. Many couples choose to have a religious ceremony after the civil service. Some, in fact, parade from the civil service immediately to the house of worship.
In the past, Hungarian brides wore colorful dresses, heavily embroidered with flower motifs. In her elaborate dress, with many petticoats and an impressive headpiece, symbols of wheat were sewn in, as a sign of fertility. Today, most brides wear modern “western style” white bridal gowns. During traditional church ceremonies, it is customary for the bride and groom to sit on a platform, outside the house of worship. As guests arrive, they will read poems, sing songs, or share memories or good wishes with the bride and groom. And, today it is still customary for couples to wear wedding rings on their left hands during the engagement period. After the wedding ceremony, the rings are switched to the right hand. After the wedding the bride gives a gift of three or seven handkerchiefs to the groom. Both three and seven are thought to be lucky numbers. The groom usually presents his bride with a small bag of coins—this symbolizes that the husband will give all that he has to his new bride, entrusting her with his worldly fortunes. The wedding reception includes food and drink and things near and dear to the hearts of Hungarians—most notably food heavily seasoned with Paprika, the national treasure to which Hungarians attribute magical properties.
The photo included here is from a Saturday wedding that I ambled into while walking around the Castle in Budapest. Wonderful!
