Every once in a while you get the chance to take part in a truly unique, wonderful experience.
In my case, this happened on October 10, 2015, when my good friend had her wedding in her hometown, the southern Serbian city of Niš. Eight of us friends were lucky enough to make the trip from Germany to take part in her day of celebration.
Leading up to the trip, we weren’t sure what to expect. We had heard that weddings in Serbia, especially in the south can get pretty crazy, with tons of food, drink, dancing and especially many guests (our friend invited about 250). Of course, that only made us more excited!
So we made the journey, arriving in Niš a few days before the wedding. Me and the other girl traveling with us were invited to join in a tradition where the bride and her friends make wreaths from fresh flowers to hang on both the bride’s family’s door and the groom’s family’s door. These wreaths stay up for one year, so that the neighbors and others will know that there is a newlywed in the family.
While making the wreath, we learned there were little rules involved such as the red string we were using to secure the flowers to the metal ring couldn’t be cut, instead just continuously wrapped around. Also, the bride couldn’t help (thankfully she was there to serve us rakija and Turkish coffee!). We also had to finish the groom’s family’s wreath and hang both before it turned dark.
Over the course of the wreath-making process we learned about some more wedding customs and very importantly, steps to the traditional Serbian folk dance called the Kolo, that are common at all Serbian weddings.
Then the day of the wedding came. We were all so excited! I went to get my hair done at a salon for 4 euros! Not joking. I may fly back on a weekly basis at that price.
When we arrived at the wedding, both the bride and the groom’s family greeted us. The sisters are first and traditionally they pin a small flower on your clothes. My friend decided to do something a little different and made these little stickers that could later be turned into a magnet so we could always remember the special day. In return, you are supposed to give the sisters money (around 100 Dinar or 1 Euro).
We took our place at the table as guests started to arrive. Our waiter promptly greeted us, asking what we would like to drink. Uhm, rakija, duh!
As the wedding continued, I thought there were a lot of similarities to ones I had been to in the U.S., such as the bride throws the bouquet…
And then everyone started to dance.
Essentially throughout the whole wedding guests of all ages were dancing to the traditional Kolo which has different steps depending on the song (good thing we practiced a little before hand).
What also was different was the incredible amount of food. I could have been completely full on our appetizer plate!
But then another course came, followed by another, more drinks and, of course, the cake.
Everyone was so incredibly friendly, warm and welcoming. We were the only group of non-Serbians there and even though, for example, we didn’t know the steps to the dance, we were welcomed into the circle and the guests on each side took the time to show us exactly how the steps go, until we had it down (even this little one)!
I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed the wedding. Not only because my friend was such a beautiful bride or we had so much fun dancing and meeting new people and trying new foods and drinks, but because it was such a unique experience to get to see such a great celebration in a totally new culture.
Thank you so much for including me in your special day!
Special thanks to Kory for being such a superb editor.
