Latvian Wedding Folklore

Latvian Ladies in their bonnets

A Latvian bride will often leave flowers for Maija, at the church to honour the sacrifice she made for love, before walking down the aisle.

The wedding ring is worn on the right hand.

At a Latvian wedding reception, it is customary for the new bride to be kidnapped by the groomsmen. The groom must pay a ransom, this could be a song, a round of drinks or some money to get her back.


The bride traditionally wears her wedding dress and veil till midnight. However, no one wants to wait till midnight for the veil to be passed on. This is now a part of the micosana. 

Micosana -The bride and groom, after dancing with all the unmarried guests, are made to sit on chairs. The groom will offer the bride a bonnet. The bride is expected to refuse twice, before accepting the bonnet. Her veil is given to a single female, who is expected be the next to get married. The groom is given a hat and a pipe.  These gifts signify the acceptance by the bride and groom of their new responsibilities.

Out in to the World

It was inevitable that as the members grew up they would go out in to the world.  College, university and new family commitments had dancers coming to Sunday afternoon rehearsals from across the UK.  The dance practices were held between 4 and 6pm and sometimes started with a 5 minute polka. 

When performing away from Halifax Sprīdītis members would arrive in jeans, change into Latvian National Costume and then dress for the dance (balle).

One of many Latvian Weddings

 

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Klievens

Marriage and college had members leaving as they started new lives.  As they had families, they related tales to their children and many are frequently seen at Latvian functions.