UKRAINIAN WEDDING IN PARANA
“Halychyna” was a Province of the old Autro-Hungarian Empire, that included many ethnographic regions of Ukraine, like “Opilia”, “Hutsulschyna”, Boykivschyna” and others, and parts of Polish ethnic territory. The majority of Ukrainian immigrants who went to Brazil, and especially to Paraná, were from western Ukraine, the Province of “Halychyna”.
The first Ukrainian immigrants who came to Brazil, in 1891, came to the area around Mallet, located in southern Parana. They brought with them many traditions. It is important to realize that not everyone came out of the same villages and cities over the years of immigration. It is known that the first group came from "Zolochiv". These were followed by groups from the areas of "Ternopil", "Sokal '", "L'viv" and elsewhere in "Halychyna."
Each family of immigrants brought the traditions of its village, and all this folklore eventually mixed in the colonies of the municipality of Mallet. The traditions were also influenced by other people who lived nearby, Poles and Brazilians. Wedding traditions are no exception.
Ukrainian wedding traditions have been preserved over the years. Very strong Ukrainian features were more common in the 1950s and 60s, but some are still found in many colonies of Mallet. Over the years many of these traditions were adapted and modified to conform to the reality of the Ukrainian people and their descendants in Brazil.
In the “classic” Mallet tradition, the Wedding Feast starts on the Sunday before the wedding day, as people prepare to receive guests at the house of the bride's parents, and runs until the following Sunday, all accompanied by music, dance, food and wine.
The first part consists of cleaning and preparing the property, and the manufacture of decorations for the party. The work is done by "Drujby" which are single friends chosen by the couple.
During the week the "vinotchky” are prepared. These are wreaths that will serve as decoration for the traditional “Korovay”. Other wreaths, crowns of rosemary, also have a special role; they will be used by the couple during the religious ceremony. The rosemary branches are blessed with water by the mother of the bride. After the crowns are ready, the bride distributes the left over branches among the "Drujby", wishing them well in love.
On Thursday, to the sound of traditional and old Kolomeyky, the ladies prepare Korovay (Wedding Cake). The ingredients must be brought by married women of the colony. The bride's mother sprinkles the dough with holy water, so that everything will work out. Once placed in the baking pans and decorated, the "Korovay" is moved to the piets’ (clay oven). The guests then dance with the instruments used in the oven: the broom, "Kotchubei”, and "lopatka”. When removed from the oven, the women again dance with the "korovay”. They adorn it with a small tree, ribbons and flowers, and the "vinotchky”.
On Friday, people do not sing or dance, and a minimum of work should be left for the day, in honor of Good Friday. The festival returns on Saturday. Before leaving for the church, the parents of the bride and groom bless the couple with bread and salt and an icon. This is the traditional "Proshchania”. Also in the house of the bride, the parents ritually bid farewell to their daughter and deliver the bride to her future husband. All follow to the church where the religious ceremony takes place. A special feature of this celebration is a special blessing to the bride "Blahoslovenstvo”.
Returning to the house of the bride's parents, the newlyweds are received by their mothers with water and wine, remembering the wedding of Canaan. The water is taken in full, only a sip of the wine is drunk and the rest is thrown back over their shoulders. The mother of the groom offers bread and salt to the newlyweds. The bride's mother offers two types of bread, so that they never lack food for themselves or their family.
At the beginning of the dance, they perform the "quadrille". And just before midnight, the "drujby" dance with the "korovay", which are then cut up and served to the guests, accompanied by plenty of wine and homemade beer. The festival ends the next day with a meal made especially for friends and neighbors who worked at the party.
Most of these traditions are still preserved in this way by descendants of Ukrainians in the Mallet area. In the townsite itself, most weddings have been adapted to Brazilian reality, but they commonly retain the features of the last three days. On the first day the newlyweds and guests go to the homes of close friends to collect the "korovay”. Many korovays may be collected, depending on the number baked by the guests. On the second day the religious ceremony and celebration take place. During the evening, , everyone dance with the "korovays”. On the last day, lunch is prepared for those who helped and worked in the party. Everything happens to the sound of "Kolomeyke" with much wine, beer and various foods.
I would like to conduct thorough research on Ukrainian wedding traditions, especially those in the western regions of Ukraine, from where most Brazilian Ukrainian immigrants trace their roots. In particular, I want to research the traditions that form the basis for the wedding traditions in various colonies in Brazil. I will also try to document changes in the tradition, resulting from influences by other people and adaptations to the Brazilian reality over time.
This research could be conducted through interviews with people who live in the colonies of Mallet and still preserve or remember the traditions of the past
The first part of the research should deal with the source area in Europe between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century through manuscripts, archives, and books. Ideally, I hope to visit the villages and towns from where the Brazilian Ukrainian immigrants came. The wedding traditions have likely evolved in Western Ukraine as well, and these changes will need to be compared with the evolution of wedding celebrations here in Brazil. The research would be enriched by research and videos made by others on this subject (both in Brazil and in Ukraine itself).
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