Wedding Wailers

I was incredibly fortunate to have been invited to my host-father's nephew's wedding. It was really beautiful with lots of food, dancing, more food and more dancing!

Sadly, I didn't film some of the most interesting parts... like when the two couples chosen to help the couple during their marriage (with advice and such -similar to Godparents to a newborn baby) danced around each other with a chicken on a plate and a round braided bread roll. After dancing with their own featherless chicken,at the end of the song they exchanged chickens in goodwill.

I also forgot to film the beautiful and melodic Gagauzian dances!! I was too enthralled. Hopefully in the next year and a half, I'll be priveleged enough to see these dances again and show them to you!

I did film when the bride's veil is replaced with a headscarf, symbolizing she is now a wife. As the veil was being replaced, men pretended to wail and cry. She was now a taken woman, and no longer available. While they were wailing, I was trying not to laugh.

If you're a feminist you may not appreciate the Moldovan tradition of giving the bride a broom and dustpan to sweep up money. At the same time, the groom was the one to bend down, pick up the donations, and give to his wife! Good husband!

The video is about 6 minutes long. I danced quite a bit, but that's not shown... especially when it was time for the fancy footwork... as you'll see!

One personal highlight was when a man asked me to dance. While on the dance floor he asked me my name, then realized I wasn't from Moldova. He guessed I was from Turkey, very common in these parts. When I told him I was from America, he looked shocked and even stopped dancing for a few seconds asking me over and over... "Amerikanka? I'm dancing with an Amerikanka?" Throughout the dance he kept looking at me in surprise and told other couples dancing around us, "I'm dancing with an Amerikanka." It's nice to so easily entertain. He asked me to dance many times after, inbetween other men asking. I have never danced so much in my life!

My host-parents and I left for the wedding at 4pm and didn't arrive home until 7am the next day!! They sure know how to party here in Moldova!