Polish Wedding Blessing

I believe there is a traditional Polish Wedding Blessing that involves wine and bread and maybe salt? Can anyone tell me what the tradition is all about and what words to say at the marriage ceremony?

Thank you for your help.

After wedding and before party, mothers of married couple bless them with bread and salt. Mothers make wishes and end them with a wish, that newlyweds will never run out of bread (remember that this is very old tradition and in previous centuries parents literally wished that newlyweds will never suffer from hunger and would be prosperous). Next, the couple salt their slice of bread and eat it. In old times this blessing was not only reserved for newlyweds, but also for guests. By giving them bread and salt, their hosts showed them respect and hospitality.

Moreover bread symbolises here the flesh of Christ. In many cultures, as well here, salt is believed to deter evil.

Also. if the wedding party pass through a village (where the locals know about the wedding) they will be stopped and offered bread.

i once got stuck in a stream of (wedding party) traffic as it passed through three or four villages and this happened.

Where I live they are more likely to be stopped by young guys who demand vodka before letting them pass. It's known as a gate. It's all done with great good humour and the wedding party usually has the bottle or its money equivalent ready.

Apparently (at least in the mountains), it is considered if the happy couple are not stopped on their way out and have to hand over a bottle of vodka.

A village tradition through and through - anyone doing it in cities nowadays is quite clearly of village stock.


Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the humour in having to give people vodka. It sounds dreadful...

They get away lightly considering how much vodka they have to give away a bit later in the day. It's just a tradition which is part of the day. There's no intimidation involved.

And the day after (if they are doing things properly). And the day before too (if they are doing things really properly)

Ah, but at least the guests participate in the (other) dreadful tradition of handing over stacks of cash :p if it was me, I'd be giving them bottles of rat poison or something...

What was interesting - I saw a wedding in Ukraine, in a village close to the Polish border, and it was pretty much identical.

Would you be so kind to give examples of city traditions.
This is old Polish tradition, that was observed by christian Poles (where they lived was irrelevant). If now some couples choose to do something else is their choice. People who live in village are normally more conservative and traditions tend to live longer there (that is case in Polish, German, French etc villages). Don't try to make divisions, where they don't exist.

The only differences in wedding traditions exist are in different parts of Poland (south, north, Małopolska, Wielkopolska etc.) not between city and village of some region.

Not inviting 150+ people to the reception is getting close to being a city tradition.

They however do exist - village traditions tend to involve inviting absolutely everyone who can be considered "family", even if you haven't got a clue who they are or what they do.


Indeed. I can't imagine the horror of a wedding where endless drunk uncles were involved.

I've seen one wedding where the groom's family were getting stuck straight into the booze as soon as they got to the reception - it was a disgusting sight. It's fine if you're 20 something, but to see a bunch of old blokes throw back vodka like there was no tomorrow was just...eh.

Well, 2 months ago I attended wedding in Warsaw. There were 300 hundred guests. So more than 150 is city tradition and less than 150 is village tradition? Thank you! Everything is clear now!

Warsaw can hardly be held up as an example of urbane dwellers :p

I always thought that some Polish weddings were very sad in this respect - people feel obliged (or are pressured) into inviting lots of obscure family members, but then have very few friends there. Not every wedding is like that, of course (and mine certainly wasn't) - but still.

I always find it a bit of a giggle, especially now I can easily outdrink the cousins who used to easily outdrink me (they now have mortgages and kids and so apparently only drink once a month or so, I have neither and so can get stuck into the sauce a couple of times a week).

I was at one where the bride had to knock back half a bottle (not in one go, just in five or six shots) before she was ready to head down the aisle!

I persuaded my Best Man to wear his kilt, which went down really well, with people demanding photo's with him, but my sister-in-law (well alight) couldn't resist manually checking whether he was wearing underwear while he had his back turned. He nearly hit the ceiling.


At, what 100PLN/head these days? Not surprised.