(At a recent Pastoral Council meeting, it was suggested that we start sharing some Catholic, family traditions in the bulletin. I am grateful to Kathy McHugh for volunteering to share the following. Fr. JC)
The Bridal Babushka Dance
Share by Kathy McHugh
In our family, weddings are, and have been some of our most wonderful celebrations, rich with traditions of our faith and a few special traditions from our Slavic heritage. As a young girl, I spent many moments looking through my mothers wedding album, and can remember with great fondness the black and white photos that told the story in such detail, from the bride getting ready, to the beautiful wedding party and flowers, the long isle of the Church, stunning altar and of course the beautiful pictures of the nuptial Mass ---- but one set of pictures was always my most favorite, the sweet and sentimental photos of the Bride’s Babushka Dance! At eight years old, I experienced this beautiful tradition, first hand at my aunt’s wedding and knew that I wanted to learn more about this special tradition.
The dance takes place at the reception, and similar dances are included in many cultures. In our Slovak family, the bride and her mother come to the center of the dance floor while special polka music is played. The mother of the Bride removes the bride’s veil and replaces it with a Babushka, to signify that the girl is now a woman! The mother of the Bride takes the first dance with her, while the Maid of Honor holds the veil and other guests and friends line up and pay to dance with the bride! At my own wedding it was a special moment between my mother and I, one that signified the start of my own “family,” ---- husband and wife, and I remember a bittersweet feeling of knowing that my days and nights would never be spent the same way as they had under my parents loving roof! The dance with my mom was a special time for her to whisper well wishes for every blessing into my ear! I remember dancing with each guest as we whirled around the dance floor to the special polka music, as each extended a wish for health and happiness in our married life! As the guests finish dancing, they form a large, happy circle around the Bride ---- with the bride’s dad being the last to dance with her! In a fun-loving way, the circle of guests have the job of keeping the new groom at bay, until he finally breaks into the circle of friends and well wishers to sweep the Bride off her feet and carry her off!
Though there are many special and meaningful traditions and moments of my wedding day, the Babushka dance is a very special memory for me! Our family enjoyed this beautiful tradition again with the marriage of my daughter in this past year! Like me, this was a special tradition that she had seen and heard of in both her grandmother’s and her mother’s wedding stories and pictures! We found the special polka “Pani Mloda” and this special dance was a huge hit! In our family, I have had the honor to make the Bridal Babushka for nieces and, of course, my daughter who have kept this special tradition alive! A lacy and beautiful traditional keepsake that they may even pass along to their own daughters! Like my own wedding, I will cherish the memories of this special dance at my daughter’s wedding --- the chance to send her off as a young woman to join her husband in a wonderful life with God’s blessing!