Be a guest

Say „I do!” in Maramu'!

Even though the traditional wear has suffered a lot of changes through the years, life at the countryside has remained unblemished and people didn't give up on their old clothes. Peasants still feel, behave and wear Romanian!
If you are a visitor, the best place to meet our country and benefit from the kindness of our people is to come to Maramureș, the Northern region of Romania, right at the Transylvanian border. Come here during the summer, when the wheat is harvested and experience families gather themselves at those beautiful weddings you've probably heard so much about. 

Weading cortege

As far as the planning of the dowry and of the costumes, the choice of the godparents or the calling to take part in the ceremony are concerned, the wedding is an awesome ritual in Maramures, thanks to the fascinating traditions and superstitions.

Since the parents and the young couple prepare the wedding in advance, it still follows some of the oldest traditional customs.

The linesman, “the man with the pantry” or “the woman with the hen” who call the guests to the wedding, represent an indispensable cortege for the wedding.

Young boys searching for the bride

The wedding`s flag, reason to celebrate

The act of adorning the flag represents enough reason to throw a party. It is decorated in the groom`s house and it is celebrated by means of a specific dance which soon turns into a true young people`s party.

As we previously said, the man with the pantry, is a fundamental person in the wedding`s planning as he is selected because of his honesty. The young couple wants him to be especially honest as he will be asked to gather the gifts.

According to the tradition, the guests should offer corn and “tuica” (Romanian traditional beverage) as wedding gifs.

Receiving the guests

The bride and the groom go separately to the church

The religious ceremony differs from region to region. The bride and the groom come separately to the church, in his or her own procession, together with their families and other guests so that after the ceremony, each group goes separately.

A special custom is that of throwing wheat over the young couple and their guests, as a symbol of luck. The main character of this custom is the “woman with the hen”, an old wise lady with the gift to bless the new formed family.

Guests are throwing wheat for good luck

Starting with the linesman, all the guests dance with the bride and give her money and the groom has to biggest amount of money in order to be able to have the right to dance with his bride.

After the wedding, once a year, the new family has to visit its godparents and bring them “tuica”, bread or a small slightly decorated fir tree.