The wedding was an event of utmost importance to the village life in Bucovina. It has multiple implications, both for the individual and the rural community life. Compared to birth and burial, the wedding is a voluntary act governed by love, wealth, obedience towards the rigors of tradition. The main events concerning the wedding ceremony are the courtship, the wedding call, the bride’s feast, the dowry game, showing the bride before the attendants, asking the parents for pardons, bowing, the way/exit from church.
Asking the parents for pardons is an extremely important phase of the wedding ritual. The bride and the groom had to ask for pardons from their parents, siblings, and relatives, because they would oftentimes move to a different household. The bond between the lovers was acceptable only if the parents gave their consent.
The best man would ask for pardon in the name of the young through an oration:
“Bride, apologize to your lovely momma/ from the bed of flickers/
From your good ol’ pa/ from the bed of bland food/ from your younger sister/
From the bed of roses/ from your younger brothers / be a healthy mother/
If you weren’t happy to see me in your abode like a beautiful carnation”.
Although there were many fundamental changes in the village life of Bucovina, we can still find numerous customs that lasted in time.