Nunta

Nunta

Last weekend Nancy and I crammed into a ‘maxi-taxi’ and rode the six hours through the heart of Transylvania to the city of Pitesti to attend out first Romanian Nunta - wedding. Weddings are a big deal here, very big. Usually they last for three days and feature at least two ceremonies. The civil ceremony is held in the house of weddings at the branch of the local city hall. A functionary representing the mayor’s office presides as the bride and groom sign the official book stating that they are man and wife.

City hall is kind enough to provide a glass of champagne and a biscuit to the wedding party, who then proceed beneath an arbor of flowers held aloft by the guests. On the Saturday morning of the wedding we attended there was a line of bride and grooms waiting to become official. Our group was scheduled for 10:30, but there was a back up of at least 4 weddings still in front of us at that hour, a few behind so we stood out along the street waiting our turn. Our bride was careful to avoid spying other brides because it is considered a bad omen to see a new bride on your wedding day prior to your own wedding.

Later that afternoon we attended the church ceremony. This took place in an orthodox church, the service in Romanian. Here too we had to wait for the ceremony before ours to finish and there was at least one other following. Once inside it was a treat to study the similarities and the differences between services that we are used to and the orthodox as practiced in Romania. There are no seats in the church so the well wishers all stood watching the priests – three of them – administer to the couple. This was a mixed wedding, an American, Brian and a Romanian, Anca. Brian is a former volunteer in the group that came just before ours did and Anca was his and our language teacher.

There was a good bit of canting and incense and prayers and much made of the ring and the crowns that both Brian and Anca wore. Toward the conclusion the main participants danced around the alter led by the high priest. After the sermon – here the priest was surprised to learn that Brian knew Romanian – in which it was suggested that the couple have seven children, we all gathered in the garden outside for pictures. The bride and groom got to keep the rings but the crowns went back to be used for the next wedding. And there were lots of pictures. Romanians love taking pictures. Best man and bride's maid do not hold much sway in Romanian ceremonies,- they get to hold the long candles during the service but not much else. Their place of importance is taken by ‘God parents’ who shepard the couple through the events of the weekend. Brian and Anca had Romanian God parents from the city of Sibiu.

That evening we partied. Our party was one of three held in the hotel that night. Dinner started at 8 pm, but the band didn’t arrive until 12 along with the third of six of courses of the dinner. Romanians love to party and dance and once the band showed, we were soon all joining hands and dancing around the dance floor. We made it through the dinner’s fourth course at 2 am and then retired to bed 3 hours before the scheduled ending.

The wedding guests included about fifteen family and friends of the groom, many graduates of the University of Virginia and JMU. When we left the party the Romanians were well under control, the UVA boys were having a harder time of it, not being accustomed to the strong local brews.

Our best wishes go to Brian and Anca, and our thanks for including us on the guest list. They come from two different cultures but they are liked minded people and we believe that they will make a good success of their lives together.