Macedonian Wedding Photography

Traditional, contemporary & creative Macedonian Wedding Photography covering the tri-state area of NJ, NY, CT & PA.

MACEDONIAN AMERICANS WEDDING TRADITIONS

Macedonian Americans have continued to celebrate many wedding traditions from earlier generations. The night before the wedding ( kolak or kvas ) is spent feasting and dancing. The next morning, friends and family of the groom gather at his home for the groom-shaving ritual. The godparents, known as kym and kyma, ceremoniously give the groom his last shave as a single man as the guests sing, dance, and feast. During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom, sometimes joined by their fathers, participate in the "breaking of the bread" to see who will "wear the pants" in the new household. After the wedding ceremony, the male members of the wedding party often perform the Macedonian Pig Dance at the reception. Holding bottles of wine as well as forks and knives, they dance into the reception area carrying a roasted pig. They dance, shout, and whistle in front of the kym and kyma, demanding "payment" for the feast, and continue until the pig bearer is satisfied with the amount paid.