Wedding
Over the centuries of developing a distinctive Ukrainian culture, the wedding ritual grew into a complex celebration filled with magical rites, beautiful songs, and vibrant entertainment. Weddings reflected the social and cultural values of the community, its rules and moral norms: honoring deceased ancestors and living relatives, caring for the future happiness of the young couple, the strength of their marriage, the birth of children, prosperity, and peaceful coexistence within the community. A wedding was never just a family holiday. Without a full “public” village wedding performance, even a church ceremony (or later, civil registration) was not considered a valid marriage in the eyes of the community.
Ukrainian wedding songs were shaped over centuries, forming a clear musical framework for the ritual. Since some wedding traditions survived into recent decades, this genre remains one of the best-preserved in the folklore of Slobozhanshchyna and Poltava regions. In certain villages, even at the end of the 20th century, researchers were able to record entire wedding ceremonies with songs, numbering anywhere from 100 to 200 pieces within a single community.
A large group of songs, likely the oldest, is tied to ancient rituals: baking wedding bread, inviting guests, ransoms, blessings for the couple, departure to the wedding, and protective charms during processions or travel. The melodies of these songs often carry calling intonations, functioning as signals or announcements. Many well-known refrains commented on the actions of participants, ridiculing them—especially the bridesmaids and groomsmen. These were short, playful tunes that flowed continuously throughout the wedding. During the feast, the bridesmaids performed lyrical wedding songs, similar in content to everyday household songs. Among them were examples of orphan songs that supported a bride who had lost her parents, honoring their memory.
In Sloboda Ukraine and Poltava region, wedding songs are almost always polyphonic, with solo or paired opening lines answered by the group. They were performed with an open, resonant timbre. Yet unique local traditions also survived, such as the “tonchyk” manner of singing—a high, shrill voice. In some villages of Kharkiv region (Yakovenkove, Sholudkivka), all wedding songs were sung only in this style, while in Poltava and other Kharkiv villages it was used as a complement to the usual throat-based sound of the main voices.
Wedding songs were heard almost without pause—from the very start of preparations (baking the ceremonial bread) until the conclusion on the second day after the wedding. They were performed mostly by women (the bread-bakers, bridesmaids, and matchmakers), though at certain moments young male groomsmen also joined in.
| Audio | Title | Genre | Location | Durat. | Lyrics | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oh from behind the stone mountain | Wedding | Terny, Lubenskyi District | 02:07 |
Ой із-за гори кам'яної,
| ||
| Fly, falcon, far into the field | Wedding | Heniyivka, Zmiivskyi District | 03:42 |
Полети, соколе, далеко у поле,
| ||
| Don't hold me, mother | Wedding | Basove, Zolochivskyi District | 01:09 |
Ненько моя, та й не гай мене, Ненько моя, та й не гай мене, Тепер нічка та темненькая, Тепер нічка та темненькая, Будем їхать та й заблудимо, Ми поїдем та й заблудимо, | ||
| Oh, where large the yard is | Wedding | Klyushnykivka, Myrhorodskyi District | 03:23 |
Ой де великий двір, а маленький збір, Ой нема родини ні половини, Ой пошлю соловейка, пошлю маленького, Ой іще соловейко не долітає, Ой чого ж ти летиш, мій соловейко, Од твого дитяти, од сиротяти, | ||
| Моя ти душенько, молода Марійко | Wedding | Pysarivka, Zolochivskyi District | 00:22 | |||
| Віддала мене матуся моя | Wedding | Pysarivka, Zolochivskyi District | 03:36 |
Віддала мене матуся моя за далекиї гори, - двічі Та й заказала, заговорила, щоб сім год не ходила, - двічі Не ходила год, не ходила два, а на третій спочила, - двічі Ой як схватюся, перекинуся сивою зозулею, - двічі Та й сяду, впаду в батенька в саду на солодкій яблуні, - двічі Буду кувати, не промовляти, щоб не впізнала мати, - двічі Ой вийшла мати в сад воду брати, ще й зозулю слухати, - двічі Я й не зозуля, я й не лугова, я твоя домашняя, - двічі | ||
| I pity my father's yard | Wedding | Sofiivka, Kakhovskyi District | 01:17 |
Жалько ж мені батькового двору, Та тільки жи було б Лєночки ходити, Ой годи жи, доню, старому й малому, | ||
| Відчиняй, свате, хату | Wedding | Mariupol | 00:17 |
Приїзжають до двору, до женіха. Співають там: Відчиняй, свате, хату, | ||
| Ой по нашій вулиці роза цвіте | Wedding | Nekremenne, Oleksandrivka (Kramatorsk) district | 01:24 |
Раніше, коли дівчина виходила заміж, був такий дуже хороший звичай: старша дружка водила наречену, ходили із шишками, заходили у двір до родичів, до сусідів, кланялися, запрошували на весілля і давали шишку, а із-заді чоловік десять ішло дівчат, дружки, які співали пісні. Ось ми зараз їх проспіваєм. Ой по нашій вулиці роза цвіте, | ||
| Ой ішли же дружечки рядочком | Wedding | Nekremenne, Oleksandrivka (Kramatorsk) district | 00:37 |
(Ой) ішли же дружечки рядочком, |
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