Nešto staro, nešto novo, nešto pozajmljeno, nešto plavo..
U sred planina, na oko sat vremena vožnje od Arilja, našli smo se natrag u XIII veku okruženi tradicionalnom odećom, pesmama i igrama. Za razliku od gradova i drugih sela u Srbiji, gde se moderni uplivi postavljaju za standarde i gde ljudi gube dodir sa svojim korenima i običajima, seljaci u Brekovu se trude iz petnih žila da sačuvaju svoju tradiciju i običaje. Više nije uobičajeno da se na venčanjima nosi narodna nošnja i pevaju tradicionalne pesme na venčanjima, ali su se zato stanovnici Brekova potrudili da nam pokažu kako je nekad izgledalo srpsko venčanje.
Gosti mladoženje se okupljaju kod njegove kuće da bi potom krenuli da „ukradu“ mladu. Svatovi kreću u povorku ka mladinoj kući, usput pevajući stare pesme. Kada svatovi pristignu treba odraditi nekoliko zadataka – niko ne želi da pojednostavi ovaj dan mladencima. Prvo, mladoženja i njegovi gosti treba da pokažu da zaslužuju da uđu u avliju tako što će hicima iz puške oboriti jabuku koja je zakačena visoko na kapiji. Bez pogotka nema ulaska! Posle ovog zanimljivog prizora, mladoženja šalje jednog od svojih junoša, sve sa srpskom zastavom, na mladina vrata da pregovara sa mladinim rođacima oko njene cene. Zatim tradicija ustupa na trenutak mesto zvaničnoj ceremoniji venčanja koja prethodi crkvenom venčanju. Onda kreće zabavni deo gde Srbi, koji imaju toliko različitih običaja, kreću sa slavljem koje može potrajati veoma dugo. Iako mi se učinilo da su običaji na venčanju najviše namenjeni gostima i porodici, ispostavilo se sasvim obratno kada sam ugledala umorno lice mlade koja se namučila bacajući sito na krov mladoženjine kuće sve dok isto ne ostane gore, ili tradicionalno podizanje novorođenčeta tri puta. Lično mi je sve ovo bilo izuzetno zanimljivo, mada smatram da bi prisustvovanje srpskom venčanju moglo biti malo naporno za mene znajući koliko intezivno i dugo Srbi znaju da proslave venčanje.
Kao inostrani volonter koji se našao u Arilju, moram priznati da me je oduševilo gostoprimstvo na ovoj ceremoniji. Nismo mogli otići bez časova iz srpskih tradicionalnih igara, mnogo fotografija sa zabavnim starim ljudima, i naravno bezbroj čašica rakije. Prijateljski nastrojeni i sa puno žara, seljani su učinili sve da se osećamo dobrodošlo, tako da se u jednom trenutku izbrisala jezička barijera. Trubački orkestar pomešan sa horskim pevanjem napravio je takvu buku da je bilo kakva konverzacija bila nemoguća, ali zaista nikome nije ni bilo preterano stalo do priče. Mnogo se više pažnje posvetiolo piću i hrani, jer to ne bi ni bilo tradicionalno venčanje bez svadbarskog kupusa i pečenja. Poznato je da će Srbi učiniti sve za svoje goste, čak i više od toga ako je moguće. Zaista sam počastvovana što sam imala priliku da prisustvujem svemu ovome.
Ali da skratim, Srpsko venčanje je neopisivo, jednostavno morate prisustvovati nečemu takvom da bi potpuno razumeli sve. To je nešto zaista nezaboravno!
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…
In the middle of mountains, about one hour ride from Arilje, we found ourselves back in 13th century surrounded by traditional clothes, songs and dances. Unlike cities or other villages in Serbia, where contemporary waves are taking over and people are loosing touch with their old customs villagers of Brekovo are doing their best to keep traditions alive. It is not common any more to wear national clothes and sing traditional songs in weddings, but they came together to show us how a real one is performed.
Friends of the groom gathered in front of his house to start the tradition on stealing the bride. From there they began to walk together to bride’s house singing old songs in a meanwhile. Once arrived, several tasks had to be fulfilled- nobody wanted to make it too simple for the couple. First the groom had to show him being worthy enough by letting his friends do all the hard work and shoot an apple which was hanged on a gate in front of a bride’s house. No hits, no entrance! After an excellent performance he had a right to send a strong young hunk, who would carry a Serbian flag into the bride’s yard to negotiate with a supporter of a maiden over her price. Traditions could wait for a while now until the marriage was legalized what was followed by unofficial church ceremony. Now starts the fun part when Serbians, who have so many ideas how to make different obligations for the new couple, pick up some of them or if they have enough time and energy make them fulfill them all. That is the reason why traditional Serbian wedding can last up to 3-4 days.Though it seemed to me that the traditions are more for the guests and family, for seeing brides exhausted face after her throwing a strainer so many times on top of the roof till it finally decided to stay put, turning a newborn three times on her lap around etc. Personally I find it a fun though hard job to attend a wedding here, especially when one lasts as long as they sometimes do. I can imagine that taking a day or two off to regain the energy is a necessity.
As foreigners who were volunteering in Arilje it was overwhelming how we were welcomed into the wedding. We couldn’t get away without dancing lessons, taking pictures with a local old funny man and lots of shots of rakija. People so friendly and full of passion trying to make us feel like home and part of the group, that even the language barrier didn’t make any difference. Fanfare so loud mixed with voices of choirs made almost any conversation impossible but of course nobody really cared about talking, much more effort was put on drinking and eating because that wouldn’t be a real wedding without traditional dish made out of pork and cabbage cooked in a cattle. It is known that Serbians want to give everything for their guests and if it’s possible they’d give even more. I am honored for the opportunity I was given to be part of it. But to make it short, Serbian wedding is indescribable, one just has to attend it to fully understand the experience. It is something absolutely unforgettable!
Međunarodni volonterski kamp Svet u Arilje, Arilje u Svet.
foto: Igor Markov
Serbian