Kristaps and Kristīne made the main goal of their wedding not to highlight it, but to fulfill it. And they filled them thoroughly with Latvian - traditions, clothing, various elements and even brooches instead of rings. As the national holiday approaches, we present Kristine and Kristaps' story about what is most important in a Latvian wedding.

Brooches instead of rings

Kristaps Auzāns admits that he and his wife Kristini understood from the very beginning that they wanted the wedding to be "real". However, the puffy princess dresses, white limousines and pink girls brushing rose flowers seen in Hollywood movies - it was definitely not "real" for them.

"We were convinced of the correctness of our choice when we challenged the lady of the registry office. We organized the official wedding in Bauska Palace and had prepared brooches for it, not rings. The lady of the registry office was shocked and said: "What, but I have prepared a text that there is an old tradition where two people tie their destinies in a ring...

"We didn't want her to speak the same text at our wedding that hundreds of other couples have already said, so she had to push herself, learn and do something new," recalls Kristaps.

"We wanted the wedding to be deep and emotional, therefore we looked for emotions in our roots - Latvianness. It was important for us that the wedding should have content, that traditions and ceremonies should have meaning, not just because someone has seen them in a movie, found them on the Internet or experienced them at other weddings," says Kristaps.

Latvian culture does not mean forcing someone

"Our ushers were my godparents, who come from a very Latvian family. They participate in folklore together and practice real Latvian bathhouse traditions on a daily basis. Talking with the ushers, we discussed a lot about how much the guests should participate in the wedding process. Should we ask everyone to come with folk elements, or ask them to learn Latvian songs... However, Latvian culture is not about coercion, it never was and hardly ever will be, that's why we simply informed the guests that there would be Latvian elements at our wedding and asked them to come in beige-linen tones," says Kristaps, remembering that initially everything at their wedding seemed like a game to the guests, but each subsequent ritual and activity created a deeper feeling.

"At the moment when we were holding hands in my father's house and waiting to be married, almost everyone shed a tear of emotion," says Kristaps.

However, the biggest challenge for Kristaps and Kristine's guests was definitely that the wedding started already at 11.00 in the morning, but the feast was served only in the evening. In addition, it is not customary to indulge in alcohol at Latvian weddings, so the guests could actively move around in Latvian dances.

Magical feeling during alignment and mixing

Kristaps and Kristīne celebrated their Latvian wedding two years ago, but still remember every detail today, because their wedding was a unified process. However, some moments are more memorable than others.

1. "The first such moment was during the alignment at my father's house, where before we put on the wedding rings, I had the task of showing the bride to the ancestral spirits. The guests formed a circle around us. The evil spirits were chased away with a sword, and I had to lead the bride around the fire and find the spirits. It was a magical feeling, especially since the flames kept changing and reflected on us, the wedding guests, in the frame sang Latvian songs and we both walked around the fire and cleaned our souls
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2. The second moment was during the marching (mixing). The distribution was a long, well-thought-out and fulfilling process, we each had our own tasks. I had to light a fire, remove my wife's wreath with gloves, and then the wife, together with the hostess, let this wreath along the belt of Lielvārde and started swinging. Apkārt gāja jaunas meitas un dziedāja. It was a very beautiful and emotional moment, which made everyone get involved again - it should be added that by this time almost all of the new daughters have managed to get married, and some even have new children," Kristaps remembers the most emotional moments of the wedding.

“However, there is no single tradition that is the most beautiful or the most important. In Latvian weddings, the process and its integrity are essential. My godfather used to say that Latvians had to live in the restored Republic of Latvia for 25 years before they finally understood that they were Latvians. The most beautiful thing about Latvian weddings is that they are real and about us," Kristaps is confident.

PHOTO: LINDA ARĀJA