Baltic Brides
The Baltic States comprise of three countries – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. The men and women of these countries have light skin; they value the importance of work and regard untidiness and laziness as vices. The Baltic women, because of these virtues, and because of their beautiful skin and elegance, make for charming, beautiful and esteemed Baltic brides.
Cultural traits of the Baltic women
Baltic women value relationships and do not treat them casually. They place a lot of importance in their own care and preservation and believe in the work ethic. Of course, like other women of the world, they too desire equality and solidarity, but most of them do compromise depending on the ground realities. They also manage anxiety efficiently and handle crisis situations in a creative manner.
The biggest problem with a Baltic Bride is that of communication – most Baltic women do not understand English. So, the language barrier is a problem a non-Baltic groom has to overcome if he decides to marry a Baltic woman. The second problem is that of culture shock – Baltic women can freak out when they see the free lifestyles in America, Europe and other developed nations.
A typical Baltic wedding
Every country and every region within a country follows a set of wedding traditions and the Baltic countries are no exception. A Baltic bachelor first makes discreet inquiries about a Baltic woman he is interested to marry, and checks to see if she will reject him when he proposes. The research is carried out by the bachelor's friends and relatives; if the bachelor finds out that the woman will say "Yes" to his proposal, then he has to first approach the woman's father and ask his permission for his daughter's hand in marriage. If the father agrees and the woman has not yet changed her mind, then the wedding process begins.
The first step in a Baltic wedding process is to publish the marriage proposal at the church where the wedding will be held and the vows exchanged. During the engagement period – which can last up to six months – a bride-to-be often parks herself in her to-be-groom's home and helps out his mother with the cooking and housework. During this period the groom's family has a chance to judge if their Baltic bride-to-be will make a good wife for their son and the bride-to-be also gets a chance to check out her to-be-in-laws.
An important ritual in all Baltic weddings is the exchanging of rings and silk scarves. It is important to note that according to Baltic wedding tradition, the newly wed couple will not get, and neither should they expect, any kind of dowry, assistance or inheritance from the bride's side.
During the wedding, the bride decks herself out in a white dress and a veil – in some cases, the bride even sports a silver crown! Also, during the wedding the couple is seated and the bridesmaids hold up a red or white canopy above the couple's heads. Once the vows are exchanged, the couple kisses and brings to a close the wedding ceremony.
Once the wedding ceremony is over, the feast begins. There is dancing, music, eating and a whole lot of merry-making. And then it's time for the groom and his Baltic bride to come back down to earth and face life.
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