A Moldovan Wedding

5/12/2012: Moldovan Wedding

               Today I went to a wedding. It was basically just the reception part. I guess only a small group of people go to the ceremony at the church. We left the house at about 7:30pm and walked to the bar where it took place. Even though we arrived at 8:00, we were some of the first people there. Most people arrived later, with some arriving after 10pm. While we waited for other guests to arrive, we danced. Most of the dancing involved a moving circle. One of the dances we did is the hora.
               After the rest of the guests arrived, we went inside to have some food at around 12pm. I though it was the main part of the meal, but it was actually just the appetizer. We ate for a bit, and while we were eating, some of the guests chanted for the bride and groom to kiss. The guests then counted how long the couple kissed for. They did this a few times. After some eating, people went back outside to dance. One of the dances they did is called the penguin Dance. There was about an hour of dancing between the appetizer and the hot food. The hot food consisted of Moldovan sarmale (rice inside a cabbage leaf), and blini. Blini are kind of like crepes, but thicker. These ones were filled with sweet brinza (a type of fresh, soft cheese).
               We ate for a while and then people started giving gifts to the bride and groom. One group of people gave the couple a new flat screen TV. Before they gave it to them, they danced around with it. People danced with the other gifts they were giving too. Then, people toasted and gave the couple money. The amounts ranged from 1,000 dollars to 100 dollars. People gave both euros and dollars. After the people who wanted to say something gave their money, the wedding party went around with a white floral basket and collected money from each of the tables. It reminded me a little of collection at a church. This took place at about 2:30am. After the money was done being given and the toasting was over, the three of us (my host mother, my host sister, and myself) went home (at around 3am). Apparently the dancing usually continues until 6am. All of us were too tired to stay until then however. Overall it was an interesting experience. It wasn't that much different than a reception in the US, although the length and timing certainly was.