Redovy Dance

The dance is perceived as a gesture from the newlywed couple to pay their respects to the guests and is meant as a thank you for their attendance. Usually it starts with an act called “cepcenie,” meaning “putting on a bonnet”. The bride enters the room and her girlfriends or young women hired specifically for this occasion carefully put a bonnet or a headscarf on her head while singing folk songs. This symbolizes the passage from being a bride to becoming a married woman.

After that the bride dancesthe  “redovy” folk dance with each guest; in some regions of Slovakia both the bride and the groom participate in the redovy and dance with guests.

In both cases after a guest dances with the bride, or bride and groom, which usually takes a couple of minutes, they will then proceed to a stand where the mother of the bride or groom (or nowadays another person assigned with this task) awaits and awards the guest with some sweets, trinkets or a small gift to remember this day by. Each guest then donates a small amount of money, typically around 10 – 20 euro, to the newlyweds. This sum is separate from the wedding day gift, and historically was intended for the young couple to build their own home and start a new life together.

The dance also helped to build a sense of community as everybody pitched in and welcome the young couple into their marriage.

The dance itself usually lasts about an hour depending on the number of people who want to participate. If the bride dances redovy dance without the groom, the groom will try to steal the last dance, marking the end of the ceremony.

In the past, redovy dance would be performed on the first day after the wedding ceremony to celebrate the bride. At that time, weddings used to go on for three or four days. “Due to weddings becoming shorter in 20th century the redovy ceremony blended with the tradition of replacing the veil with a bonnet and eventually took place at the end of the day around midnight,” according to Ústredie ľudovej umeleckej výroby, the Slovak folk art and craft organization.

The practice remains popular, and the practice of wearing traditional dress has been revived after being abandoned in the Communist era. Like many forms of generosity, the redovy blends concern for material welfare with a celebration and strengthening of community and ethnic identity.

Contributor: Veronika Soltinska