Koravian Courting

[LuxyLucy 691]

Spoiler

 

 

ISSUED BY THE COUNTY OF JEROVITZ

c. [571] E.S.

 

 

 

Courting is a staple of human life, a mainstay as most men and women will eventually find themselves seeking a life partner to marry and raise a family alongside. As with all cultures, the Koravian culture has its own traditions and quirks when considering the progress from intending to court to a lawfully wedded couple. 

 

Throughout this informative missive, we shall elucidate the various cultural traditions and rituals associated with a blossoming and developing relationship. From gaining permission to court one another, to the special dance that a newly wedded couple will do as their first dance together, the Koravian courtship culture is a strong one that places great importance on the bond between two people as they seek to marry.

 

 

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A Koravian woman after having her courtship braid woven

 

The true beginning of a relationship is the beginning of the Courtship, while some may get to know one another prior with the odd meeting to discuss various matters, courtship is the start that the Koravian people recognize. Courtship is rather strict, following all protocols of the canonist faith, prohibiting any premarital affections between two people to ensure the sanctity of the marital institution is upheld. Should this not be seen to be the case by the head of the Koravian house, the courtship shall be terminated.

 

After seeking the approval of the woman’s head of house, the man shall make an item out of bull leather for the lady he is courting. This act is known as the Bond of Bulls/ve svyiez i bykin, a well-known and much beloved aspect of the Koravian courting culture. Most often this will be a decorative leather belt, however it can be a variety of things, so long as it is made by the man himself especially for the lady. The acceptance of this gift seals their bond and cements their courtship together, ensuring that they are considered bound in a union that may only be broken by the returning of the leather item. Upon the acceptance the leather gift shall be blessed by a local priest, so that the courtship is similarly bound by faith.

 

The day after the gift is blessed and accepted by the woman, she shall be taken aside by the women of her family where they shall weave a braid into her hair. The braid may be as large and as elaborate as the family wishes to make it; however, it cannot be removed from her head whatsoever. To remove the braid prior to marriage would mean that the courtship or engagement is cancelled as the braid is considered to be symbolic of their bond together. Upon their marriage taking place, the braid will be cut out of the hair by the man and tossed into the fire, symbolizing a rebirth of the two as they become a happily married couple.

 

 

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A Koravian woman picking the flowers planted by her and her fiancé

 

A betrothal is of great importance to two families and the couple to be wed, and as such it is treated with delicate respect. Once both families approve of the union, they shall often come together in order to have a feast with one another, symbolizing that the two families are soon to become united through the nuptials of their kin. They shall break bread and drink together, getting to know and understand one another and their familial ways so as to respect them correctly.

 

Once betrothed to one another, the couple shall search for fertile land at the home they shall share upon their wedding. There they shall plant a lot of flowers with two different kinds, each symbolizing their favored flower or one that is considered their familial flower. The flowers must bloom before their decided wedding date, and failure for such to occur foretells a poor union where they will not grow together as one. Once bloomed they shall harvest the flowers, some for the wedding and decoration, but a handful of both for their petals. These petals shall be tossed onto water, being watched for how they interact, it is the hope of that the petals shall float together for it signifies a strong relationship that shall only grow stronger.

 

All relationships be them friendships, courtships or simple colleagues, should always be founded upon a basis of the utmost truth and honesty between all sides. A marriage, being the strongest relationship two can engage in, must always be founded on this basis, and as such the Koravian culture seeks to eliminate any secrets that the two may have between one another. The week before the wedding is to take place, the couple will sit down together with a bottle of vintage wine and delineate any secrets that they may have, whether related to one another or not. Only once all secrets have been told, and the two find themselves with a relationship founded on nothing but purest honesty, may they drink from the bottle of vintage wine together. However, should they fail to achieve this, or the secrets be considered a betrayal, the bottle shall be smashed, alerting any nearby of the ending relationship, 

 

 

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A newly married Koravian couple performing the Polka dance

 

The day of a Koravian couple’s wedding is a momentous and beautiful occasion of which must be celebrated accordingly. The first thing anyone would notice about a Koravian wedding would be the several bouquets of flowers along the aisle of the church, made of the two flowers grown by the soon to be wedded couple. The intertwining of their stems and being wrapped together in a tight bow is done to show the interwoven fate and bond between the two people as they find themselves wedded.

 

In ancient Koravian society, a couple would find it very hard to seek a priest for their wedding should they be peasantry, as such they would seek a local official, who would witness their vows and the rites that take place and then send a letter to the closest priest so he may bless their union. In contemporary culture, this is no longer done, however it has translated to a tradition that the family engages in, where a family member, chosen by both, will aid the couple in planning the wedding. While this is no longer done for convenience, it is practiced as a way to bring the family into the tradition and to show that the family is accepting of their new family member. 

 

Once the wedding has been completed and the two joined together in holy matrimony, the wedding party shall congregate together for the reception. A bonfire would be constructed of the branches of a Linden tree in the middle and lit so that it will be a raging fire for all to see. As bards begin to play, the couple shall engage in the traditional Polka dance, a lively and fast dance, which they shall perform around the burning fire for their family and friends to witness. The superstition is that a strong and well performed dance will show them to be a powerful and well-matched couple, however, should sparks come to harm the man’s wife, the man is suspected to be a poor protector to her.

 

 

 

 

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HER LADYSHIP, PRIMROSE EMELYA KORTREVICH,

The “Rose” of Kortrevich

 

JIRI BEDRICH NOVAK

 

[HIGH_FIRE 5490]

Jiri smiled warmly as the missive he had worked on with Primrose finally came to light, hopefully their studies into the Koravian traditions would receive a great amount of traction and more would engage in said traditions!