We have a couple of "nieces" in our extended family who are getting married this year. It's time to expose them to this old Polish custom so that their bridegrooms remember to stash a few bottles of vodka in the trunk to use as "bribes". Ranson may be a more accurate word because you can only bribe people in authority, not those who merely pretend to be. For those of us who have manned the "gate", we like to think of it as a "toll".
The Wedding Gate will suddenly appear in the road ahead of the wedding procession, obstructing its way until the groom provides a few bottles of vodka. The groom should not offer money, because everyone will then know that he is just a crass American. Nor should the groom be cheap and think he can get away with offering just a single bottle of vodka. The Wedding Gate is a theatrical production requiring a lot of careful planning on the part of several people.
And the groom should not scrimp when it comes to the brand. American vodkas are bland, tasteless and inexpensive. They just won't do. Only authentic wodka will do.
BRAMA WESELNA!
| Fire Department |
| Counter Terrorists |
| Road Workers |
| Sun Bathers |
| Washing the Car |
| Splish Splash, Taking a Bath |
| Old Man in Street |
| Gone Fishing |
Dennis Benarz & Karen Wisniewski USA 2012