Wedding Tradition of Kosovo as documented by Eva zu Beck

If this does not convince you of how amazing the human race is, not much else will. A testament to the creative talents that are embedded within every soul on this planet - if we would just take time to look. Only then, will we truly appreciate and acknowledge that we all have the DNA of a greater being and we “have been fearfully and wonderfully made”, King David from Psalm 139 OT. Instead of holding tightly to fear and prejudice, open your hearts to your neighbours near and far and be enriched by what they can offer you.

The richness of this beautiful tradition is a feast for the eyes with it sumptuous textiles and symbolic elaborate face painting. A peek through a window into the past and hopefully the next generation will be inspired to continue into the future. Thank you Eva zu Beck for this story.

What do the lines and symbols on the painted bride represent?

This tradition is from the Gorani tribe of southern Kosovo. The bride's face gets the ivory treatment and is painted with a base layer of white cream face paint, and then set with powder. From there, a straight wire is dipped in gold and pressed into the makeup, providing the angular lines which represent the "golden roads" of life. They lead to the three circles, which represent three different stages in life; meanwhile, the red and blue dots serve as symbols of fertility. Once her face painting is completed, the bride is dressed in elaborate ceremonial clothing, and joins her family to meet her husband-to-be, on what is the first of three days of wedding celebrations for the happy couple.