AboutSam Expertise I can answer questions about the country`s history, culture, politics, economy, geography. I speak fluent Slovak. If you are planning a visit, I can recommend the places to see - especially the nature in Slovakia is worth it.
Experience I am a Slovak which makes me an expert in the language and culture. I am also a traveller so I know Slovakia quite well. I will do anything to find out the answer to your question.
Question QUESTION: I have a daughter getting married August 1st. I come from a Slovak family and still speak some broken Slovak. I would ask if you could send me a short Slovak blessing (with a translation) for the bride and groom that I could read to them during the ceremony. It would be greatly appreciated.
ANSWER: Hello Mariana,
unfortunately, we don't have the tradition of saying wedding prayers/blessings
in Slovak wedding ceremonies. (Shocking as it may seem.) But I'm sure we can
come up with something together.
Let's see the options:
1) We could translate an English wedding prayer to Slovak.
2) You could use a Bible passage. Two come to my mind immediately:
- the love poem of 1 Corinthians
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it
is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres.
- "time for everything" from Ecclesiastes; my sister picked this to be read
at her wedding, and it was very nice
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love (*) and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(*) the reading at my sister's wedding was cut here.
3) Of course some personal words from you, translated into Slovak.
4) Some common congratulation verses. There are many of these even online, but I
don't think any of them qualifies as a wedding prayer or a wedding blessing. You
can read some at http://vinse.webnode.sk/svadobne-vinse/
Many of them are useless. They are either too short and fragmental, or they are
things you would write on a card to the couple, but not read out to them. Some
of them are even kind of crude, being of folkish origin (talking about shutting
both mothers-in-law in a closet to achieve peace in the family, or warning the
husband-to-be about having to drink water now, spend money on his wife, and wash
diapers in the creek...).
But some of them are quite nice, and many of them rhyme, which is something that
even the non-Slovak speakers would pick up. Here are some examples:
Ako ty jemu, tak on tebe,
verní buďte v každej dobe,
jeden druhého si vážte,
stále s láskou žiť sa snažte.
Láska najväčší je dar,
buďte navždy šťastný pár!
You to him, him to you
Be faithful to each other at all times
Respect each other
Always try to live with love.
Love is the greatest gift
Be a happy couple forever
or
Keď budú svadobný pochod hrať,
čo viac vám na cestu môžem priať?
Nech šťastie je stále s vami.
A čo život nemôže vám dať,
to s láskou nahraďte si sami.
Vykročte dvaja, ako muž a žena.
Do daru si lásku dajte
a do sŕdc vpíšte svoje mená.
Prejde čas a prídu prvé vrásky
a vy v očiach svojich detí
nájdete nakrajší dar žijúcej lásky.
As they're playing the Wedding march
What can I wish to you on your journey?
May happiness always be with you
And what the life cannot give you
Make up for with your love
Step out in two, as husband and wife
Give each other love as a gift
And inscribe your names into your hearts.
Time will pass and first wrinkles will show
Then, in the eyes of your children
You will see the most beautiful gift of living love
So what do you think? Do you want to go with any of these options? Or should we
search on?
Sam
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Sam, thanks for your time and help. Here is what I have put together if you wouldn't mind once more....
Be good to each other and always be good to your self. Let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. (Part from Gibran)
thanks again...mariana
Answer Hello Mariana,
here is the translation. Except for the first sentence (which I did not find in
the book) the translation is taken from the Czech translation of The Prophet.
(Paraphrased in Slovak, of course.)
Buďte dobrí jeden k druhému a vždy buďte dobrí aj sami k sebe.
Nech je voľný priestor vo vašom spoločnom bytí
a vetry nebies nech tancujú medzi vami.
