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A Polish wedding is not simply a one day affair. It is a full-out celebration consisting of three full days of binge eating, drinking, and dancing. The fun begins with the Polterabend: a Polish/German custom (side note history lesson: our part of Poland was under German/Prussian occupation for close to 300 years before WWI) where anyone from the community that wants to come and wish the soon-to-be-married couple well is invited to bring a collection of bottles and jars and smash the glass on the porch of the bride’s house. Traditionally, the bride and groom were supposed to clean the glass up themselves to prove that they would work together on the household chores. The people “testing” them could only be persuaded to stop throwing glass if the groom persuaded them with enough wodka.
***All pictures below are personal shots taken by Mr. P or me at my cousin’s Polterabend in Poland.
In the modern version of the Polterabend, some things have changed:
The glass is now thrown into a self made bin for easy clean up (The sign says “Wishing You Luck”).
And some things haven’t changed at all:
There is still a lot of wodka 
If you ever go to a Polterabend, you can also expect a lot of food:
My aunt and me with a tub of freshly made kielbasa on the morning of the party
And, in true Polish fashion, someone is bound to whip out an accordion and play a polka or two:
Mr. Pudding and I will be having our own version of the Polterabend, although it will be more symbolic than authentic.
Has anyone out there been to one of these celebrations? Does your culture have any pre-wedding traditions?
Awesome! I’m of German-Jewish descent and I’m having a Polterabend the night before the rehearsal dinner, it should be a really fun evening!
Can I just say, I LOVE all your Polish wedding traditions! They’re all so meaningful, memorable, and often poignant!!! This one looks particularly fun!
wow, look at that kielbasa! and homemade? just tell me when and where and i’ll show up.
Man, you guys have the best traditions! Alcohol and food, yes please! (but maybe not so much on the cleaning glasses 
)
Our friends had a full on polterabend here in the city - it was awesome!
that pretty much qualifies as the coolest thing ever!! our culture(being from the south) is just to invite everyone you know and have a bbq.. and bbq we will, probably the entire week before the wedding i’m sure i will be at my parents for my dad’s delicious cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
This one is super crazy! Good thing the box has come into style, or you could be in for one horrendous clean-up!
I would love to do that but my condo association doesn’t look too fondly on the whole broken glass thing, I have wanted it do that since I was little have fun with it. I hope to see pictures of your mess. The hope is that if the bride and groom have to clean it there will never be another dish thrown in the house.
I also want to do the kidnaping of the bride but I don’t think we have enough time. My big problem is that we have all Philippine customs as my fh was born in manila, and my to be mother in law is having a hard time accepting that I have a separate cultural background too. Just because I am white doesn’t mean that we all have the same ethnic background. I hope they have fun and will understand during the wedding that I am just as rooted in my culture even though I wasn’t born in Germany, just as my Future Husband is. I am just waiting for our children to only identify themselves as asian, that will be an exciting day.
We’re also planning a symbolic polterabend (in the German tradition for FI) the night before the rehersal dinner. I like the idea of a self made box for the smashing to avoid the clean-up. I’ll have to see if FI’s mom will support that one since she is our voice of experience on this tradition. I would love to go to one in Germany but most of the weddings I have attended involved traveling and the polterabend was a week before the wedding in order to give the B&G time to sober up.
I have been to many a Polterabend in Germany -
Here the tradition is that everyone stands in a circle, and before they throw their object, they wish the couple something for their future.
They then throw their object into the middle of the circle, let it smash on the ground and the future bride and groom are supposed to sweep it up at the end together.
The sweeping together part was the nicest part after the wishes - it is supposed to symbolize partnership and cooperation.
Then we had a big party with food and drink 
Have fun!
I like the symbolism behind the polterabend! For a Chinese wedding, we have door games/tests the groom must overcome given by the bridesmaids pre-ceremony.
3 days of drinking and eating? invite, please? thanks for sharing! always love the insight into different traditions.
i love the symbolism too!! the symbolisms for all those traditions are wonderful.
[...] is all here, sans some missing baggage. The rehearsal dinner has come and gone, and my makeshift polterabend was such a big hit (who new that breaking a beer bottle on the eve before your wedding could be so [...]
[...] make matters worse, my eating habits were pretty much just as dismal during our polterabend/rehearsal dinner, and our Sunday Poprawiny. That means that I spent a whole three days [...]
[...] next, our Polterabend - less drama, more glass [...]
[...] aliiiive. (And Mr. Funnel Cake is too!) We both survived our Polterabends none the worse for wear. Sadly, I was having too much of a good time trying to understand [...]
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Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/Vermont Age and Occupation: 26, High School Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer Engineer Engagement Date: August 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall Reception About Me: Quite literally a citizen of the world, I was born in Poland, grew up in Canada, and now live in the beautiful state of Vermont. I love reading historical biographies, multi-tasking, teasing my hair, and, despite my height, wearing high heeled shoes. I am the ultimate klutz with an uncanny ability to put on a graceful front. Mr. Pudding and I have been dating for over six years, and are very excited to finally merge our (very large) families. We are planning a traditional Polish-Catholic wedding that is anything but predictable.
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