Traditional and Contemporary Wedding Customs in Montenegro: Values and Identity Changes

Abstract

The article highlights the importance of rituals as significant elements of cultural identity. Among a variety of rituals in Montenegrin society and culture, we focus here on the ritual practices related to the organization of the wedding ceremony, including all its following phases and rituals. To comprehensively approach the relevance of wedding rituals and examine their meaning, we have compared traditional (patriarchal) and modern wedding practices, analyzing the value orientation that permeates traditional practices at different levels of social and cultural transformations. Two ethnographic sketches illustrate traditional and contemporary wedding rituals.