The 2010 Winter Games are now officially completed. All the medals have been handed out and the flag has been passed to the new holders preparing for the 2014 Olympic Games. Sochi, Russia now bares the flag to be flown over the upcoming games. Years of preparation are now in motion for this Russian city to answer the expectations of the world and stage a truly innovative Games that showcase modern Russia, leaving a lasting legacy for sport and society.

So in honor of the Winter Games of 2014, I decided to dedicated today’s tradition exploration to center in the cultural root of Russian wedding. While we will certainly be coming back to the “innovative” side of modern Russia in an upcoming feature this week, let’s take a look back at some wedding day delights.

A traditional Russian wedding spans multiple days, normally 2, but can be spread out into more. Similar to a civil ceremony here in the West, Russian couples are required to conduct a civil ceremony at the ZAGS—department of registration of civil statuses, that is also responsible for registrations of births and deaths, divorces etc—to ensure the legality of their wedding, regardless of religious ceremony.

There are, of course, many traditions we can discuss, but I want to focus today on just one delightful tradition during the reception—don’t worry, others will make their way into the list in the future. Food and drink are a large part of a Russian wedding. It is said a Russian Wedding is an event where everybody must be drunk. No one will be surprised if people drink themselves to unconsciousness at the wedding – and many do. Having plenty of food is typical for any Russian function, and a wedding is no exception. If you have enough liquor and food, the wedding is basically ready.

Of course, we are custom here to plenty of food and drinks at our affairs, and paired with drinks are well written toasts (well at least a few, and a bunch of spontaneous ones). Unlike the simple toasts conducted in the West, by the best man, maid of honor, parents and perhaps the bride and groom, toasts at a Russian wedding are conducted by practically every guest. The night is orchestrated by the witnesses, as traditionally there is no best man or maid of honor. The witnesses continue running the reception, reading jokes and poems, and sometimes ask the new couple questions to make fun of them; eventually announce the toast itself: “Za molodykh!” (“For the newlywed!”). Witnesses encourage each guest to say the next toast, usually according to seating. A small lull of 5-10 minutes is permitted between toasts to allow guest to eat and talk and then the next guest gets up and says the toast.

While each guest offers their wishes to the new couple, the first toast is the most important and sets the tone for the one’s to follow. Here, we’ve arrived at the most popular and prominent Russian wedding tradition. For the first toast people usually drink Champagne, and after the first sip somebody says “Gor’ko!” (“Bitter!”); it means the vine is bitter. All guests together start to shout “Gor’ko! Gor’ko!” To make the vine sweet, the newlywed couple must kiss each other. They must stand up and kiss each other for as long as possible, and all the guests start counting “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” while they are kissing. If the kiss does not satisfy the guest expectation, they can insist that the vine is still bitter, and request another kiss. This happens after almost every following toast, so the couple has lots of kissing during the wedding.

Western brides beware; I think it bitter wine might join the ranks of bells, clinking glasses and cheesy love songs! Pucker up to your new hubby for this new kissing trend! “Gor’ko, gor’ko, gor’ko!”