# All Slavic languages: сватовство



## Encolpius

Hello, since it is not known in Western countries, I think, I used the Russian expression. It is (it was) a ceremonial processes before wedding when the bridegroom went to the bride's parents to ask the hand of the girl....What do/did you call that ceremony? Thanks

Russian сватовство
*Czech*: námluvy
*Slovak*: pytačky


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## vianie

Synonyms of the Slovak pytačky are vohľady and zálety.


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## Encolpius

vianie said:


> Synonyms of the Slovak pytačky are vohľady and zálety.



I don't think this means the ceremony.....


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## vianie

You understood it correctly.


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## Jeki

In Serbian it's called "provodadžisanje/проводаџисање", if I am not wrong about the ceremony.


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## Encolpius

Jeki said:


> In Serbian it's called "provodadžisanje/проводаџисање", if I am not wrong about the ceremony.



I think in BSC might be prosidba, proševina, prošnja, prozba.


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## VelikiMag

Encolpius said:


> I think in BSC might be *prosidba*, proševina, prošnja, prozba.


I use the word in bold. A groom is usually accompanied by one or more male relatives.


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## Duya

You're right Encolpius; _provodadžisanje_ is marriage or dating arrangement by a third party (such as elderly nuns aunts or common friends). I forgot the English translation... _matchmaking_.


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## Jeki

Encolpius said:


> I think in BSC might be prosidba, proševina, prošnja, prozba.



Yes, you're right. I had other ceremony in mind (as Duya said matchmaking).


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## marco_2

In Polish it was called *swatanie *or just *swaty*, in some regions there was also a word *dziewosłęby*.


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## Thomas1

In Polish also 'konkury'.


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## Encolpius

Thomas1 said:


> In Polish also 'konkury'.



Are you sure?  here I've found an interesting article.


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## Thomas1

I've just written a post, but it's all gone. Here's its recapitulation:
I might have only taken into account the broader meaning of the terms given by Marco. 'konkury' means 'courting', 'wooing' a woman and 'dziewosłęby', 'swaty' can be its synonyms. It doesn't, however, mean paying the visit to the fiancée's parents in order to ask them for her hand in marriage. It's a more general term.

A related word that we still use in Polish is 'zaręczyny' (engagement). Today, we don't have a 'swat', of course. 'Zrękowiny' is its obsolete synonym.

For what it's worth: 'dziewosłębiny' is a earlier form for 'dziewosłęby'.

Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the interesting article.


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