The Boerebrulloft is the celebration of a traditional old fashioned Friesan wedding.
Each year the town canvases for a couple who would like to get married at the Boerebrulloft. It is a real wedding with the public invited to join the bridal party for a fee.
It is a big day with the wedding in the morning then in the afternoon, traditional bareback horse races and ring races in carriages pulled by beautiful Friesan Horses.
In the morning we were woken by the Town Crier telling everyone about the timetable for the day.
By 10.30 everyone was in town waiting. These fellows were friends of the Groom and were from his Archery club.
The bride and groom drove by in a carriage followed by about 10 other couples in carriages as part of the wedding group then we all folllowed to the park where the wedding was to be held.
We all assembled for the wedding with the bridal party on stage.
After the ceremony the party went for lunch and we went back to the boat waiting for the next part of the celebrations.
Bareback horse racing
The main street in town had been covered with sand for the race. The horse and riders paraded down the main street and then off they raced.
The Bride and groom were there on central stage to watch.
There were lots of heats so we went off shopping which was still going on in town behind the barriers.
Ringrijden
Next was the Ringrijden. This was a race by couples in horse and carriages. The idea being a race up the main street, with the female passenger seeing how many rings she could get onto the wooden spike she held, as the carriage passed the arm in the street which had a ring nestling in between fingers.
There were 8 arms placed along the street with the 5 carriages racing along one behind the other. The street was crowded and OHS rules were no where to be seen. People were sitting and standing right on the edge of the road.
The couple with the most rings after 10 circuits was the winner.
Soon it was time for tired feet to go home and have a beer after a good day.
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