Loaves of bread. Trunks full of belongings. Bows to the family. And no ring.
To some, it may seem like a random list of things, but for the Doukhobor’s who settled Saskatchewan near the end of the 19th Century, it’s all part of a traditional wedding.
Guests had a chance to witness a re-enactment of the traditional ceremony at the Doukhobor Dugout House National Historic Site near Blaine Lake on July 4. Site founder Brenda Cheveldayoff said they wanted to showcase a unique piece of Doukhobor culture.
“Most people go to a wedding and it’s typically the same,” Cheveldayoff said. “We wanted to show people that it’s the bride and the groom (and) their families that actually do the marrying and there is no ring. You didn’t need that as a symbol.”
The cast had some fun with that tradition, building a storyline into the enactment about the groom searching for a ring he doesn’t actually need. However, Cheveldayoff said the ring, or lack thereof, is just one of many differences between the traditional Doukhobor wedding and modern ceremonies.
“All of it,” she said with a laugh when asked about what differences stand out. “(Today) you’re not going to have a full trunk sitting there of stuff that I’m going to haul to my new house…. There were no rings exchanged. The parents bring the loaves of bread…. That’s their welcoming you to the family. They’re the ones who do the blessing so they each say something to the bride and the groom, then we just bow to them.”
Cast members Alexander Kalesnikoff, Evelyn Nixey, Jeanette Stringer, and Stella Pronkiewicz pose for a photo following the re-enactment on July 4.
Cheveldayoff said the ceremony is about more than just fun, however. She said most people know very little about the Doukhobor’s, a pacifist group that arrived on the Canadian prairies after escaping persecution in Czarist Russia.
She said the few who do know about Doukhobor history only know bits and pieces, like the relatively small number of Doukhobor’s who made up the Sons of Freedom. Cheveldayoff said she wanted people to experience the positive side of Doukhobor culture, while also having the freedom to ask questions about this history.
“You had the Sons of Freedom sect, which is 179 people out of 7,600. That’s what they remember, not the rest who didn’t get involved in that,” Cheveldayoff explained. “Having the place open gives people (a chance) to ask those questions. They’re curious and they get to learn all about it.”
Doukhobor Dugout House National Site founder Brenda Cheveldayoff (left) played the bride during the July 4 re-enactment, while Pete Berg (right) played the groom.
The July 4 re-enactment also served as a celebration. The National Historic Site recently opened its new Ellianna Guesthouse, which was developed in partnership with Tourism Saskatchewan. The house is named in honour of Cheveldayoff’s granddaughter and great-grandfather, who arrived in the area with no parents at age 11.
“I wanted the past to be with the future, and what a perfect thing to do with the family,” she explained. “Tourism Saskatchewan dollars made it happen.”
The site also celebrated a major award win, after receiving a 2026 Lieutenant Governor’s Heritage Award on June 24. The Dugout House site was recognized for its Heritage Conservation and Safeguarding.
Cheveldayoff said she was shocked to receive the award, but also extremely happy to get provincial recognition.
“(It) represents the heritage and cultural landscape of Saskatchewan,” she said. “This is Saskatchewan’s place. It’s not just a structure or something. It’s everything: the stories, the food, everything, so to be recognized by the province to see that it’s important, I thought that that was special.”
The Doukhobor Dugout House National Historic Site is located southeast of Blaine Lake.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
