Two-time Olympic champion Olga Kharlan spoke about how her upcoming wedding to Italian Luigi Samele will affect the traditions in their family. Despite the fact that her fiancé comes from a large Italian family, Ukrainian traditions remain an important part of the athlete's life. Olga emphasized that even during the wedding ceremony, there will be no abandonment of the customs that she has honored since childhood.
Harlan admitted that although her fiancé Luigi has a large family — 15 cousins — she is not going to give up Ukrainian traditions. She noted that she will support them even after the wedding, despite the different customs in the Samele family. For example, their family has a tradition of getting together and reading poems at Christmas, and Olga actively participated in this process, even reading in Ukrainian. However, with a laugh, she recalled how at first it aroused admiration, and then he began to doubt whether it was worth continuing.
"When we get married, Ukrainian traditions will definitely be there. I think this is their territory, but sorry, Ukrainian traditions must be there," the athlete said.
There was also humor in issues where the traditions of the two cultures do not always coincide. Olga mentioned one interesting situation: in Ukraine there is a tradition according to which the bride must wash the feet of her mother-in-law, which caused considerable surprise in her fiancé. Luigi categorically refused to support this practice, although the moment itself became a reason for laughter in the couple.
Another moment that Harlan recalled with a smile was her attempts to surprise Italians with Ukrainian cuisine. In particular, she prepared cabbage rolls, which delighted her fiancé and his family. Borscht became a topic of jokes: although Luigi was not a big fan of soups at first, he managed to fall in love with Ukrainian borscht after Olga insisted that he try it during a trip to Mykolaiv.
“I don’t think Gigi really likes borscht either. But when he was in Mykolaiv, my mother made a three-liter pot of borscht. I told him, ‘Please eat it, it’s very important.’ And he liked it,” Harlan concluded.
