Wedding ceremonies in Rus'. Ancient wedding ceremonies
The Russian wedding originates in antiquity, combining both ancient Russian pagan rites and newer, Christian customs. At the crossroads of cultures, time-tested, wedding ceremonies in Rus' are known for their complexity and beauty. As a rule, the celebration was preceded by a long one.
From antiquity to our days, with love from distant ancestors
Preparation for the celebration
Matchmaking
As many people know, the tradition of a Russian wedding implies the beginning with the custom of matchmaking - the groom's relatives loudly, with songs and rich gifts, went to the bride's house, where the matchmakers told how good the future husband was and how rich his house was. It was believed that the bride and groom must necessarily correspond to each other in terms of financial situation.
Unequal marriages were extremely rare and were considered rather an exception, and therefore parents considered well-being and health to be an important quality when choosing a life partner for their child.
Smotriny
Next, the rite of the Russian wedding involves the bride - in fact the same as matchmaking, but a little later and exactly the opposite. Now the bride's relatives sought to show that the girl was quite good-looking and economical. At bridesmaids, towels or tablecloths embroidered by the bride by hand were often used as gifts - this was supposed to show the girl's talent for needlework.
If both parties were satisfied, an engagement was concluded and preparations for the celebration began. A wedding in Rus' was traditionally celebrated in autumn or winter - so, according to the Orthodox tradition, the new family was under the auspices of the Mother of God, which contributed to the well-being and health of future heirs.
Bachelor and bachelorette parties
The wedding ceremony in Rus' also included a bachelor and bachelorette party, which took place three days before the celebration. And the bachelorette party was not fun at all: the bride was supposed to cry. For this, the Russian wedding tradition suggested inviting all the girls of the village, relatives and friends, as well as a special guest - a vytnitsa, to the house. They (mourners) were very respected in the villages, and her presence at the bachelorette party was considered mandatory.
Vytnitsa - often an aged woman - started a sad song, "crying", and the bride was bound to cry. This is necessary to say goodbye to your carefree youth with tears. Even if the bride was not unhappy at all, and really wanted to get married, it was necessary to cry, and the voice of the vytnitsa created the right mood. This is not to say that “crying” is just a song.
A real vytnitsa, performing crying, often picked up words on the go, falling into a kind of trance, and all the women present eventually cried with her and the bride
The wedding ceremony in ancient Rus' further implied that the female part of the bride's family and her friends take the girl to the bathhouse, where all together, to the songs, wash her before the upcoming celebration. The groom by this time was also supposed to be in the bath, but the bachelor party was even less fun - the young man had to spend that night alone and in silence, so that:
- Think about future marriage.
- Become a husband from a boy.
- Prepare for the challenging role of the head of the family.
Bachelorette and stag parties remained in the modern tradition, but in a completely different quality
As before, the goal of the bachelor and bachelorette parties is to say goodbye to single life. But if earlier it was customary to see her off with tears, today young people prefer to last time"to take a walk"
young outfits
The ancient wedding customs of the Russian people also mention the attire of the young at the time of the celebration. And if the groom was supposed to look rich, but the bride was supposed to dress up in a dress that she herself sewed and embroidered. Depending on the wealth of the family, the dress could be embroidered with both colored thread and gold, and even pearls. The richer the family, the more jewelry on the bride's dress.
Walking in the whole village
Ransom or how they proved their prowess and strength
The wedding day began with a ransom - the groom with friends and relatives loudly, with songs, shouts and bells, came in a sleigh or wagon to the bride's house. The brighter the carts, the louder the procession, the better, everyone in the village should have known that today is a wedding.
In front of the bride's house, an "ambush" could await the groom - the brothers or other relatives of the bride could block the way to the house and demand a fare - "ransom".
At the very house of the bride, the groom again faced difficulties - he had to complete several tasks, prove his prowess and strength.
Such a demonstration initially had all the seriousness and practical value - rural life in Rus' was not simple, and only a man strong in body and spirit could adequately provide his future wife and children with everything necessary.
The patriarchal tradition adopted in Rus' can also be traced in wedding ceremonies. The man not only made decisions, but also took responsibility for his family, providing a truly "man's hand and shoulder" to his beloved keeper of the hearth and his heirs
Ancient wedding feast
Of course, in ancient Rus' it was impossible to simply order - the groom's family was responsible for the wedding feast. The wedding was supposed to be rich, the young family, especially his mother and sisters, took care of the table, decorated the house and waited for guests. According to tradition, all acquaintances, neighbors, friends and just passers-by were invited to the wedding - anyone could look at the celebration and pay respect to the young.
The wedding feast, according to Russian tradition, lasted three days, and all three days the young had to be present at the table. At the same time, they were not allowed to drink alcohol, they were allowed to eat at a minimum, and drink only water. Thus, parents contributed to the speedy appearance of grandchildren. On the second day of the wedding, the newlyweds were sent to a specially prepared "bed", where on the third day they let everyone in to show the bride's nightgown and prove her virtue and purity.
Gifts for newlyweds
It was customary to give gifts not only to the newlyweds, but also to their parents. Popular wedding gifts, as today, were household utensils, dishes, textiles ... as well as ceremonial items.
For example, at the wedding, the groom was often given a whip - as a warning to the bride, so that she "knew her place and did not argue with her husband." For the most part, such a thing, of course, had a symbolic meaning.
Since ancient times in Rus' it is customary to give young people things that could simplify their family life.
Modern Russian traditions
Today, young people can arrange a wedding feast as they see fit, and the old Russian wedding ceremonies are, rather, recommendatory in nature. In ancient times, their observance was strictly mandatory.
By the way, when planning a wedding feast, do not forget to pay attention to the little things:
- Choose from a varied menu.
- Take care of transportation for all guests.
- Do not forget about the spare bouquet and garter for the throw.
- Pick up for a wedding.
To observe the wedding traditions of ancient Rus' or to trust the trend of changeable fashion is a personal matter for each couple. It is only important to make sure that the main day remains in memory for a long time as the brightest and most joyful in the life of a young family.
Most of the current holiday traditions of our country have roots that go deep into the past. So it is with a wedding. All the most exciting and impressive: the proposal, the pre-wedding festivities and the marriage process itself - all these wedding customs have been inherited from our ancestors. And that's what makes the process work. What has been invented in our days, unfortunately, cannot boast of the brightness and unforgettableness of the event. And even sadder is the fact that not all the traditions of the ancestors have survived to this day.
How is it happening today?
In fact, what are modern Russian wedding ceremonies?
Let's outline briefly. A young man proposes to his chosen one, in most cases relegating events such as "ask the bride's parents for her hand" and "receiving a parent's blessing" into the background. And it happens that he does not resort to such actions at all.
After the bride accepts the groom's proposal, active calculations begin, how much this celebration will cost. An application is submitted to the registry office, which allows you to determine the exact date of the wedding. The bride, resorting to the help of her bridesmaids, chooses her wedding dress, jewelry and shoes. The responsible person, the toastmaster, is responsible for the wedding script itself. Usually she is not related to either the side of the groom or the side of the bride.
Immediately before the wedding, events such as stag and hen parties take place.
And finally, that day comes - the wedding. With or without a visit to the church, young people in their motorcade arrive at the doors of the registry office, where the main wedding ceremony takes place. And only after the signature of both parties, the marriage is considered valid.
How was it before?
Initially, there was no single Russian people, but only various tribes of pagans. Each of them had their own cultural customs. Naturally, the wedding ceremonies of these tribes differed from each other. Among the meadows there was a special reverence for marriage bonds. They welcomed harmony in the home and were anxious to create a new family in their community. What cannot be said, for example, about the Drevlyans. They were dominated by a barbaric attitude to this issue. Wedding rites and customs seemed alien to them. And for a man of such a tribe, it was not considered shameful to steal a girl he liked. Moreover, she could be both from a foreign tribe, and from her own.
Over time, the tribes converged and rallied. Thus, uniting their cultures into one single.
The pagan ancient wedding ceremony consisted of dancing near idols. So our ancestors revered their gods, thereby consolidating the marriage. The dances were accompanied by mass dousing with water, jumping over the fire and singing ritual songs.
Significant changes were brought with it by the baptism of Rus'. Thus, paganism and Christianity are closely intertwined. No matter how the church tried to eradicate manifestations of paganism, nothing came of it. To this day, elements of it are present in our traditions.
However, with the advent of Christianity, it became obligatory to go to church on the wedding day. Thus, marriage was considered sanctified. Otherwise, everything was as before - a feast that dragged on for up to seven days, dancing and sleigh rides.
What time was considered appropriate for the wedding?
As in our days, they tried to carry out ancient wedding ceremonies at a certain time of the year. Most often this was done in autumn and winter, since during this period there was no need to engage in agricultural work. In case of special need (for example, an unplanned pregnancy of the bride), the wedding was played in the spring or summer. But this was extremely rare.
Despite this, there were not so many days for the celebration. Wedding customs forbade weddings:
During fasting;
During Christmas time;
In Easter Week;
On Maslenitsa;
On Orthodox holidays.
It was also not customary to marry in May.
Religious and magical actions during the wedding
Wedding ceremonies in Rus' were famous for their superstition, which again is a considerable merit of paganism. And it was believed that the time of the wedding is the right moment for evil spirits. To protect the young from its effects, many rituals were performed. Thus, the newlyweds were protected from the evil influence of spirits, as well as from damage and the evil eye.
Witnesses, who were the friends of the young, were needed in order to confuse the evil spirits. So, according to the beliefs of the ancestors, evil spirits could not find real future spouses, which prevented her from fulfilling her dirty plans. In addition to the fact that friends and relatives of the young people participated in the withdrawal of evil forces, various amulets were also used for this. For example, the bride's veil served as a kind of protection from dark spirits. When they moved on a sleigh, they deliberately swept the road after themselves, which was also supposed to throw the evil forces off the trail.
Carrying out all the above measures, relatives and friends provided the spouses with a happy marriage, prosperity and health. If the wedding took place with people who had previously been widowed, then little attention was paid to such traditions.
When and how did you prepare for the wedding?
On the part of the bride, preparations for a future wedding began almost from her very childhood. She was taught to cook, sew and other household chores.
In addition, there was a tradition that for the wedding, the bride was obliged to sew a towel for each relative from the groom's side. The very same future spouse was intended for a shirt woven by the hands of the bride. A piece of material for a sundress and a scarf for the head were intended for the groom's mother.
Who made the choice?
As a rule, the choice fell entirely on the shoulders of the parents of the young. Matchmaking, bride and collusion also took place under their control.
If the children themselves chose their own mate, then this was considered disrespectful to the parents, and such marriages were considered unhappy. However, there were cases when parents approved of their child's choice.
Young people could meet in the squares, where mass celebrations often took place. The girls sang and danced. The guys played musical instruments (harp and balalaika), and also arranged horseback riding, where they demonstrated their dexterity and courage in front of the fair sex.
Dowry
Dowry was the property that was attached with the bride after the wedding. Basically, these were furniture, women's clothing and jewelry, money (exclusively silver and gold), as well as livestock and real estate. It was welcomed that the girl was from a wealthy family. If the family did not have a dowry, then it was provided by the groom's side.
Matchmaking
Wedding ceremonies in Rus' differed in that this action took place without the participation of the young. This event was usually planned for Sunday or some other holiday. The groom's parents took with them an attorney - a matchmaker. It was she who was to represent the interests of the young man before the side of the bride. She praised the groom in every possible way and discussed the dowry with the bride's parents. At the end, the matchmaker took both sides by the hands and led them around the table three times, after which they were baptized in front of the icons. Leaving, the father of the groom appointed the date of the bride. As a rule, they took place a week after the matchmaking.
Smotriny
A week before the bride, the groom's side carefully prepared for this event. Sleighs were decorated, clothes were sewn and gifts were prepared.
In the bride's house, everything was even more reverent. The future wife had to personally clean the room where the guests would gather. The best robes were taken out and treats were prepared.
Wedding ceremonies in Rus' did not allow the groom to participate in the bride. The bride was examined by his parents. Her main task was to impress a modest girl.
After the bride-to-be came to an end, the groom's side went out into the courtyard for a meeting. This was already a formality, since the final decision was made after the matchmaking.
Collusion
This important point included every wedding ceremony in ancient Rus'. The conspiracy was accompanied by a more magnificent feast than matchmaking and the bride. And during it, both parties signed an agreement. Thus, our ancestors got engaged. The contract spelled out the exact date of the wedding. And after the signatures were put, the only reason that could violate the marriage ceremony was the death of one of the young.
After the contract was signed, the sister (or girlfriend) of the bride entered the room and presented gifts to each relative from the groom's side.
Wedding
Before the adoption of Christianity, pagan weddings consisted in the departure of the young from the village. Surrounded by their peers (there should not have been elders), they went to the edge of the forest. There they wove wreaths, sang ritual songs and danced round dances. It was believed that, in this way, nature itself blesses the young.
When the pagan wedding rites were supplanted by the Orthodox Church, it became obligatory to enter into an alliance in the temple.
Before the wedding day, the bride and her bridesmaids had a bachelorette party. They washed in the bath, sang songs and wondered about what fate awaits the girl in married life.
On the day of the wedding, at first everyone gathered in the groom's house and feasted. Various rituals were held, controlled by the matchmaker. In general, the entire scenario of the wedding belonged to her. After the third course was served, the young and the guests went to the temple.
In the temple, the father blessed the marriage, and the father handed over her daughter, now, to her husband. At the same time, he hit his daughter with a whip, which meant a parental order to obey and honor her husband. The whip was passed on to her husband. Sometimes it was limited to this, but there is evidence that some wedding ceremonies in Rus' were carried out by whipping the future wife by her husband. Striking her with a whip three times, according to legend, the husband made his wife submissive.
After a long ceremony in the church, everyone returned back to the groom's house. The rest of the festivities were spent there. Russian wedding ceremonies, as a rule, took place in three days.
At night, the young were escorted to their box and no longer disturbed. Starting from the second day of the festivities, they could easily wake up in the middle of the night, dress and return to the table.
The bride's nightgown was checked for deprivation of virginity. If there were no such spots, then the wedding could be broken, and the girl ridiculed. The stains on the shirt were shown to the guests at the table, which served as a good indicator for the bride.
Where can such traditions be found today?
There are few places where such wedding traditions are still preserved. However, in our country there are still lands where people, although not completely, have preserved the old customs. So, for example, the wedding ceremony in the Kuban is quite reminiscent of a wedding that was once held in Rus'. The Cossacks have always been famous for honoring the history and traditions of their people, thereby preserving its heritage for their descendants.
The history of the culture of each nation includes a wide variety of rituals and beliefs. And, probably, they were the most colorful and varied.
First of all, ancient folk beliefs influenced the formation of the aforementioned.
The history of the formation of wedding ceremonies in Rus'
Wedding rites in Rus' have their roots in pagan times, before the adoption of Christianity, people asked various deities for favor with the newly formed family, conducting all kinds of rituals for this. After the baptism of Rus', a merger of beliefs took place, which gave rise to a unique system of wedding ceremonies peculiar only to it. Foreign traditions also had a considerable influence on the traditional Russian wedding ceremony. So, for example, the exchange of wedding rings and wedding candles came to the territory of Rus' from ancient Greece, the shedding of newlyweds with linen - from the Romans. All this gave an extraordinary flavor to Russian wedding ceremonies.
Pre-wedding ceremonies
According to the ancient tradition, only the groom's parents were engaged in the choice of the bride in Rus', and most often his opinion was not taken into account. At that time, spring-summer festivities were very popular, at which a kind of presentation of the brides took place.
Girls in their best outfits with songs walked through the villages, giving them the opportunity to take a good look at themselves. Not only the beauty of the girl was evaluated, but also her ability to manage the household, the skill of needlework, and most importantly her dowry. After the choice was made, matchmakers were sent to the family of the future bride.
Matchmaking
Ancient legends say that for a successful marriage, it was necessary to find excellent matchmakers. They were chosen from married people with a talent for oratory and persuasion. The most successful days for matchmaking were considered Thursday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.
In order to avoid the evil eye, the names of the matchmakers and the matchmaking day itself were kept secret, and they had to set off on their journey only after sunset. In no case was it possible to talk to anyone along the way. In some territories of ancient Rus', matchmakers were thrown headdresses in front of the road or whipped. Arriving at the house of a potential bride, the matchmakers began to glibly praise the groom, not forgetting to look at everything around. If the girl's parents agreed, the next stage of wedding ceremonies began - the bride.
Smotriny
Approximately a week after the ceremony of matchmaking, the bride-to-be took place - such a peculiar presentation of the bride to the groom's parents. In addition to the future newlyweds, relatives from both sides, as well as close friends of the girl, who accompanied the entire ceremony with songs, were always present at the bride.
It was a difficult test for the future bride. She could talk during the ceremony only in the most extreme cases, often she was asked to demonstrate her needlework skills or cook dinner for future relatives gathered under the stern gaze. If the presentation was successful, the groom's father kissed the bride on both cheeks as a sign that he liked the girl. On the bride, the girl could refuse to marry. However, this was quite rare, since in those distant times, few girls dared to argue with their parents.
Collusion
After the bride, a rite of conspiracy took place, at which all the main issues regarding the upcoming wedding were resolved. When the parties agreed, a young woman was invited to the hut, who from now on was called the bride. Future newlyweds kissed icons and each other.
Refusal of the wedding from that moment was impossible and was considered a terrible sin.
The day before the wedding
On the eve of the wedding, the bride was sure to melt the bath - a kind of symbol of farewell to girlhood and stepfather's house. Her girlfriends accompanied her there, carrying with them a beautifully decorated broom. All this was accompanied by songs and special rituals that were supposed to protect the bride from the evil eye, spoilage and strengthen her connection with her future husband. The girl was braided for the last time with a girl's braid, and then a kind of bachelorette party began, at which songs were sung. But in some places of ancient Rus', instead of singing cheerful songs, the girl was supposed to cry bitterly for her girlhood.
The groom at this time also did not get bored. With friends and male relatives, they cheerfully celebrated the end of his single life, drinking mead and beer and recalling various stories.
Bride's wedding dress
First of all, in the morning, the bride washed her face with cold water, and then went to her parents for a blessing. After that, the ceremony of dressing the bride began. First of all, the naked body of the girl was wrapped with a bast in order to protect her from the spell of evil sorcerers. A little wool, linen and soap were put under the bosom, so that her clothes were always of high quality and clean. Gingerbread and pretzels were hung around the neck - symbols of a well-fed life.
The traditional wedding dress of the bride in ancient Rus' was very different from the modern version. But still white was a mandatory component of it. The outfit consisted of a shirt and a wide skirt or sundress. The shirt was skillfully decorated with embroidery, each element of which had its own symbolic meaning. The skirt and the bottom of the sundress were of variegated colors and hemmed with beads at the bottom in order to protect themselves from the evil forces living underground. In addition to the traditional braid, the bride's head could be decorated with ribbons and fresh flowers.
Groom's wedding attire
The main element of the groom's wedding dress in Rus' was a scarf given to him by the bride. They tied it around his neck, or he looked out of his trouser pocket. The costume consisted of light trousers and a bright, preferably linen or silk shirt. Immediately before the wedding, the groom was girded with a luxurious embroidered towel.
ransom
Not a single wedding in Rus' took place without a ransom. While the bride was dressed up for the wedding, the groom's family was preparing for the ransom of the young. According to one of the traditions, the young man had to make all the gifts for ransom with his own hands. The first trials awaited the groom on the way to the girl's house. As they say, the road to happiness is never easy. Relatives and friends of the bride did everything possible to make the groom feel it for himself.
The groom had to saw through wide logs to prove how strong he was. After passing road tests, he ended up at the bride's house, where his parents were waiting for him with a new portion of surprises. The groom had to guess several tricky riddles, and he was fined for the wrong answer. Entering the bride's room, he had to guess his betrothed among the equally dressed girls sitting with their backs to him. As a result, having finally guessed his future wife, the groom took a place near her, and the bride's parents blessed them, after which the young went to church. The road in front of them was carefully swept, so that none of the ill-wishers could throw them a charmed little thing.
Wedding
Before the adoption of Christianity, the young went to the meadow, where they put on special wreaths, round dances were held around a decorated birch, ritual songs were sung. At the same time, evil spirits were driven away from the young in every way with water, smoke and fire. With the advent of Christianity, the ancient wedding customs of ancient Rus' were replaced by church ones. When leaving the church, the young were showered with flaxseeds.
After the wedding, everyone went to the groom's house, where the wedding feast began. The most interesting thing is that the young people did not eat anything at the table, but only accepted congratulations. And at the third change of dishes they were escorted to the matrimonial bed, and the feast flared up even more. In the morning, the newlyweds were woken up, the matchmaker showed all the curious the bride's shirt with traces of innocence, and after the young people were escorted to the heated bath.
Wedding traditions in Rus' were distinguished by their incredible color, they were fun and enthusiastic and deserve to be remembered.
Today we see a return of interest in the traditional Russian wedding ceremony. Therefore, when getting married, young people tend to celebrate the day of its conclusion in a memorable way, since the modern, artificially created registration procedure most often repels with its official form. Folk traditions, and especially wedding traditions, have always been accompanied by the singing of live songs, warmed by the soul of the singers.
From many old and not very rural grandmothers, even today you can still record real wedding songs, rooted in the deep past of our people. In the old days, without these songs, the wedding simply could not take place. The Christian wedding ceremony itself in some places was not considered sufficient for the community to recognize a marriage performed without observing folk customs.
A wedding is initially a solemn theatrical performance with its own laws, a stable plot, a director-friend, a set of obligatory characters. No wonder they say "to play a wedding." Its various stages give wide scope for implementation. For example, the moment of gathering the wedding train is interesting: at the same time, in the two houses of the bride and groom, rituals are performed, songs are sung (women-neighbors sing to the groom, friends to the bride).
In addition, wedding ceremonies and the songs that accompany them exist in Russia in a mass of different options, and make it possible to choose the ones you like the most.
First, is wedding time . Weddings never took place during Lent, on the days of the great, "twelfth" Orthodox holidays.
Most weddings took place in the old days and continues to take place to this day in the fall, after the harvest. Then comes the Filippovsky fast and you have to wait until Christmas time is over; After baptism and until Shrove Tuesday, lovers can again unite their lives. The happiest was considered a wedding played on Krasnaya Gorka, after Easter, during St. Thomas's week.
For Russians, a wedding as a system of rituals that secure marriage developed around the 15th century. Many of these rituals were legal character, for example, if during the matchmaking the bride's father drank the wine offered by the groom's relatives, this was regarded as consent, and at that moment a song determined by the rite was sung. Both sides had rights and obligations fixed and consecrated by tradition: ransom, dowry, masonry, etc.
Initially, the wedding ceremony was associated with magic, it’s not for nothing that old people still mention in proverbs that the main thing at a wedding is to circle the young around a stove pillar, a tree, etc. amulets that promote childbearing, fertility and health of the young.
Gradually, over time, the wedding ceremony began to be perceived as an aesthetic action, a kind of game. Even today, few grooms, carrying the bride into the house across the threshold in their arms, know that this was done in order to deceive the brownie, to force him to accept the girl as a newborn family member who did not enter the house, but ended up in the house. But this rite is widespread everywhere due to its beauty: a man demonstrates to them his strength and love for his young wife. So are other rites: some have been preserved because of the poetic form, others - thanks to tradition, "our grandfathers did this."
There are two type weddings: drama And holiday. The first is typical, first of all, for the Russian north, the old-timers of Siberia (mostly northern immigrants), the semey Transbaikalia. From the day of the agreement, the bride began to lament, her mother, her friends, lamented. In the south of Russia, among the Cossacks, some groups of Belarusians, and Ukrainians, the wedding was a fun event. The bride wailed at the grave of her parents, and sad songs were sung only if she remained an orphan. The wedding was usually part of the wedding, and divided the festivities in the bride's house before him, and in the groom's house after the wedding ceremony. And the final union of the young was made only after the wedding feast.
Wedding ceremonies began with matchmaking. From the groom's side, specially trained people came to the bride's house to agree on the possibility of intermarriage of the two clans. Somewhere it was a matchmaker (Altai), somewhere the groom's parents, or male relatives. Real matchmakers had their own secrets. For example, it was believed that before the girl was asked if she agreed, she must be patted on the left shoulder - then she would not be able to refuse.
As a rule, the matchmaking was followed by bridegroom's housekeeping , especially if the matchmakers came from afar. Satisfied with the results of "housekeeping", as the bride was also called, the bride's parents appointed the day of public matchmaking - handshake. "Collusion", "zaruchiny", "proclamation", "vaults" - these are far from all the designations of this rite. Relatives and bridesmaids were invited to handshake. The groom had to recognize and choose his betrothed from a number of smart girls, kiss her. Actually, they "beat on the hands", fastening their consent to marriage, the betrothed themselves, and their parents. In collusion, they resolved the issues of organizing a wedding, distributed wedding ranks.
The bride and groom were likened to the prince and princess, the wedding itself was likened to the princely feast, and therefore many wedding ranks were named like this: big boyars - close relatives and guests of honor, smaller- distant relatives and simpler guests. Mandatory elected friend- often it was not just a merry fellow, a joker, but a healer who was able to save the wedding from damage. Godmothers most often acted as matchmakers. Tysyatsky- governor, head of the wedding train - godfather or uncle of the groom. My friend - the best man always had an assistant - half-friend. The bride was supposed to sister-in-law, groom - bridal. Their main role is to keep the crowns over the young during the wedding. Often, the bride was chosen from the relatives of the bride bed, whose task was to protect the bed of the young from damage on the way from the bride's parental home, during the wedding feast in the groom's house. She also sold the bed, stuffing the price higher.
Sometimes invited to the wedding captive("vytnitsu", "prompt"), which, as the name implies, howled and lamented, introducing the bride and those around her into that special state when everyone began to vote.
When it was decided on the day of the start of the actual wedding (usually Sunday was chosen), girls began to gather in the bride’s house: they helped decorate the dowry, sewed gifts, and in the evenings the bride and her friends were visited by the groom’s company with him at the head. Every day the groom gave his betrothed small gifts. On pre-wedding parties played, sang, drank tea. The last day before the wedding (evening, week) was called a bachelorette party. In the morning the bride began to lament; the girls have been doing since the evening "maiden beauty"- decorated a straw or linen braid with ribbons, flowers. They combed the bride's hair, in the evening they took her to the bathhouse, where she continued to lament, saying goodbye to the girl's will.
The morning of the wedding day began again with the bride's reckoning. In fact, the bachelorette party continued - farewell to beauty , with friends, with the parental home. The bride was dressed up, and in the groom's house there were their own rituals: preparation for scolding. The wedding wagon had been decorated since the evening; in the morning, the mother combed her son's curls - after all, he also said goodbye to his bachelorhood. To protect the guy from the "evil eye", I cut out a bunch of hair crosswise from the head, and singed the places of the cuts. They dressed the groom, like the bride, in everything new - a shirt embroidered by the bride and a belt woven by her ... In ancient times, during the fight, fisticuffs were organized between the families of the bride and groom, during which the bride's relatives, having put up symbolic resistance to the groom's relatives, gave up.
In many traditions, the bride's matchmaker would sweep the road in front of the house before the wedding train arrived.
Obligatory rite after meeting trainees was redemption of the spit and places next to the bride. He usually paid a friend, not necessarily with money, often with sweets, for girls - by ribbon. The scythe was sold by the younger brother or sister of the bride.
Before departure to the crown of the young
the girl's parents blessed with an icon and bread. The father put her right hand into the hand of the groom with the words: "drink, feed, shoe, dress, send to work and do not give offense!" The bride, leaving the house, lamented, even if she liked the marriage. “You will cry at the pillar if you don’t cry at the table,” said the proverb. 
We went to the crown with songs, returned again to the songs. On the way to the groom's house, it was believed that the wedding could easily be spoiled by an unkind person, so the friend observed all precautions: he read prayers and conspiracies, removed stones from the road that could be cast on witchcraft.
Fellow villagers often stopped the wedding train, blocking the road and putting out bread and salt. This was considered a good sign, for which the travelers treated them to wine. Loud sounds scare away evil spirits, - and guys came out with guns towards the train, shot into the air. And they got food.
At his home, the groom and his retinue were met by his mother, dressed in an inside-out sheepskin coat; she sprinkled her son and daughter-in-law with oats, millet - all this was supposed to protect the young couple and promised wealth. The father of the groom also came out, they are together with their mother blessed the young , escorted to the wedding tables. On feast mainly laudatory and reproachful songs were sung; called the bride and groom, relatives. For magnificence, it was supposed to give gifts to those who sing, to treat them. The delay in the treat - and the singers immediately turned on the stain to the one who had just been painted with all the colors.
At a certain moment, the feast of the young "twisted", "twisted", "bandaged". Matchmakers usually performed this ceremony, they covered the bride with a canopy from the eyes of the guests, divided her hair in two, laid it on her head in the form of braids, plaits, or "horns" and covered it with a female headdress, different for all provinces. Sometimes in two neighboring villages women's dresses were different.
Escorted the young to rest usually in a bath, in a cage or in a hayloft. The wife was obliged to take off her husband's boots, demonstrating her humility, and give a whip. The husband, in response, had to put money into his boots ahead of time, which went to his young wife as a sign that he would support her, and, having taken the whip, lightly hit his wife three times - so that he would never beat him again in family life.
The next morning, and sometimes the same evening, there was autopsy young . Tysyatsky opened a closet or a bathhouse (the keys to the bedroom of the young were kept by him), and the matchmakers went for the sheet or shirt of the young woman. These items were given great magical power, through them the bride could be made barren forever, and the matchmakers took their duties seriously. In honor of the bride, pots were beaten against the door of the bedroom, a harness was dressed up and they rode in the morning for the bride's parents (after the crown at the feast, the groom did not have them), they brought them and began to treat and magnify.
The second day of the wedding was called "cake tables" . All the guests dressed up in red clothes, tied red scarves on poles, and marched through the village with such banners. Often those who came for a walk were met for the second day comic "bath". On this day, the newlyweds were faced with many trials: separating rubbish from money, and chopping firewood on the floor in the house, and eating guests with pancakes, and gifts accept. wedding loaf , baked in the bride's house before Sunday, decorated with "bumps" of dough or figurines of birds, in the south of Russia also with a wedding tree, they cut and treated the guests.
On Maslenitsa and after Easter, the newlyweds were rolled down the hill, always trying to overturn in the snow, they demanded a ransom from the wife for her husband buried in the snow - most often - a kiss. After Easter young "hailed", the rite was called very beautifully - "vyunina", - there were special "wine" songs, for which the singers had to be presented again.
Sometimes the feast continued on the third day, and then - already in the homes of relatives. It was called "bends"; the young went to everyone who invited them to drive "bread and salt" with all their relatives.
Here are some of the main ritual moments that we wanted to talk about in this article.
According to the materials of the site "Siberia" http://http://www.tmn.fio.ru/works/89x/311/index.htm
Prepared by MariaR
The history of the Russian people is very interesting and completely forgotten in vain. We invite you to find out the wedding ceremonies and traditions that were carried out in ancient Rus' and were part of the wedding ritual, and today they are successfully forgotten or remade in a new way.
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is not only the unexpected arrival of the groom, accompanied by relatives, to the bride's house in order to woo in an allegorical form (to show oneself and see the goods). Matchmaking was the starting point from which the rebirth of the main participants in the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom, literally began. From the very moment of wooing, a restriction on movement was imposed on the bride (conspiracy), her living space was sharply narrowed to the limits of the parental home. If the girl did go out, it was only accompanied by her friends and, in fact, only to invite guests to the wedding. The bride was also removed from all household chores, became incapacitated. This is how the gradual “dehumanization” took place, which is necessary for the birth of a new person, already a family one.
Smotriny
Two or three days after the matchmaking, the groom and his close relatives again come to the bride’s house, now to the bride, during which the girl must show herself in all her glory and demonstrate all her skills and abilities, just like the groom who flaunts in front of by all those gathered. After that, the groom's mother closely examines and evaluates the bride's dowry. Everything that happens is necessarily accompanied by songs and lamentations, most often performed by the bridesmaids. However, the girl could refuse to marry without going out to the groom.
handshake
Shortly before the scheduled day of the wedding, a handshake or a binge took place, an event that finally sealed the agreement on the wedding. After the handshake, the refusal of the wedding was impossible. The bride and groom were seated side by side at the table and praised in songs that were sung by the bridesmaids.
And what do the bride and groom themselves do? The bride does not talk, but laments, and in some houses she even calls the wrecker, which “howls”, that is, she performs the laments, and the bride groans and cries. And, despite the visible activity of the groom, his constant movements (he comes to the bride’s house almost every day after the handshake for “visiting”, “kissing”, “seeing”), he nevertheless remains passive: the matchmakers speak and do everything for him, relatives, friends.
hen-party
Has this rite disappeared too? The fact is that a bachelorette party in Rus' is not only a farewell gathering of the bride with her friends on the eve of the wedding, but also the production of “beauty” (“will”), braiding, washing the bride in a bath, destroying or transferring “beauty” to a friend or groom. Girlish "beauty" is the last thing that connects the bride with her girlhood. It could be a tow, a tree decorated with ribbons and patches, a wreath, a scarf. After the “beauty” was made, it was burned or the bride distributed it to close friends. Whatever the object symbolizing “beauty”, it is invariably associated with the head, or rather with hair, and hair is a kind of personification of girlish beauty, will. With the destruction or distribution of "beauty", the girl allegorically lost her girlhood.
Also, the bride could cut off her braid and pass it to the groom. And the ritual bathing in the bathhouse finally completed the process: the bride became: “neither alive nor dead”, and in this state she was handed over to the groom, arranged by bargaining, and the bride and her friends resisted with all their might.
Young woman's hairstyle
Immediately after the wedding, the bride was given a haircut by a young woman: they braided two braids and covered her head with a scarf, or immediately “twisted it like a woman”: twisted her hair into two braids at the back of her head in a bun, and put on a married woman’s headdress (povoynik, glasses, basting). From that moment on, only the husband could see the bride's hair: appearing with an uncovered head to an outsider was tantamount to treason, and tearing off a woman's headdress was an insult. A change in hairstyle means the girl’s transition to the power of her husband, and also represents the formation of a new image of a person, his rebirth in a new status. The girl begins to “come to life”: the ability to move independently returns to her, as well as the ability to do everything with her own hands: the bride, entering the house, begins to actively explore its space, throws rye, puts down a cow, throws a belt, etc.
"The Revealing of the Bride"
A special ceremony was dedicated to the "revealing" of the bride, when the young came from under the crown to the groom's house. This ceremony was endowed with a double meaning: for the bride, it meant the return of vision; the bride, continuing to revive, now looked at everything with different eyes, and for the groom it was a kind of recognition of her beloved, since she was now different. In some details of the ceremony, an erotic meaning is read when the bride is “opened”: the father-in-law or boyfriend lifts the hem with a whip, tong, pie or stick. Or they put a pie without filling on the bride’s head, symbolizing a child, and wrapped it in a scarf, put it in a closet, where the young people first ate separately from everyone, and then spent their wedding night. In some areas, it was customary to arrange a bed for newlyweds in a cage or barn, which is associated with the idea of fertility, childbearing.
"Bends"
"Take offs" (joint visit of the young by the bride's parents) marks the end of the wedding as a special state for all its participants. This element of the wedding ceremony is especially important for the bride, who arrives for a short time and as a guest, which emphasizes the irreversibility of all the transformations that happened to her during the wedding. However, there are other data about the connection of the bride with her home. For example, in the Voronezh province, during the first year of marriage, a young woman lived with her mother and was engaged in spinning for her future needs.
