Blessing of parents. Parental blessing for the wedding. Modern rite of blessing

The blessing of the parents before the wedding is an important ritual, without which, according to popular belief, the young will not live happily. In this material, we will try to understand all the intricacies of the pre-wedding ritual.

Groom's blessing

It is necessary to bless the groom with the icon of the Savior or Nicholas the Wonderworker. The procedure is:

It is necessary to cover the table with a white tablecloth and, with a lit candle, place bread with water and salt on the table.
Parents stand in front of their son. Previously, the son knelt before his parents. Now this is not mandatory, but, as it were, shows the respect of the child.
Holding the icon, the father makes the sign of the cross three times with it. Then he passes the shrine to his mother and she does the same. At the same time, parents say good parting words to their beloved child.
The future husband is baptized and kisses the face of the saint.
In some families, the father leads his son around the table three times, while tying his hands with a towel. At the same time, the mother walks behind with the icon.

blessing of the bride

The blessing of the bride follows the same principle. But for the girl they take the icon of the Mother of God. It is also necessary to discuss with the groom's parents what rare ceremonies they may perform, as the bride's parents are required to do the same.

After that, you can already proceed to the ransom of the bride and a trip to the registry office. Now the road to marriage is open to the young.

Blessing of the newlyweds

After the young people have exchanged rings, the rite of blessing continues. Now the parents of the husband and wife meet the young family on the threshold of the house. The father takes the same icon in his hands (if the young people got married, then the wedding icons), and the mother holds the loaf and salt.

Then the parents give a parting speech and pray for a joint happy future for their children. After that, seven icons are baptized again and allowed to treat themselves to bread and salt. In this case, you can also check who will be the master in the house. Young people must tear off a piece of loaf - whose piece is larger, that word will be more important in a young family.

Important Aspects of the Blessing Ritual

There are important things to know about blessing the young:

If the mother or father of the groom or bride has died, then their only parent blesses them.
In the event that both parents are not present at this event, the blessing procedure is performed by the eldest in the family - grandfather, aunt, godfather or godmother, or even a brother and wife. But it is important that those who bless the young on their way should be baptized.
Deeply religious people now bless the young 4 times: during the conspiracy, after the engagement, before the marriage and after it.
Icons can be purchased new in the church or old, homemade ones can be used.
You need to baptize correctly: from top to bottom and from left to right, so that the young would be from right to left.

The blessing of the parents before the wedding is a very important and traditional part of the entire wedding ceremony. After all, if you look at the families of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, it is possible that they were strong precisely because of following traditions and thanks to deep faith. It is also important that parents speak sincerely and from the bottom of their hearts. And then the road of the young will be bright and happy.

Parental wishes, parting words, and especially blessings have a special power in Christianity. After all, any message addressed by parents to their child can become crucial and affect the future life of the young. That is why today, as in ancient times, not a single wedding and wedding ceremony is complete without parental blessing. They bless the bride and groom in order to approve the mutual choice of loving hearts, wish the happiest future life together and long years of marriage, give a wise parting word to the nascent family.

How and where does parental blessing take place, features of the ceremony?

There are only two options for how the father and mother from the groom's side, as well as the parents from the bride's side, can bless the lovers:

A modern rite, which is much simpler than the old one. More often the blessing occurs after the newlyweds walk around the city with witnesses. Parents meet their children at the very entrance to the cafe, banquet hall, house, depending on where the celebration takes place. In their hands they hold a fragrant loaf with which they will honor the young, salt and wedding icons. After a solemn parental blessing speech, the newly formed family kisses the images and tastes the treats;
The second option, older and more faithful, corresponding to ancient traditions, according to which the blessing happens twice. First, in the bride’s house, from where the groom takes his future wife after passing preliminary tests, where the girl’s father and mother allow her to marry their daughter and send the couple with a benevolent parting word and the first icon - the Image of the Virgin. The second time after visiting the registry office, according to the principle of the simplified version described earlier.

What images are suitable for blessing the young?

The most traditional images, which are considered the most powerful and powerful, are the so-called wedding couple. The first icon represents the face of the Mother of God, who protects the family hearth and patronizes everyone who reads an honest and sincere prayer at her image. The second image is male, they bless the young, it depicts the Savior, who is a symbol of masculinity, wisdom and care for his other half.

The most commonly used icons in the ritual are the following faces:

- the most revered and powerful image. Prayer in this way can help in family happiness and well-being, resolve all disagreements between spouses, facilitate easy childbirth and a long-awaited pregnancy, and heal each family member from serious ailments. Her parents bless her bride before going to the registry office;
- male icon. With her, the groom's parents, together with the matchmakers, bless the already established married couple for a happy and long marriage without sorrows and troubles. This icon is considered miraculous, and sincere prayer before the face of Jesus can help in resolving all problems, bestows family well-being and mutual understanding.
As blessing images, you can also use those considered patrons of family well-being. Therefore, the Kazan icon can always be replaced by an equally significant Vladimir icon. And the image of the Almighty is sometimes changed to.

Since ancient times, the blessing of the parents of their children with an icon before the wedding was considered mandatory; without parental blessing it was impossible to go down the aisle, and they did it only in exceptional cases.

The value of parental blessing was very great, it served as a kind of moral support for a young family.

In our time of the ubiquity of so-called civil marriages, that is, marriages without registration, it sometimes seems that the blessing of the young with an icon, and indeed the parental blessing, has lost its meaning, but this is not true. More and more couples, after the official registration of marriage in the registry office, are getting married in the temple of God, even those who have a family life history of many years.

In the old days, in every house in the red corner there were icons, in front of which they prayed and with which parents blessed their children during the engagement (betrothal), that is, a preliminary marriage agreement. At the same time, the groom put a wedding ring on the bride's finger, and the parents took out the icons from the red corner and blessed them.

It should be recalled that even today the icon for the blessing of the newlyweds must certainly be consecrated in the church.

In addition, wedding blessing icons cannot be held with bare hands, they must be covered with a towel.

What icon bless the son for marriage

Most often, modern parents give their son a blessing for marriage on the very day of the wedding, before he sets off for the bride. We will tell you below how to bless your son before the wedding with an icon, what to say.

By tradition, parents give their son a blessing for marriage with the icon of the Almighty Savior, one of the most significant for believers.

The icon of the Almighty Savior helps to strengthen one's faith, overcome life's trials, and receive support in difficult situations.

Icon for blessing the daughter before the wedding

Like their son, parents bless their daughter with an icon today most often on the wedding day, before the arrival of the groom.

The daughter is blessed with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, one of the most revered among the Orthodox

Young people are crowned with the same icon in the church. She is of particular importance for women, as she is the intercessor and patroness of the family and the world in it, they resort to her help to protect the house from evil, give birth to healthy children, they pray for healing from diseases.

How to bless the young with an icon before the wedding

Very often, the blessing ceremony is performed either before the young people go to the registry office, or at the beginning of the wedding banquet. Compared to the old one, the modern blessing ritual is less formal, because not all parents know how to bless the newlyweds before the wedding with an icon. Let's try to clear up some details.

What icon bless the young

As already mentioned, different icons are used to bless sons and daughters.

For the joint blessing of the young, the folding of these two images is best suited - the Savior of the Almighty and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, purchased in a church shop and consecrated in the church

How to bless the newlyweds with an icon

Usually, parents experience great excitement at this moment, so it’s better not to make long speeches, but only give your parting words to the children so that they always love and support each other. The mother holds the icon (or better, the fold) in her hands, and the father holds the loaf (also on the towel). After a brief parting word to the young, they should cross themselves three times and bring them an icon, which the young also baptize and then kiss. In the old days, young people knelt down to accept a parental blessing, which emphasized the solemnity of the moment.

What icon to give for a wedding

Very often, newlyweds receive wedding icons from their parents as a sign of their blessing and parental parting words for their future family life. Whatever icon is given to the newlyweds for the wedding (there may be several of them at once), they must have an icon of the Mother of God. Often they give paired icons of saints who became famous for their pious life and marital fidelity: Peter and Fevronia of Murom, the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia, saints Joachim and Anna.

You should definitely save the wedding icons. If a young family prays, then the images can be hung or placed so that prayers can always be offered before them; if the young have not yet come to the Faith of Christ, then the icons must be wrapped and hidden until the time when they believe.

Prayer of blessing for the wedding

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, in prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, hear me, a sinful and unworthy servant of Yours.
Lord, in the mercy of Your power, my children (names), have mercy and save them for Your name's sake.
Lord, forgive them all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed by them before You.
Lord, guide them on the true path of Thy commandments and enlighten them and enlighten them with Thy light of Christ, for the salvation of the soul and the healing of the body.
Lord, bless them in the house, around the house, at school, in the field, at work and on the road, and in every place of Your possession.
Lord, save them under the shelter of Your Holy from a flying bullet, arrow, knife, sword, poison, fire, flood, from a deadly ulcer (rays of the atom) and from vain death.
Lord, protect them from visible and invisible enemies, from all kinds of troubles, evils and misfortunes. Lord, heal them of all diseases, cleanse them of all filth (wine, tobacco, drugs) and ease their mental suffering and sorrow.
Lord, grant them the grace of Your Holy Spirit for many years of life, health and chastity.
Lord, increase and strengthen their mental abilities and bodily strength.
Lord, give them Your blessing for a pious family life and
pious childbearing.
Lord, grant me, your unworthy and sinful servant, a parental blessing on my child at the present time, morning, afternoon, evening and night for the sake of your name, for your kingdom is eternal, omnipotent and omnipotent.
Amen.

It has long been considered that parents blessing on wedding day- one of the most important points. AND wedding blessings from parents- this is the key to a long and happy family life, because at the same time with the approval of the parents, the newlyweds received intercession before God.

When do parents say their blessings at a wedding?

The very first wedding blessings from parents sound after the end of the ransom, when the groom has already reached the bride. At this moment it happens parents blessing before marriage, or rather before registration. The bride's parents wish family happiness and admonish the bride and groom for a long life together. Parents' blessings at the wedding from the side of the bride, they sound inside the apartment until the future newlyweds have gone beyond the threshold, since there, behind the door, a new life will begin. And they are sure to see them off with kind words and wishes. On the part of the bride's parents, this is considered a sign of approval of her chosen one, and not just parting words.

And this is done according to the old custom: the icon of the Saviors and the Virgin, or any other oldest icon in the house, is taken. As a sign of respect, the bride and groom kneel on a towel or a common rug, the bride's parents say their parting words and make the sign of the cross in the air in front of the newlyweds three times. Then the children kiss and all together they go to the registry office. The icons in front of which the blessing took place subsequently remain for the young, and then they are passed on to their children.

Next comes the blessing of the parents on the wedding day by the groom. And it happens either after the registry office in front of the entrance to the house of the groom's parents, or before entering the banquet hall. In front of the entrance, a carpet path is spread, or as it is also called the “carpet of well-being”. The groom's mother traditionally holds bread and salt, and the father holds an icon. The words of the blessing of the groom's parents at the wedding, however, as well as the bride's parents, can be both in verse and in prose. And what is most interesting, in prose and from the heart, they sound more sincere than memorized lines in poetic form, which, moreover, can be forgotten from excitement. Key words: “advice and love”, “congratulations”, “bless”, “wish…”.

Features of the blessing of parents at the wedding

Also, the blessing of the parents at the wedding is also manifested in their speech to all those invited during the celebration of this event in the banquet hall. Usually the toastmaster or presenter provides one of the first words of congratulations to parents. In Europe, the father of the bride usually starts congratulating, but it is no secret that in Russia men are more often laconic in congratulations, and there will be nothing shameful if the mother utters the congratulations. Usually they want love, respect, consent, mutual understanding and mutual support, tolerance, the appearance of their first child and, of course, add “Bitter!”. By the way, if the family has some relics that are passed down from generation to generation, then it's time to pass them along with a gift. Alternatively, you can recall and tell about some episode from the life of the bride (groom), while emphasizing her (his) dignity and at the end add that now they are passing their daughter (son) into the hands of their spouse (wife) and believe in the fact that in marriage their child will definitely be happy!