Rites of the ancient Slavs: the wedding as it is. Slavic wedding. Customs and traditions of our Ancestors

Wedding - In ancient times, each person was aware of himself first of all as a member of a certain family. The children belonged to the family of their parents, but the daughter-girl, when she got married, passed into the family of her husband. (That is why they “get married” - in the sense, they leave their kind, leave it.) The girl had to “die” in her former family and be “born again” in another, already married, “manly” woman. These are the complex transformations that took place with the bride. Hence the increased attention to her, which we now see at weddings, and the custom of taking the husband's surname, because the surname is a sign of the family. Hence the custom, which has been preserved in some places, to call the husband’s parents “mom” and “dad”, which, by the way, older people often value very much, although where did such a thing come from?
custom, can not really explain. "Entered into the family" - and that's it!
Now it is clear to us why the groom is trying to bring the bride through the threshold of his house, always in his arms: after all, the threshold is the border of the worlds, and the bride, previously “alien” in this world, must turn into “one of her own” ...
What about the white dress? Sometimes you have to hear that it, they say, symbolizes the purity and modesty of the bride, but this is wrong. In fact, white is the color of mourning. Yes exactly. Black in this capacity appeared relatively recently. White, according to historians and psychologists, has been for mankind the color of the Past, the color of Memory and Oblivion since ancient times. From time immemorial, such importance was attached to it in Rus'. And the other - a mournful wedding color was red, black, as it was also called. It has long been included in the attire of brides. There is even a folk song: “Don’t sew me, mother, a red sundress” - the song of a daughter who does not want to leave her home to strangers - to get married. So, a white (or red-white) dress is a “mournful” dress of a girl who “died” for her former family.
Now about the veil. More recently, this word simply meant "handkerchief." Not the current transparent muslin, but a real thick scarf, which tightly covered the bride's face. Indeed, from the moment of consent to marriage, she was considered "dead", and the inhabitants of the World of the Dead, as a rule, are invisible to the living. And vice versa. It is no coincidence that the famous phrase from N. V. Gogol's "Viya":
“Lift up my eyelids: I can’t see!” So no one could see the bride, and the violation of the ban led to all sorts of misfortunes and even to untimely death, because in this case the border was violated and the Dead World “broke through” into ours, threatening with unpredictable consequences ... For the same reason, the young took each other by the hand exclusively through a handkerchief, and also did not eat or drink (at least the bride) throughout the wedding: after all, at that moment they “were in different worlds”, and only people belonging to to one world, moreover - to one group, only "our own".
Nowadays, young people are also not recommended to diligently treat themselves to their own wedding, and even more so to drink intoxicating drinks, but for a completely different reason. They should soon become Mother and Father, but can drunk spouses have full-fledged children?
It is necessary to mention another interesting custom associated with the joint meal of the bride and groom. In the old days in Rus' they said: "They do not marry those with whom they eat together." It would seem that what's wrong if a guy and a girl work together or hunt and eat from the same bowl, like brother and sister? That's right - like brother and sister. (a joint meal made people “relatives.” And marriages between relatives were not encouraged - again in the interests of posterity ...
... A lot of songs sounded at the Russian wedding, moreover, mostly sad ones. The heavy veil of the bride gradually swelled from sincere tears, even if the girl was walking for her beloved. And the point here is not in the difficulties of living married in the old days, or rather, not only in them. The bride left her family and moved to another. Therefore, she left the guardian spirits of the former kind and handed herself over to the new ones. But there is no need to offend and annoy the former, to look ungrateful. So the girl cried, listening to plaintive songs and trying her best to show her devotion to her parental home, her former relatives and her supernatural patrons - deceased ancestors, and in even more distant times - totem, a mythical progenitor animal ...
This is the depth of historical memory that only one custom reveals to us, the origins of which, moreover, few people know.
And now let's remember Russian (and not only Russian) fairy tales, in which the sympathy of the narrator, and all kind people, is always on the side of the younger sister. She is smart, and beautiful, and a needlewoman, while the elders (usually two) are stupid, grumpy and ugly ...
This is due to an old custom: until the older sisters were married, the younger sisters could not only accept matchmakers, but even dress beautifully and go to a round dance or gatherings - also a kind of exhibition of brides. And if the older sisters, as in Cinderella or The Scarlet Flower, are evil and lazy, whom no one will marry? Here you immediately source of family quarrels and conflicts. And the younger sister does not have to be a “stepdaughter” at all, this motive appeared later, when the true reason began to be forgotten. The younger sister was already running errands for the elders and walked in tatters, especially if she was really more beautiful: it’s scary to think that suddenly someone would pay attention to her and marry her, bypassing the elders! If this happened - and the older sisters will be forever disgraced, they will almost certainly never be married. So Cinderella doesn't just triumph at the end. She truly commits a "terrible revenge"! ..
It should once again be remembered about the "braid - girlish beauty." Since pagan times, the custom has been preserved to say goodbye to her forever and to braid the young wife with two braids instead of one, moreover, laying the strands one under the other, and not on top. If the girl ran away with her beloved against the will of her parents (it was precisely such a marriage that was called "marriage against the will", the will was meant exclusively by the parent, and not by the bride herself, (as is sometimes thought), the young husband cut off the precious girl's braid and presented it to the newly-made father-in-law and mother-in-law, along with a ransom for kidnapping a girl. And in any case, a married woman had to cover her hair with a headdress or scarf (so that the “power” contained in them would not damage the new family). a headdress meant to cause witchcraft damage to her family, offend her and get into serious trouble - a fine, if not blood feud. And the wedding ransom was called "veno" in Ancient Russia, and this word is related to the words "wreath" and "crown" - girl's hat...
I still need to say a few words on one delicate topic. For some reason, it is believed that in old Russia, and “especially” in Ancient Rus', a girl who gave birth to a child before marriage was considered irreparably disgraced. There are countless "historical" films and books where unfortunate young mothers are haunted by terrible misfortunes: they drown themselves, hang themselves, go crazy, grooms refuse them, parents curse, drive them out of the house ...
Well, in some regions of Russia, girlish chastity was indeed very strictly monitored. But just as often, it looked decidedly the opposite. Premarital children were by no means a hindrance to weddings - not at all! Their mothers were just considered "the first brides in the village." After all, what was the main requirement for a woman since ancient times? To be able to bear and give birth to healthy, strong children. So the guys vied with each other in marriage to young mothers who had already proved their female usefulness. When the girl was getting married - how do you know if the “empty flower” was caught? ..
So bypo, and in particular, in the Russian North, among the Old Believers. Sometimes premarital children were even born on purpose, in order to be more likely to be married, so as not to remain unmarried.
And if the father of a premarital child was a noble warrior, a boyar, the prince himself (it is over such situations that we often sob in the cinema), the young mother was not only not cursed, she was carried in her arms both in her family and in the family of the groom: happiness in lured the house! Everyone knew that warriors, especially noble leaders, were overshadowed by the grace of the Gods. In ancient Rus', a slave who gave birth to a child from the owner was freed from slavery ...

And this is how they try to celebrate the wedding so far in the existing pagan communities:

According to the Slavic custom, the groom kidnapped the bride at the merrymaking, having previously agreed with her about the abduction: “I look like a game ... and that wily of my wife, who is talking with her: the name is two and three wives.” Then the groom gave the father of the bride a vein.
The wedding took place in the afternoon, towards evening. The groom's mother prepared the marriage bed: first she laid sheaves (21 in number), over the feather bed and blanket, and threw a marten fur coat or marten skin (or weasel) on top. Near the bed tubs with honey, barley, wheat, rye were placed. Having prepared everything, the future mother-in-law walked around the bed with a rowan branch in her hand.
Before the wedding, the place of the groom was occupied by the younger brother or teenager, from whom the groom had to buy a place next to the bride. After the ransom, the bride and groom, holding a lit candle in their hands, went to the temple. Dancers walked ahead of them, behind them they carried a cow, on which lay pieces of silver. Behind the young, the showered carried a bowl of hops, grain and silver. The matchmaker showered the bride and groom from the bowl. The guests wished the bride as many children as there are hairs in a sheepskin coat. After such wishes, the matchmaker mercifully showered the guests as well.
The priest crowned, took the bride by the hand, instructed the groom and ordered them to kiss. The husband covered his wife with the hollow of his dress or cloak, as a sign of patronage and protection, after which the priest gave them a cup of honey. Standing in front of the altar, the husband and wife drank from the cup three times in turn. The bridegroom splashed the rest of the honey on the altar and threw the bowl under his feet, saying:

“Let those be trampled underfoot,
Who will sow discord among us. Whoever stepped foot on the bowl first, according to legend, became the head of the family.
On the way home, the young people walked, tightly clinging to each other, and the guests certainly pulled their sleeves, trying to separate them. After such a simple test, everyone sat down at the table and began to feast. All except the young, in front of whom, although there was a fried chicken, they ate it only at the end of the feast. Young people were not allowed to drink or eat during the wedding feast. At the height of the fun, the young people went into the hallway, where the marriage bed had been prepared in advance.

Goy, goy, Svarog
Pass through the threshold.
Goy, goy, Svarog
Lada, Lada have a pie. Under such parting words, the young people, having captured the ritual cow and a chicken wrapped in a towel, closed themselves in the hallway. At the door, with a drawn sword, the groom's friend walked, guarding the peace of the young.

Kunyu fur coat trample!
Push each other!
Sleep well!
Have fun getting up! After such wishes, the guests retired to the house, but after a while they sent to inquire about "health". If the groom answered that he was in “good health”, then “good” happened. "Having risen cheerfully," the young began to eat. Taking the chicken, the newlywed had to break off the leg and wing, and then throw them back over his shoulder. After tasting chicken and cow, the young people joined the guests and the fun continued.
The groom's friend read blessings: To the guests: Yes, good people!
Amicable guests
Called and not called
Mustachioed and bearded,
Single and unmarried.
At the gates of the gatekeeper,
There are pretenders at the door.
Walking on the floor
Standing in the middle.
From Kuta to the bench
On a curve, on a bench!
Bless!
To the youngsters: Young, young!
good walks,
marten coats,
sable down,
With blindfolded eyes,
With a pity head
golden cocottes,
silver earrings,
father's daughters,
Well done wives!
Bless you!
To the girls: red maidens
cake makers,
combed heads,
shod shins,
Crown Harlots
Removed the sour cream
Kokurki kneaded
Buried under lockdown
They gave shepherds.
Bless!
To the guys: Yesta! small guys
Pig bastards!
crooked stomachs,
honeysuckle legs,
ventral faces,
Looks like an ass.
Bless! After such blessings, the feast flared up with renewed vigor. The feast ended with games, after which those who could still walk went home.
It is necessary to make some remarks on the rite:
The groom at the wedding in white, the bride in red. Almost the entire wedding, the groom holds the bride's hand, emphasizing his affection for her.
Before sharing the marriage bed with a young husband, the wife took off her husband's shoes. There was a coin in one boot, and if it came across in the first boot, then life was expected to be happy.

Ordinary weddings are already rather tired of their monotony: competitions memorized by everyone, bride's dresses, like a blueprint, the groom's traditional black outfit. Wouldn't it be better to change this usual scenario for an unusual and bright holiday for your future family? To do this, it is worth preparing an interesting themed wedding. If you respect the traditions of your ancestors and are not averse to jumping over the fire together, then a Slavic-style wedding is suitable for you, the scenario of which you can compose yourself, based on the original and original Russian history. How to make such a spectacular wedding celebration in the Russian style? Details in this article.

Stylization and realism

To join the traditions of your Slavic ancestors, you need a complete immersion in the theme of the event. Each of the guests should feel like a part of an ancient Slavic cult, and for this it is worth studying in more detail the customs, folklore and ritual component.

In order to get a fun, remote and sincere Russian wedding, you will need a list of what must be present at such an event without fail:

• Place for a holiday. It should meet the traditions and return the newlyweds and guests to the origins of Russian history. It may be a large forest clearing where you can set up an ethnic tent. Or a cozy restaurant on the outskirts of the forest, made of a log house and reminiscent of a Russian folk hut.
• Thematic design. In the decor of the Russian theme, it is necessary to take into account all the necessary attributes, for example, Khokhloma patterns, bagels, loaves, bagels. Traditional Russian samovar and scarves.
• Make stylized invitations for guests.
• Russian menu. It should contain simple, tasty and hearty dishes that Russian cuisine is famous for.
• Think of a wedding plan. From the moment of meeting guests and young people until the evening.
• Bride and groom outfits. They should be special, match the event and personify the connection with the traditions of the ancient Slavs.

Place for celebration

Where will you play such an interesting wedding in Slavic traditions? The venue of the holiday must be decided in advance, based on the time of year. In summer and spring, you can hold a celebration in nature. At your disposal may be an open-air forest glade or a place next to a forest stream.

You can celebrate your wedding in a birch grove, where a picturesque tent will be set up.

If you want the wedding to take place in a real room, then any old manor, estate or hostel is perfect. The main thing is that the buildings should be made of wood and look like a Russian village. The wedding that you are going to hold in the fall or winter is also suitable here. It is not necessary to rent a special restaurant stylized as Russian antiquity, you can think over the design with Slavic attributes yourself or invite professional designers. It all depends on the financial capabilities of the future spouses.

Slavic accents

In order to decorate a room or a place for a wedding celebration, you will need to convey the generosity and beauty of the Russian soul in every small detail.

Be sure to take care of the long tables, showing the hospitality and hospitality of the hosts. Cover them with linen tablecloths embroidered with Slavic patterns.

A painted Russian samovar, as well as exclusive Russian dishes - wooden bowls and spoons, should become an obligatory decoration of the table. In the center of the table, it is imperative to place a Slavic symbol of love and fidelity - a pair of swans carved from wood.

On the walls you can hang traditional Russian gizmos: bouquets of dried flowers, bast shoes, kokoshniks, as well as knitted beads made of apples, garlic and berries. This will be especially relevant when holding a wedding in the Ukrainian manner.

And, of course, do not forget about the traditional Russian Khokhloma, the motives of which should be traced in all the smallest details. For example, on a wedding invitation and in the design of the menu.

Guest invitations

It is also necessary to think over the appearance of such invitations as carefully as possible. After all, this stylization will set your guests in a positive mood long before the wedding itself. The text on the invitation can be printed in old Russian script and in verse form.

When ordering such invitations in a photo workshop, do not confuse the Old Church Slavonic font with the Old Church Slavonic language. In the first version, the invitation will be beautiful and made in the form of an old parchment, and in the second, the guest simply will not be able to read the desired text.

You can also indicate in the invitation that there will be a kind of dress code at the wedding: each of the guests must have either the entire Russian-style outfit or some details. And also come up with special little surprises for guests. For example, a bag with fragrant sachets of field herbs.

Images of the bride and groom

Real Russian bride

At such a stylized themed wedding, of course, the newlyweds will be the main ones - the bride and groom. Therefore, the choice of costumes for the main heroes of the occasion must be approached not only with imagination, but also with knowledge of the features of the traditions of Russian history and Russian life. After all, the image of a Russian beauty who married in ancient times is very remotely similar to the image of a modern Russian bride.

In ancient Rus', the wedding dress was certainly red, trimmed with various Slavic patterns. Therefore, now, in order to observe the Russian national flavor, the bride's dress should also not be pure white.

It must have bright shades: raspberry, burgundy or red inserts that will send us back to the ancient Slavic traditions. Do not forget also a wreath on the head of the bride and a bouquet of flowers, also made of simple, but sincere and dear wild flowers.

The traditional white dress was introduced only during the time of Peter I, who had a weakness for European traditions. However, in those days, only noble people could afford such an absolutely white bridesmaid dress.

Previously, the bride sewed her outfit with her own hands to show how skilled she was in embroidery. And it consisted of a traditional shirt, sundress and kokoshnik, which was also embroidered by the girl herself.

Now brides find a compromise between ancient Slavic traditions and modern fashion trends.

Now the dress may look like an original white outfit, with an indispensable red trim or belt. Crimson and burgundy tones may also be present.

Russian groom

The groom's outfit for the city's Slavic wedding is more significant, since the groom should look not only stylized, but also interesting. There can be no traditional black suit at a Slavic wedding.

Most often they wear a white or red shirt, leather boots, as well as dark trousers with stripes or polka dots. However, if you want to combine modernity and Russian antiquity, then it is enough to put on a Russian shirt embroidered with Slavic patterns with amulets and gird yourself with a red sash. At the bottom, there can be classic suit trousers and shoes, or sandals.

Russian dishes

Russian cuisine has always been a model of hospitability and diversity, since during the feast it was not customary to save money in order to show the breadth of the Russian soul and generosity. What can you treat dear guests?

Fashion trends in the world of food, for example, sushi or pizza, are categorically contraindicated at a Russian wedding. For appetizers, you can serve sandwiches with caviar, herring with onions, pickled cucumbers and mushrooms.

Hot dishes in Rus' are usually hearty and meaty. It can be roast goose, suckling pigs or roasted game. On the second day, guests will like a rich fish soup. Do not forget about the abundance of meat, fish and sweet pies, as well as bundles of bagels and bagels for tea. A wedding cake can also be stylized antique, and drinks, compotes, uzvars and jelly are preferred. Don't forget the traditional mead too.

But the most important thing will be your good mood, cheerful round dances, drinking songs and dances to the traditional Russian gusli, balalaika and button accordion.

Video selection of examples of weddings held in the Slavic style.

Once upon a time I promised to write about Slavic wedding customs. Finally, she mustered her courage. It is worth starting, I think, with the traditions of the pagan period, since it is from there that all the rites that are somehow familiar to us come out - the rites of the so-called historical period.

Unfortunately, there is no data on the age when boys and girls were considered to have reached maturity and are ready to marry. There is also no data on rites associated with the recognition of maturity. Only a special hairstyle and headdress - a wreath or a decorated headband in her hair - is the oldest sign that a girl is ready for marriage.

It is probably worth starting with the forms of marriage that were adopted by the ancient Slavs. In the earliest stages, the Slavs most likely had promiscuity, but by the late pagan period, sexual life was regulated by the norms of marriage. The usual forms of marriage among the Slavs were monogamy and polygamy. Of course, wealthy owners and princes took many wives for themselves, who, in addition to their wives, had harems with concubines. The Laurentian Chronicle of 980 testifies that, for example, Prince Vladimir had 5 wives and 800 concubines in Vyshgorod. There are many terms for such women in Slavic languages. The most well-known terms are "concubine", "counsel" and "apprentice". A rarer phenomenon than polygamy was polyandry (polyandry), and in a very specific form - the cohabitation of two brothers with one wife. Marriage between close relatives was quite common. There was also such a thing as daughter-in-law, when a father, having prematurely married his young son, entered into a relationship with his daughter-in-law. However, the married life of the Slavs was distinguished by orderliness and chastity, especially the fidelity of wives. In the event of the death of a husband, the wife often voluntarily passed away. Of course, there were exceptions and betrayals, but this was punishable by death or chopping off the penis.

It is worth noting, however, that before marriage, the sex life of boys and girls was completely free. And the girl, when she got married, was no longer a virgin. Moreover, she could have children born out of wedlock, which was even welcomed as evidence that the girl was healthy and able to give birth to offspring. And if a man discovered that he was a virgin, then he could easily kick her out with the words: “If you were worth anything, men would love you.” Even more free was the sex life of men. Although a married man was executed for having a relationship with a married woman, he could not limit himself in relationships with unmarried people.

Now, actually, about the wedding. For all peoples, marriage is considered extremely important, and therefore it is accompanied by a significant ceremony. The basis of marriage was the abduction or ransom from another clan or tribe. At the end of the pagan period, two of these forms can be found at once. The abduction of girls by the Slavs was called kidnapping, lurking, withdrawing, taking away, tearing, otmitsa, zavlichane, vlachene, grabene moma, carry away. And the very word "bride" probably indicates a kidnapping. And the name for the payment for the bride was the term "vein", hence, probably, the name of the headdress of an unmarried girl - a wreath.

In cases where it was a non-violent kidnapping of the bride, the groom's messengers negotiated with the bride's father about marriage for a ransom. Then the wedding date was set. The bride was brought to the wedding, and the ceremony began with the betrothal (zaruchina). The bride put her hand into the groom's and they exchanged gifts. Surely these were apples, as a symbol of fertility, and then a black rooster or chicken. After that, the bride was dressed in a wedding dress, which was called a basting. The main color of the bride's dress is white - the color of mourning. Since a girl, getting married, as it were, “died” in the family of her family, her father, and moved to her husband’s house. Another important wedding color was red, or as it was also called "black". So, the white or red and white dress of the Slavic bride is a “mournful” dress. A thick scarf was put on the bride’s head, which completely hid the girl’s face, because from the moment she agreed to marry, she was considered dead, and the dead were invisible to the living. In addition, the groom could take the bride by the hand, also through a scarf, since only people who are in the same world can touch each other, and the bride did not eat or drink the whole wedding for the same reason.

After dressing, the bride was taken to the groom's house, where he carried her over the threshold, since the threshold is the border of the worlds, and this transfer symbolizes the birth of a girl in a new house. There, the young were greeted with honey and bread and showered with grains of cereals, poppy seeds and peas, so that the young wife would be prolific and the family prosperous. Then the bride was led three times around the hearth, to the household gods of which she was supposed to bow and, probably, make a sacrifice. After that, she was put on the animal skin with the fur up, and the wedding loaf was handed out to the guests. The bride's braids were solemnly untwisted and her hair was cut, and the rest was put under a cap, and no one except her husband could see her hair anymore, so that the power contained in them would not damage the new family. To “goof off” a woman, that is, to tear off her headdress, meant to inflict witchcraft damage on her family and shame on the woman herself. For this, a fine or blood feud was relied.

Many songs sounded at the wedding, mostly sad, and the bride had to bitterly mourn her fate, because, moving into a new family, she lost her former spiritual patrons of the clan and handed herself over to new ones. But it was impossible to look ungrateful, so as not to offend them, so the girl tried her best to show devotion to the parental home, the deceased ancestors of the family and the patron gods.

Finally, the bride untied the lacing of her shoes to the groom as a sign of her submission, and he inflicted symbolic blows on her with a whip given by her father-in-law. After that, new shirts were put on the newlyweds and solemnly laid on the bed, and the guests left and continued the fun. After the wedding night, the newlyweds were taken to cleanse themselves with water and, probably, with fire.

Even in the early Christian period, it was believed that this rite was sufficient for marriage even without a wedding, but a wedding without these pagan rites was considered invalid, and could not be considered a marriage.

A wedding is an exciting event for all participants, and a Slavic wedding or even just a wedding in the Slavic style can become an unforgettable, high celebration. Some of the customs of the Slavic wedding are known to everyone - for example, the wedding train, which used to be called the squad, or the presence of a loaf - ritual cookies. A well-known ritual of a Slavic wedding is the laying of an embroidered Slavic towel on the ground, showering the young with hops and rye “for good luck”, a rich feast. And yet there are traditions of the Slavic wedding, which must be remembered and explained. About this - in the article.

According to many sources of ancient chronicles, we know that the Slavic wedding itself began long before its celebration. It all started with matchmaking - a kind of agreement to create a family union, concluded not only between a guy and a girl, but also their parents. In this action, it was important to obtain the two-sided consent of the parents to the young people's decision to get married.

Customs, rituals and traditions of the Slavic wedding

Shortly before the wedding, it was customary to visit the graves of deceased relatives and friends. It was assumed that in this way the future husband and wife receive a blessing from their ancestors. This action is to feel the relationship with the Family Tree. This is very important for the prolongation of the family, when the newlyweds want someone from the family of the husband or wife to be embodied in their family. Such a close relationship with the ancestors was important for the Slavs of ancient times.

Also, before the wedding itself, it was customary to arrange stag and hen parties, which are popular even in modern wedding traditions.

bachelor party(young man, or the groom's party) is not so much a tradition as a rite. It could be followed either the day before the wedding, or a few days before the wedding, which begin from the days of the handshake (betrothal, engagement, or zaruchina). The peculiarity of the bachelor party lies in the ritual feast with their peers and friends who are unmarried. This is a farewell to carelessness, single life, festivities and "free will". Rituals can be expressed in mysteries - theatrical performances, games with masks on the face, riddles, fairy tales and fun.

hen-party(girl's evening, evening, or bride's party) is a ritual pastime of the bride with her unmarried girlfriends, which takes place either on any day from the day of the handshake, or the day before the wedding itself. This is the time when the bride says goodbye to her girlhood, an easy and simple life, where she was not previously required to have great responsibility and independence. All Russians and Slavs know about fun and festivities on such a day. However, in the Russian North, a bachelorette party does not begin with fun at all - here you can find crying, lamentations, poetic regrets. So they see off girlhood and say goodbye to him forever.

Vyunishnik(junins, bypass rite, vyushnik or hailing of the young) is a bypass rite when the wedding time is marked by congratulations, round dances, magnifications, honoring the young who have entered into a family union during the current year. This rite completes the long period of the post-wedding period of time. The Slavic wedding was not a matter of one day, but of a whole period, important for all its participants, and not just for the young. The rite of bindweed or wreath helped the newlyweds to move from one social status to another, from unmarried to married.

Slavic towel and other attributes

Slavic towel is one of the main attributes of the wedding of the Slavs. It is the protection of the family and is passed down from generation to generation. There are about 40 different types of such towels, and all of them are a reflection of different Slavic cultures. Stepping on an embroidered towel spread on the ground means magically protecting your young family with the power of both clans, as well as future descendants of the new family.

Loaf- This is a baked bread made from sweet dough with various decorations on it, also made from dough (curls, flowers, braids, leaves). It symbolizes a rich life, prosperity for a young family. With the help of a loaf, a ceremony was also performed that united the bride and groom with the gods, giving people the opportunity to feed themselves on earth. For example, there was reverence for Mother Earth and Father Heaven.

Rings symbolized the Sun, a connection with the solar symbolism of the Slavs. They are also symbols of love, unity, fidelity and harmony.

Wreath- part of the Slavic paraphernalia, symbolizing for a young couple the eternal love and power of the Sun, hidden in herbs and flowers.

Homespun towel with which the hands of the bride and groom are tied.

Modern wedding in Slavic style

The traditions of the Slavic wedding are not fully fulfilled now, of course. But weddings in the Slavic style are gaining popularity. Today they lay a towel on the floor in marriage salons, bake a festive ritual loaf, young people put on rings. The bride can put on a wreath of herbs and flowers, or the newlyweds put on woven headbands, and the bride can wear a Slavic-style dress embroidered with protective embroidery.

A sorcerer or priest is invited to such a wedding, who pronounces praises to the Gods, honors the ancestors of the two families of the bride and groom, and solemnly combines the couple into a union. The action takes place in the bosom of nature. After the wedding, the guests shower the newlyweds with grains of wheat, "knobs" of real hops.

Despite the lost traditions, the Slavic wedding still continues to exist in different cultures and peoples of the Slavs. It is now possible to thoroughly repeat the entire ritual of such an event if you put together all the pieces that have been preserved in the annals and legends. But it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the cultures of the southern, western, eastern and northern Slavs. They can be very different in some ways even with regard to weddings.

Knowledge of the culture and history of our ancestors is necessary for spiritual self-development and broadening one's horizons. The bizarre and sometimes senselessly cruel rites of the ancient Slavs have always been attractive for study by historians. wedding as it is

There were three main tribes in Ancient Rus':

Drevlyans
northerners
Glade
Each tribe had certain wedding traditions unique to them. The unbridled northerners and drevlyans acted unceremoniously, and simply stole their future wives from their father's houses. After the traditional abduction, they began to lead a normal family life without any celebrations. The glades were more restrained in their manifestations, for them respect for a woman, and for the institution of marriage in general, was in the first place. According to their concepts, it was believed that a husband and wife should live together all their lives in respect for each other.

The wedding has long been celebrated noisily and cheerfully, and Slavic wedding rites were extremely far from modesty and silence. A wedding in Rus' was always played for more than one day, and usually all members of the tribe took part in it. In pre-Christian Rus', there was the word "game", meaning any holiday held by the ancient Slavs. Therefore, the wedding is precisely “played”, because this phrase is rooted in hoary antiquity.

Many historians believe that the nature of wedding customs can be used to judge the moral qualities of a particular nation. But this cannot apply to Rus' for the sole reason that many tribes existed side by side on its territory, and each of them married according to its own special traditions.

Some concepts of the ancient Slavs have taken root in our minds to this day. The glades believed that the groom should bring his chosen one only to his parental home. And nothing else. This rule was strictly followed and strictly obeyed. Other tribes were distinguished by barbarian customs. Stealing a bride, or even having several wives instead of one, is a common harsh reality of those times.

The ancient clearings were wiser in this regard. The man in their family was the head of the family, the parents agreed and blessed the marriage of their children. There were cases when mother and father gave their young daughter in marriage, against her wishes.

ancient wedding customs

The rites of the ancient Slavs, including wedding ones, were sometimes completely ridiculous, and at the same time unjustifiably cruel towards an innocent bride. Very often, the girl was assigned the role of a wordless victim, who had to meekly endure all scourging and humiliation. Guests from near and far abroad were covered with a sticky sweat of fear when they saw with their own eyes the ancient Slavic custom of "unshoeing one's wife." The unfortunate woman was stripped naked and a severe beating of her body with a whip began. Sometimes, instead of a whip, an ordinary boot top was used. The passage of this ceremony was a clear example of the future obedient silence and the complete enslavement of the wife by her husband. It is terrible even to imagine what the poor bride experienced, going through such sophisticated torture.

The pagans practiced marriage near nearby bodies of water. Streams, lakes, rivers - these places were considered sacred, because the pagans worshiped the supreme natural forces and believed in their undeniable power. The future husband and wife walked around the pond three times, and only then their joint union was recognized as valid. This ceremony was carried out for quite a long time, and only with the advent of Christian culture was it replaced by a more famous wedding in our time.

Slavic rituals were sometimes distinguished by some originality. On the first Sunday after Easter, the young men indulged in fun on the hill, splashing water on the girls who sympathized with them. As a result, it was necessary to enter into marriage with the girl whom he had taken aback with water from head to toe. The Slavs passionately believed in the power of water. The water element was the most sacred for them, because without it, all life on earth would have died long ago.

Reliable sources about the weddings of the ancient Slavs do not currently exist. All information is taken from the chronicles found during excavations, and it is not a fact that the customs described in them are the true truth. The outstanding historian of the Russian Empire Karamzin Nikolay spoke about the absence of a wedding ceremony among the Slavs. But wedding traditions were inhuman and ruthless in relation to the wife.

The husband bought his wife as a commodity and turned her into his obedient slave. The chosen one of the man was a virgin, and after the act of defloration, she was completely given over to the possession of her tyrant husband. If the spouse died before the wife, then according to ancient custom, she was obliged to set herself on fire and burn at the ritual fire. If a woman refused to kill herself in this way, then a heavy stigma of shame fell on her entire family. In pre-Christian Rus', there were three main milestones in the life path of a person:

The birth
The conclusion of marriage bonds
Departure to another world
When Orthodoxy was adopted, the ancient traditions were practically not shaken. Only a few of them have changed under the influence of time.