Wedding ceremonies and traditions in Rus'. How was the wedding ceremony in Rus'

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 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.

The wedding ceremony is the most intimate ritual in the life of every person. We all strive to find our soul mate, we dream of uniting fate with a person of the opposite sex, very similar to us and close in spirit.

The rite of matchmaking has its roots in our distant ancestors - in the days of Ancient Rus'. Then the rituals were paid more attention than now, but to this day the wedding ceremony has not lost its popularity. Despite the fashion for civil marriages, most of the newlyweds still seek to tie themselves by legal marriage. In this article we will tell you how our ancestors passed.

For the conclusion of a marriage union among our ancestors, it was important that the groom and bride match in status (this also included the financial situation). For wealthy women, the same suitors were selected and vice versa.

It is noteworthy that the future husband and wife might not even see each other before the wedding ceremony. As a rule, parents were engaged in choosing a bride for their son.

At the same time, marriages were concluded at a very early age - the girl should have been no more than 13 years old, but by this time she already knew how to manage the household, which she was taught from early childhood.

Wedding ceremonies among the ancient Russians were performed in three stages:

• first there was a matchmaking;
• then the donation of a dowry;
• followed by a bachelorette party and a bachelor party.

matchmaking ceremony

When a decision was made to conclude a marriage union, the bride and her relatives were actively preparing to meet the groom with his parents (that is, matchmakers). For this meeting, a celebration was organized with a delicious dinner.

The groom should have come with his relatives (they took his father, grandfather, brothers) on a cart pulled by horses. The cart was decorated with ribbons and bells, so that at first glance it became clear that matchmaking was ahead. And the bride, hearing the approach of her betrothed, ran out into the street and met the matchmakers.

Then the relatives met. The groom presented gifts to the bride's parents. This rite symbolized respect and the presence of serious intentions about their daughter.

Dowry donation

When the parents blessed the marriage union, they set the wedding date. The bride then took care of preparing her dowry with her mother, elder sister and grandmother.

The nature of the dowry depended on the financial situation of the family. But usually they were clothing and household items, paintings, bedding, carpets, and so on.

Bachelorette and bachelor party

The bride should have organized a bachelorette party. It was held 3 days before the wedding ceremony.

But, unlike the modern version of a fun party, then all the women living in the village, friends and relatives gathered for a bachelorette party. Also, a vytnitsa was invited without fail. She sang a sad song that brought the future bride to tears. This symbolized farewell to the young years of life, carelessness and parents.

The bride had to cry at the bachelorette party without fail - otherwise, an unsuccessful marriage union awaited her.

Then all the women were invited to the dwelling - they drank wine, ate and cried. The bride should have presented everyone present with two belts. After that, the collective singing of songs began. If the parents allowed, then the girl and her friends went to the field (in the summer), and in the winter they went sledding and sang songs loudly.

At the end, the bride took her best friends and went to the bathhouse, where she was bathed before the wedding.

As for the groom, in his case the situation was not so cheerful - he had to go to the bath alone and not utter a single word throughout the night.

Wedding in Rus'

The wedding was the 2nd stage of the solemn ceremony of marriage. The first part of the ceremony was performed in the morning, before sunrise. The future wife needed to read various spells from the evil eye in the home of her future spouse.

Then the groom came to the bride, but before getting his future wife, he had to cope with a lot of difficult tasks. Everything went in a fun way. All the relatives of the girl took part in this.

First of all, the groom was blocked from entering the village, and then to the gate. If the groom could not overcome obstacles, he had to pay with money.

The wedding ceremony itself was very cheerful and solemn. When the young people entered the venue, the groom's mother poured oats and millet on them, which symbolized prosperity in the future union.

Everyone was traditionally invited to the wedding: relatives, neighbors and friends. Also, even strangers could easily enter it.

What did the white color of the dress mean?

It was not for nothing that the dress for the wedding was chosen white - this color personified the innocence and spiritual purity of the bride. If the bride had lost her innocence at the time of marriage, she was forbidden to wear a white dress.

The bride's mother-in-law made the bouquet for the bride. For this purpose, only wild flowers were used (even in winter).

Traditionally, the wedding in Rus' was celebrated for three days. Thus, the newlyweds were tested for endurance. They had to sit out for 3 days if they wanted to live a happy family life.

On the second day, the newly-made husband and wife went to a bed prepared in advance for them by their relatives (it was not necessarily in the house, it could be a barn, a hayloft and a bathhouse). There they made love, and subsequently anyone who wished had the right to go there and check the girl's attire, which confirmed her innocence.

When the young spouses returned to the wedding celebration, the matchmaker had to remove the veil from the bride's head and put on the kiku. In the following, we will pay more attention to this moment in order to understand what it meant.

Ritual of removing the veil from the bride

The tradition of covering the bride's head with a veil came to Rus' from Western countries. Prior to this, wreaths with flowers were used instead of veils. The removal of the veil had a very symbolic meaning - it indicated that now the status of the girl had changed and from now on she turns into a married lady, leaves her parents' house, grows up, starts her own family and is ready for the birth of her own babies.

After removing the veil, the bride becomes a wife and, accordingly, the guardian of the family hearth.

This ritual has not lost its relevance to the present day - today the bride is also supposed to remove the veil, thereby sending her into adulthood.

This is how the wedding ceremony was held by our ancestors - the Slavs. Some moments from it have survived to this day (for example, removing the veil, holding a stag and hen party), and some have irretrievably sunk into oblivion (for example, the matchmaking stage). In any case, it is necessary to respect the traditions of the ancestors, because they had great wisdom and accumulated a lot of life experience, which is passed down from generation to generation through rituals and rituals.

Many people wonder where the beautiful tradition of holding a wedding came from? Why are there bachelor and bachelorette parties? Why does the bride have to wear a white dress? What does veil mean?
It turns out that all wedding traditions and customs came straight to us from our ancestors. The history of wedding customs in Rus' and marriage dates back to the time of Ancient Rus'.

Wedding ceremonies in Rus'

The Slavs believed that the main conditions were that the bride had to correspond to the groom in status, including material. If the girl's family lived in wealth, then the groom was chosen no lower in rank. An interesting fact is that the groom might not even see his future wife in the face, just like her future husband. The wife for the son was chosen by the parents. They could only see each other during the wedding celebration. The bride could be quite young, no older than thirteen. At such a young age, she already knew how to do everything around the house, sew, cook. It was believed that the wedding should be held either in autumn or winter. Pokrov is a sacred holiday honored by the Slavs. The cover blesses the young spouses for a long family, happy life.

Wedding ceremonies in Ancient Rus' took place in three stages. First, it's time to prepare. This stage was called pre-wedding. It included matchmaking, acquaintance with parents, bachelorette party, preparation of a dowry.

Matchmaking

After the couple decided to join the knot, the girl's family was actively preparing for the meeting of the groom and his parents. Father-in-law and mother-in-law were called matchmakers. This family name has remained to this day. A large table was set with a white tablecloth. They cooked a delicious lunch. The young guy should not have just come, especially alone and empty-handed. He was supposed to arrive with all his relatives, his father, grandfather, brothers in a cart drawn by horses. Everything is decorated with ribbons and bells so that everyone can see that people are going to woo. The bride had to hear the groom approaching and run out to meet.

Everyone got acquainted. The young groom gave gifts to his parents. The future father-in-law gave wine, meat, sheepskin coat, animal skin vest. Beaver, fox, bear. The ritual of the gift meant high respect and serious intentions for their daughter.

Dowry

After the blessing of the parents, the date of the wedding was set. Then the girl begins to prepare her dowry. Her mother, older sister, grandmother helped her. The dowry was different and depended on the same marital status:

• dresses;
• fur coats;
• tableware;
• paintings;
• curtains;
• bed linen, blanket, bedspread;
• carpets.

Bachelorette and bachelor party

The newly-made bride spent a bachelorette party. It was carried out on the eve of the upcoming wedding, three days in advance. This is not a fun party of girlfriends with gifts, like we have now. Everything was completely different.
In ancient Rus', the bride gathered all the women of the village, friends, relatives. Be sure to invite a vytnitsa to the house. There were very few of these women in Rus', therefore they were held in high esteem among the Slavs. Vytnitsa sang a song of pain, and the girl was crying. So it was customary to say goodbye to youth, their carefree youth, parental home. She had to cry, otherwise an unhappy marriage awaited.

After that, the girl called all the women to her house at the table. They drank wine, ate, wept. She gave all women two belts. Then everyone started to sing songs. They sang and sang, and if the parents allowed their daughter to leave the house, then they went to the field (in summer) or rode a sleigh (in winter), sang songs loudly in chorus. Then the girl went with her best friends to the bathhouse, who washed her for the upcoming wedding.
But the groom, it was not so fun. He just walked alone to the bath and he had to be silent all night.

Wedding

The second stage of the ancient wedding ceremony in Rus' was called the wedding ceremony, of course, it included the celebration itself. The first wedding ceremony in Rus' began early at dawn. The future wife read various spells from the evil eye in the house of the future husband.

ransom

Then the groom came for his bride, but in order to pick her up, or rather to get to her, he had to complete many difficult tasks. Everything was fun. It was attended by all relatives from the side of the bride. At first they blocked the entrance of the groom to the village itself. Then to the gate. If the groom could not cope with the obstacle, then he had to pay with a coin. They didn't try to rob him to the bone. That's what the tradition said. It was allowed to help only a friend-witness.

The wedding ceremony itself in Rus' took place in a cheerful, solemn atmosphere. At the entrance to the place of the ceremony, the bridegroom's mother sprinkled both of them with oats and millet. This ceremony meant wealth in the future family.

Everyone was invited to the wedding, from young to old. Neighbors, friends and all relatives. Anyone could come to the wedding, even strangers.

What was customary to give for a wedding

According to ancient Russian traditions, it was customary for newlyweds to give

• white towels with a beautiful fringe;
• a whip so that the wife does not forget who is the boss in the house, where her place is;
• various kitchen utensils;
• porcelain, crystal.

Attention

Gifts were given not only to the young, but also to the parents of the newlyweds.

A rich wedding in Rus', whose traditions have survived to this day, looked according to the status of the groom. If the groom is rich, then the festive table is rich. Lots of meat, fresh food, wine, pickles. If the groom was poor, then the wedding table was poor and modest.

Why did the bride wear a white dress.

The Slavs considered the white dress an indicator of the innocence and spiritual purity of the girl. If the girl was not innocent, she had no right to wear a white dress. This was punished and considered as disrespect for Russian traditions.
The girl's bouquet was collected by her mother-in-law from wild flowers, which were found even in winter. That's what the tradition said. In Rus', the wedding was a holiday for the whole village. Everyone sang and danced. The wedding lasted exactly three days. This was done specifically to test the endurance of the young. They had to sit out all three days, otherwise happiness would not be seen.

On the second wedding day, the young people went to a bed prepared in advance by relatives for them, which could be in a barn, in a hayloft or in a bathhouse. Then anyone could come there and see the bride's shirt, proving her innocence. This is how weddings took place in Rus'. Traditions are very interesting and not invented from the head.

After the return of the young spouses to the wedding celebration, the matchmaker removed the veil from the bride and put on the kiku. A headdress that meant that the bride was no longer a girl, but now a wife, a mistress in the house, a future mother.

The wedding ceremonies of the Slavs are still in demand among the current newlyweds. People keep the customs and traditions of their ancestors for decades.

Slavic wedding ceremonies are loved by many modern people. Wedding planners always include many customs and traditions from antiquity.

After the wedding

Three wedding days have passed. Now the young begin to live together. The groom always carried the bride into the house in his arms. This was considered good faith. So he told the brownie that now the hostess is a woman.
A woman and a man remain faithful to each other to the end, because during the marriage ceremony they swore an oath before God. This was considered an important rite in Rus'. Their first kiss happened at the wedding. Over the years, there was love for a friend for a friend and respect.

If the family lived happily, richly, then this meant that they performed all the necessary ceremonies during the wedding and adhered to ancient Russian traditions. The woman kept the dress in a chest and took it out only to give it to her daughter. But it wasn't necessary. The dress could be sewn by the girl herself with her friends.
When the husband died, the wife remained a widow for life, she could no longer marry.

Such interesting traditions came to us from Ancient Rus'. All customs were not invented from scratch, they carried a whole history that has come down to our days.

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 party

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 take a “walk” for the last time.

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 willing.

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 things.

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.

Since ancient times, in the culture of different peoples of the world, wedding traditions have been and remain one of the most striking and original. Ethnic and religious features, traditions of this or that people are manifested in them. After all, the wedding day is the beginning of a new life for the young, the creation of a new family for a community of people.

Unfortunately, today many wedding ceremonies and traditions in Rus' are forgotten, although interest in them has recently been reviving.

Ancient chronicles indicate that generally accepted wedding traditions did not initially exist, different tribes had different customs. Glades, for example, greatly respected the sanctity of marriage bonds, spouses were charged with the duty of maintaining peace in the family, mutual respect. But from the Drevlyans and northerners, one could simply kidnap the girl they liked in their own or another tribe and live with her without any rituals, and in a polygamous marriage.

The gradual unification of the tribes into a single state brought together their traditions, including wedding ones. Until the baptism of Rus', all spheres of life of the ancient Slavs were saturated with paganism, and wedding ceremonies were no exception: pagan deities begged for favor with a new family, danced around fires, poured water over them.

With the baptism of Rus', new customs began to emerge, which significantly affected the order of the wedding, but for many centuries, up to the present day, echoes of paganism are still heard in Russian rituals and traditions. There was a merger of two beliefs, which created a peculiar, characteristic only for Rus', culture.

The main change in the rite of marriage was the need for the consecration of the marriage by the church. Otherwise, the wedding was of its former nature: mass festivities, entertainment, a “feast by the mountain”, often lasting 3-4 days. By the 16th century in Rus', a procedure for conducting a wedding ceremony had developed, which clearly regulated the role of each of its participants, wedding clothes, stages of the wedding, and even the dishes served on the table.

Russian wedding ceremonies were religious and magical actions designed to give the new family health, prosperity, harmony in relationships, and children. In addition, one of the main tasks of such a ceremony was to protect the young couple from the evil eye and damage, since it was believed that it was on this day that they were most vulnerable. Both people and wedding attributes were called upon to protect the newlyweds. So, the bride's veil was supposed to hide her from evil spirits. The groom's friend and bridesmaid should always be with them in order to "confuse" the spirits. The wedding ceremonies of widowed people already took place in a more simplified manner.

Traditionally, autumn and winter were considered the most suitable time for a wedding in Rus'. It was a time free from agricultural work. In the spring and summer, only marriages were concluded according to circumstances, for example, the bride's pregnancy, and in May, marriages were almost not concluded at all.
In addition, there were not so many days suitable for a wedding: weddings were forbidden on Lent, on Shrovetide, Easter Week, Christmas time, on the eve of the Orthodox Twelfth Feasts, and also on the eve of Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, on the day preceding the patronal feasts of that church, on which it was planned to perform the Sacrament of the wedding.

Wedding preparations

They prepared for marriage from the first years of life: the girls learned how to manage the household, prepared a dowry. The wedding ceremony in Rus' obliged the bride to present on the wedding day to each of the groom's relatives as a gift a towel, the groom - an embroidered shirt and underpants, and his mother - three shirts, a cut for a sundress, a scarf for her head.

Brides were chosen at the bridesmaids, which were arranged during spring and summer festivities or patronal holidays. The bridegroom's parents chose the bride, coordinating the choice with all relatives, the guy's opinion was usually not asked. Without the blessing of parents, marriages were extremely rare, considered unhappy and condemned by the public.

Since girls usually did not have the right to choose, they often resorted to fortune-telling, trying to predict what their betrothed would be like when the wedding took place. They guessed most often at Christmas time or on Pokrov Day - from dreams, a mirror, a reflection in water, on candles.

Returning to the Russian wedding ceremony, let's say that after the groom's relatives agreed on the bride's candidacy, they chose an intermediary - a matchmaker or matchmaker, nimble-tongued fellow villagers who knew how to settle such matters.

Matchmaking

The day, time and route of the matchmakers were kept secret. The ceremony of courtship was furnished with many magical actions. Negotiations were conducted either with the father of the bride, or with her older brother or mother. For the second, "official" matchmaking, the bride's parents were already waiting for the matchmakers and preparing the table, lighting candles and lamps. If the bride's parents agreed to the daughter's marriage, a marriage contract was drawn up - a "row entry" that stipulates the entire range of issues related to the marriage being concluded.

The bride gave the groom a pledge - a handkerchief that had great legal force. A few days after that, the father of the bride or her older brother came to the groom's house to inspect his household.

If the bride's parents were satisfied with the inspection of the groom's household, they invited his parents to the bride in the bride's house. For the girl, this was the first wedding test. She was dressed up, a veil was thrown over her face. The matchmaker started a conversation with her, often the girl was forced to demonstrate her skills, forced to walk, checking if she was limping, the groom's father could look at her face. If he kissed the girl on both cheeks, it was a sign that he liked the girl.

In this case, the bride-to-be ended with a "drunk feast." Soon a conspiracy was arranged, during which the compilation of the in-line record was completed, and the dates for the wedding were set. The agreement had legal force, it ended with a rite of handshake: the fathers of the young beat hand in hand, then shook hands with wrapped scarves, each other's hands, and then exchanged a businesslike handshake. Then they exchanged pies, hugged each other with wishes: "Be you my matchmaker and new relatives."

betrothal

The handshake was followed by a ceremony of betrothal (or pilgrimage), at this time the young kissed three times, then exchanged rings. The betrothal was reinforced by hard drinking or drinking - a joint feast. At that time, the bride handed out prepared gifts (towels, shirts, towels) to future relatives, treated the guests with wine, bowing to the ground. After the agreement, the bride was called "conspiracy".

From that moment on, she did not leave the house, mourning her maiden life. The groom, on the contrary, did not sit at home, every day he visited the bride's house with gifts. The evening before the wedding was called "bachelorette party", the bride said goodbye to her family, girl's life, freedom. Her lamentations and sad songs of her girlfriends sounded. At the same time, the ceremony of unweaving a girl's braid was performed. The girl gave the ribbon woven into the braid earlier to her friends. With a lament, her friends escorted her to the bathhouse, where they soared with brooms sent by the groom.

Wedding

In the old days, the wedding ceremony, which was usually performed in the evening, was called the Court of God. In the morning, the bridesmaids equipped the hero of the occasion: they washed, dressed, hung jewelry. Silver was placed in the water for washing. After that, the bride was seated under the icons, wedding songs were sung to her. Then, when everything was ready for the arrival of the groom, the symbol of girlhood - a crown - was placed on the bride's head and two matchmakers were solemnly led out under the arms.

Women-dancers walked in front, followed by caravans, then candle-makers with a massive wedding candle. Next came the wedding rings. The guests sat down at the table, and the matchmaker asked her parents to bless the bride to twist and comb, then she took off her veil and crown, combed the bride in honey with a comb, twisted her hair and put on a kiku, after which she again covered the bride with a veil. During this ceremony, candle makers held a piece of cloth between the bride and groom. The feast continued.

After the third course, the matchmaker asked the parents for blessings, and the young people were taken to church. The guests stood up, the bride's parents held icons in their hands. The newlyweds bowed to the priest, the bride's parents handed her to the groom. The father hit the bride with a whip. ordering to obey her husband, and passed this whip to the newlywed.

After the wedding, the veil was removed from the bride. The whole wedding ceremony was accompanied by a mass of signs that have developed among the people for centuries: who holds the candle higher, who is the first to set foot on the lectern, etc.
When leaving the church, the newlyweds were showered with hemp and flax seeds.

The groom's parents met them at the outskirts or gates of the house, the father-in-law with an icon, and the mother-in-law with bread and salt. The bread was broken over the newlyweds into 2 halves. Young people bowed at the feet of their parents, and they blessed them. The couple walked around the wedding table three times, then the wedding feast began.

wedding feast

The young people at the wedding table did not eat or drink anything, but only accepted congratulations. When the third dish was brought to the table, the young people were led out into the sennik, to the marriage bed.

With the departure of the newlyweds, the feast flared up - they laid the "mountain" table, to which guests usually drove up from the side of the bride. During the night, the young people were unceremoniously lifted out of bed several times, taken to the guests, who did not stop the fun.

In the early morning, the young were awakened again. They were dressed and escorted to the table, where the fun continued. True, it was already, as we now say, “sweet table”. A little later, since the intoxicated guests were no longer up to the young, those who did not get enough sleep and were tired could quietly leave the feast and go to rest.

On the same day, a ritual bath was prepared for the young. They were escorted to wash with songs, sweeping the road with brooms. In the bath, the matchmaker checked the shirt of the newlywed for traces of virginity. Often the fact of the innocence of the young was demonstrated to fellow villagers.

On the third day of the wedding, the young ones were tested - she had to show her skills as a worker and housewife. The young wife stoked the stove, swept the floors, cooked dinner, and the guests had to interfere with her in every possible way.

Traditionally, a Russian wedding lasted three days.