home › Prayers › Wedding towel. Family amulet: why do you need a towel for a wedding and what to do with a towel after the sacrament? "God's" towel or towel "under the icons"

Wedding towel. Family amulet: why do you need a towel for a wedding and what to do with a towel after the sacrament? "God's" towel or towel "under the icons"

Being on the verge of an important event, young people pay special attention to customs and canons. A wedding towel for a loaf remains an obligatory accessory of the marriage ceremony. This is a significant attribute of a traditional wedding, both in the national style and in the rustic style.

What in Russia is called a towel, in the Ukrainian version sounds like "Towel": from the word "destroy", "tear". There is another meaning of the word - “to move”, therefore the ceremonial towel among the Eastern Slavs is a symbol of the path.

A towel has always been a mandatory attribute of a wedding., as it became the personification of a successful path to family life. Today it is an element of decor in which the newlyweds continue to invest sacred meaning.

Story

This ancient accessory appeared long before the Christianization of Russia. It was believed that by embroidering certain patterns on a linen or canvas piece of fabric, Rod could be protected from the evil eye. Such a talisman for the family promised well-being, fidelity, health, the birth of children. There was a special approach to wedding towels.

Initially future the bride was obliged to embroider up to 40 ceremonial towels with her own hands. They were given to matchmakers, guests - at the time of the matchmaking, at a long marriage ceremony (a wedding in some regions could be celebrated for a week).

It is interesting! There was a minimum. The girl had to embroider at least 12 towels. The rest was done by women of her kind - so that they would not think that the potential wife was lazy and impatient. The most magnificent in decoration and abundance of pattern was a towel for a loaf.

Types of towels

Today, the number of wedding accessories has been simplified, it remains 6 obligatory varieties sacred canvas. They accompany the key moments of the marriage:

"Hand-bited" The towel was given to the future parents of the groom. If the girl refused - she gave a pumpkin, if she agreed - an embroidered towel.
"Blessed" decorated with icons with which parents instructed the young to live together in love and fidelity.
Towel under your feet symbolized the beginning of a new life.
"Union" bandaged the hands of the bride and groom as a sign of unity. It used to replace what wedding rings do today.
"God" the sacred canvas was intended to decorate the icons that the young people held during the wedding.
"Hospitable" towel - the embodiment of the wishes of prosperity and well-being. His embroidery differs from the rules for applying patterns.

The key role of the accessory is to attract wealth and a demonstration of caring for another wedding shrine, .

It was kneaded only by women who were happy in their married life, so no one except them could take wedding bread with their hands, this was considered a bad omen.

The canvas under the loaf is distinguished by lush patterns, inscriptions that have come down from antiquity, such as "Bread and salt", and modern ones, for example, "May you live happily ever after!".

Important! Previously, more attention was paid to this variety of ritual towels: married couples were created not so much on the basis of mutual feelings, but on the material security of the second half. So, unmarried girls did not skimp on the beautiful design of the canvas, and the word “love” itself was not embroidered, it was embodied by a special ornament in the form of paired birds or flowers.

What should be a traditional towel

A towel for wedding bread looks like a piece of fabric, in the center of which there should be a loaf. Accessory size may be from 42 centimeters to 1.5 meters. The central part of the accessory remains free from embroidery. One fourth of the canvas on the left and right is occupied by patterns, inscriptions with wishes.

Since most modern couples at the wedding ceremony are limited only to a wedding towel for a loaf, the canvas is decorated with any embroidery: beads, wishes, marriage symbols, roses, etc..

In the photo and pictures below, examples of various towel options for wedding bread and salt:

Where could I buy?

You can buy an original accessory for a loaf:

in online stores;
wedding salons;
order from the master of hand or machine embroidery.

Sometimes girls do not trust anyone to create a ritual towel. But if there is no time, they ask for help from women of their kind: mothers, grandmothers, godparents.

How to choose?

From whom to order a towel for a loaf (at a company or from a familiar embroiderer) is an individual question. The price of the work may not differ.

When choosing, they are guided by simple principles:

Colorful printed towels should not smell like paint;
It is better to acquire from the moment of application to the registry office. There are 2 explanations for this. First, the bride will have other chores. Secondly, it is likely that the manufacture of this accessory will have to wait a long time. It is necessary to take into account the seasonality of weddings;
They don’t take used towels, which is considered a bad omen;
It is important that the length of the product is divided into 7 equal parts - this is required by custom.

Brides should take into account that the main advantage of a factory-made product is the guaranteed accuracy of the pattern on both sides. However, only the towel that the master embroidered on an individual order can be unique.

How much does it cost?

The price range for these accessories starts from 150 rubles on average (in Moscow) is a color print on a textile product, and from 300 - 700 rubles there is an embroidered towel with a minimal pattern.

The splendor of the pattern, the quality and length of the canvas, the fame of the manufacturer affect its cost. You can buy a towel for a loaf from a garment factory for 1300 - 1800 rubles. When placing an order, the production time is taken into account. Machine embroidery is faster ( 3 to 7 days unless it's high wedding season).

How to use?

Witnesses spread a towel on the floor (ground) under the feet of the young just before the start of the wedding (marriage in the registry office). Young people step on it, preferably at the same time, and stand on the towel all the time of the ceremony. The bride is on the left, the groom on the right.

After the end, the witnesses lift the canvas and fold it, take it with them. they oblige to keep a wedding towel all their lives, removing it for important family events - the birth of children, wedding anniversaries.

It is interesting that in the old days, during the wedding, the young on the towel were on their knees, the modern ceremony is less cruel in this sense. You can only stand on the part of the fabric that is free from embroidery, this is "God's place", a conductor of power.

Where to buy and how much?

If the bride is not a needlewoman, and there are no embroiderers among the relatives of the future newlyweds, you can buy a wedding towel. Wherein give preference to handmade products, and not factory, despite the higher cost.

The cheapest wedding towels can be found in online stores, they offer models with machine embroidery(usually cotton, less often linen) and machine-made lace. This product will cost 300-1500 rubles.

Hand embroidery private masters costs (depending on the material, size, amount of work performed) from 500 to 3000 rubles (and more), especially expressive - with artistic embroidery, beads, embroidered with silk - can "pull" on 4000 rubles or more.

Wedding salons offer both factory-made (woven, without embroidery or with machine embroidery) models, as well as exclusive products from famous embroiderers. In the first case, the cost will be 500-2000 rubles, in the second - the price only starts from 2000 rubles.

Video: about an Orthodox wedding

Pavel Yeletsky tells about all the nuances of a wedding in the Orthodox Church:

Tastefully selected and lovingly embroidered wedding towel will decorate the ceremony and become a symbol of a new family. And let us, modern people, do not believe in signs, but this one - a long towel for a long life - should not be forgotten!

Folk signs for a wedding - the experience of generations. And superstition is something that is not a tradition and is based on the fears and fears of narrow-profile old-timers. The difference between superstitions and signs is obvious, but they are confused. As a result, some people base wedding preparations not on traditions, but on superstitions. Consider why you need a wedding towel under your feet and what signs are associated with it.

Why Superstitions Shouldn't Be Followed

Superstitions are inherent in any ritual. And the wedding is no exception. Therefore, the wedding has signs and superstitions. But you should not believe or rely on them.

They are not a guarantee of the fulfillment of a particular prediction. But they only increase the likelihood of a similar outcome of this or that action in the life of a couple.

Everyone decides for himself what is a sign for him, and what is superstition, what to believe and what not.

But it is important to know the key wedding omens that it is important to remember in the course of preparing for the wedding and find out what are the popular superstitions and not to panic. This will create the perfect wedding filled with positive emotions, fun and joy.

Distinguishing omens from superstitions is easy. It is enough to turn on the logic and think about what is the basis for the emergence of belief. Fear or desire to observe auspicious traditions? Previously, people tried to observe the peculiarities of wedding rituals, so they knew the key signs, studied the symbolism of signs.

The clues are varied. The most popular are the following.

The groom should not see the bride's dress before the wedding;
The length of the dress is the length of married life;
Before the wedding, the couple should eat one dessert for two, then the lovers will live happily and happily;
When the ransom is completed, the outfit of the bride and groom must be connected with a pin (and the couple in love must not be separated before the place of marriage registration);
Previously, some time before the start of the ceremony, it is necessary to cover the bride's face with a veil, this will save from the evil eye;
When the groom takes the bride from her parents' house, the girl's mother washes the floors - this means the ease of the road to a new house (there is no need to wash the threshold, this promises a quick return to her parents);
The bride's outfit must be integral (if there is a separate skirt and corset, this promises an unhappy married life);
There will be no quarrels if, before entering the couple’s house, the newlyweds break the plate “for good luck”, join hands and step over the pieces together;
A couple will live comfortably if, at the exit from the place of marriage, they are showered with money and wheat.
Particular attention was paid to the date of the celebration. It was believed that the best days are 7.12, 3, 5, 9 of the month.
The 13th was considered unlucky, which predicted failure in marriage.
Rings were also given special importance. More about choice.

Traditions

A wedding towel under the feet and the signs associated with it are the most important part of the wedding, so the bride once worked on its creation for several months. Today, wedding towels are more often bought, so they are either made by machine or by a craftswoman-needlewoman. Very rarely does a bride embroider a wedding towel today.

Once, in the process of preparing for the wedding, the bride had to embroider more than 40 towels with her own hands. According to tradition, the wedding was a complex ritual, where two clans were united, a program was created for the future of the couple. And for each ceremony there was a separate towel.

The most important towel is the one that is placed under the feet of a couple during a wedding in a church. This towel is a symbol of a special atmosphere and a special time. The towel was decorated with paired patterns: a pair of birds, garlands. The main color is red (symbolizes beauty, life, love).

The list of obligatory towels, without which a wedding cannot do, includes:

Basic;
Allied;
Goddess.

Wedding "under the feet" is used everywhere: in the registry office, and during the wedding in the church. It is spread out in front of the bride and groom, when the couple stands on the towel, thereby expressing their desire to get married. The couple stands on the towel throughout the ceremony. The bride and groom should try to stand in the middle of the towel, where there are no patterns and embroidery. It is believed that this is God's place where the couple receives a blessing. Patterns should not be stepped on. If someone stepped on the pattern of a pair of birds, it means that they will trample on family life.

Therefore, this pattern is rarely used for embroidery. And they replace it with floral, geometric patterns. In the middle there is a clean large area where both partners can fit.

Previously, they were on their knees on the towel. Today they are stepping on it.
It is believed that the one who first puts on the towel will become the head of the family (this ceremony is performed when leaving the church, at the entrance to the new house of a young family). When a towel is placed under the feet of a couple, it is important that no one steps on it before the bride and groom. Today, people have little faith in omens or belief. But not as much as before.

Other signs of a wedding towel relate to its appearance and features of creation / embroidery:

There should not be drawings in the middle of the towel, because these are obstacles and hindrances in married life.
You should not sew a towel from several pieces if you want the family to live nicely, okay, and everything goes smoothly.
Before embroidering, you should wash your hands and embroider in a peaceful state. And in the course of creating a towel, the bride should think about the good.
The towel should be embroidered on Thursday morning, only at the beginning of the day, when the sun rises.
It is necessary to embroider with the same needles with which embroidery began (then family life will pass without losses and malfunctions).

There is an opinion that one who does not know about superstition or omen is not subject to their influence. But psychologists note that the influence of signs and superstitions is directly related to what a particular person believes in. Therefore, superstitions are not true.

They are empowered by people. Some are afraid of something, while others boldly set the wedding day on the 13th and live happily for many years. Listening to superstitions, it is important to hear, first of all, yourself.

Does the superstition or omen resonate with your way of thinking? If yes, and it suits you, then you do not need to do anything about it. And if superstitions and signs interfere with living and preparing for the wedding, you should think about whether extraneous observations and fears take up too much space in your life?

According to tradition, at least 40 towels are used in the wedding ceremony, and five need to be prepared for the wedding. Then this required attribute is needed and what does it symbolize? We tell you how to choose the right wedding towel and what to do with it after the sacrament.

A towel is a piece of fabric, most often linen, with an ornament embroidered along the edges. In Russia, up to 40 towels were prepared for the ceremony, including for icons, to decorate the wedding “train”, for boyfriend and girlfriend, a special towel that the bride brought to her husband’s house.

Today, five types of accessories are needed for a ceremony in a church:

two for the bride and groom;
under the loaf;
for binding the hands of the young;
wedding towel, which is laid under the feet during the ceremony.

If earlier there was a strict rule - the bride and groom knelt on the towel in front of the priest, today it is allowed to step on the accessory with your feet.

Signs and traditions

A number of traditions and beliefs are associated with the wedding towel.

During the time, they make sure that no one, except for the young, steps on the wedding towel and takes away a piece of the happiness of the newlyweds.

Of particular importance is the ornament applied to the towel. Patterns have a certain symbolism:

eight-pointed star- a sign of the Sun and God;
wavy lines- infinity of life;
vine symbolizes fertility and prosperity;
flower buds- procreation;
viburnum and mallow associated with the image of the bride, these patterns denote beauty and chastity;
pair of pigeons- a symbol of marriage, love and fidelity.

Interesting! The snow-white wedding towel symbolizes a cloud on which a couple of spouses rise to God for marriage in heaven. At this moment, the newlyweds seem to break away from the earthly world and find themselves in the Kingdom of Heaven for the blessing of the Almighty.

Selection rules

A towel is a symbolic attribute by which the future family life of a couple was judged, so the choice of this important accessory was taken seriously. For a wedding, only a towel made of a solid canvas is suitable. There should not be any lace and openwork inserts. Also important is a solid uninterrupted ornament, which symbolizes a long and happy marriage without shocks.

Beliefs say that you should purchase or make your own towel with a geometric or floral ornament, choosing a pattern depending on its symbolism.

The pattern does not have to be symmetrical. It can only be on one side. The main thing is that the embroidery should be only around the edges. The center of the accessory, which was called God's place, should remain free from patterns, because young people stand on the towel with their feet and can trample on their happiness. There should not be on the wedding towel and inscriptions with wishes.

Advice! The length and width of the attribute does not matter, but two people must fit on it - the bride and groom.

Traditionally, a white or pink towel is chosen for a wedding. It is these colors that symbolize the purity of thoughts, the tenderness with which the future spouses will go through life hand in hand, and at the sacred level - the sky and clouds.

Price

A huge range of wedding accessories is presented in city and online stores. The cost of the attribute depends on the quality of the product, material, dimensions. A hand-embroidered ornament is valued more than a pattern applied with a machine tool. The price of a towel under your feet will average from 500 to 2000 rubles.

Significantly save money, you can embroider a towel yourself. This is exactly what the girls in Russia did. The brides themselves chose the ornament, taking into account the symbolism of the patterns. It was believed that the towel embroidered by the bride would serve as a strong amulet for the family. Such an accessory was also an indicator of the girl's diligence.

For embroidery, natural threads - silk or wool - were used. Acrylic patterns embodied the artificiality of intentions and feelings. Towels were embroidered during daylight hours and certainly in a good mood, so that the future family life would be happy and prosperous. Work was advised to start on Thursday morning. It is important to ensure that the wrong side of the pattern is no less accurate than the front side, so that the marriage proceeds evenly and smoothly.

What to do with the towel after?

After the wedding, all the attributes, including the towel, are carefully stored in the house. This is not just a decoration and a reminder of a significant event in the life of the spouses. stacked in a chest or hung in a conspicuous place. Some believe in a sign that the accessory must be twisted into a tube during storage in order to protect the family from the evil eye and evil spirits.

The towel, on which the newlyweds stood in the temple, becomes a family talisman and a symbol of a strong marriage. It is customary to get it and use it during the celebration of a wedding anniversary.

Useful video

When purchasing wedding accessories:, icons and, do not forget about the towel. After all, this accessory can not only decorate the ceremony, but also become a symbol of a new family. About what it is, what kind of towels are and why they are needed - in the video:

Conclusion

Not a single wedding is complete without a towel. In order for family life to be prosperous, they try to choose the right ornament and make sure that the patterns are embroidered neatly. However, do not forget that it is good to have a family amulet, but spouses have to forge family happiness daily and tirelessly.

And now about each in more detail ...

"Handmade" towel

It was the most beautiful, the largest and was given after the matchmaking from the bride's parents to the groom as a sign of consent to marriage. Then the girl embroidered towels for her lover's family, which were then used in the wedding ceremony.

"Blessed" towels

These were beautiful embroidered towels that parents prepared to decorate the icon for blessing before the wedding of their children. They had a lot of red embroidery.

He is perhaps the most important at the wedding ceremony, because it is he who decides how the future life of the new family will turn out. In the registry office during the marriage process or in the church during the wedding, the witnesses spread the "wedding" white towel on the floor in front of the newlyweds, on which they stood. The center of the cloth should remain white, thereby personifying the connection with space. The towel symbolized a white cloud, on which the bride and groom, as it were, ascended to the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Lord Himself blessed their marriage and sealed it with the sacred bonds of marriage. Therefore, it is forbidden to embroider rings, flowers, the wish “For good luck!”, Two birds symbolizing the young, because when the bride and groom stand on such a towel, they will trample on all the good that could be in their family future. The best option for embroidery on a wedding towel is a floral ornament or a geometric pattern. If a girl decides to embroider a towel by hand, then in no case should she be helped by her mother or sister, otherwise her son-in-law will be sent away (repelled).

"Union" towel

With this towel, the priest bandaged the hands of the newlyweds, as a symbol of the unity and affection for each other of the bride and groom, these towels were decorated with the inscription "advice and love", floral ornaments, doves, swans, rings that appeared only in the Soviet years, etc. A white or embroidered with white thread allied towel - for a cloudless life, for joy - with red threads.

"Hospitable" towel or towel under the loaf

It is the brightest of all and there are no restrictions for it. On such a towel lay a wedding loaf, with which the parents met the young couple after the marriage or wedding ceremony. The towel on the sides was decorated with an image of a bird couple looking at each other, symbolizing happy newlyweds, sincere and faithful towards each other in their future family life, wish inscriptions, floral ornaments symbolized the wishes of prosperity and well-being. And the inscription on the towel "Bread and salt" symbolizes prosperity and harmony in their family.

"God's" towel or towel "under the icons"

For the bride and groom, the ornaments on the towels under the Holy Faces are different. The common element is only grape leaves with clusters, symbolizing prosperity in the house. On the groom's towel, acorns and oak leaves are embroidered, which personify male power, and on the bride's towel - lilies and viburnum, symbols of beauty and procreation, respectively. Be sure to say a prayer before embroidering ornaments: “Creator and Creator of all kinds, God, the works of our hands, to Your glory begin, hastily correct Your blessing, and deliver us from all evil, as the only omnipotent and Humanitarian.” At the end of the work: “You are the fulfillment of all good things, my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness and save me, as One is many-merciful, Lord, glory to You.” Please note that the pattern of the ornament goes at an angle.

Towel sizes

According to tradition, the size of a wedding towel is divided by 7 without a trace. The length is divided into three equal parts and the middle, one third, must be left white. Nowadays, few people adhere to this rule and choose a white canvas 2 to 3 m long for towels “under the loaf” and “under the feet”. quarters of the towel, so it turns out the length in width from 45 to 50 cm. By repeating the pattern, the width of the towel is determined, the amount of embroidery (the free space in the middle should be enough for the legs of the newlyweds) - the length. The towel is hemmed by hand, grabbing the base thread through the cross, so that a dotted line is obtained on the face, only if a fabric without an edge was taken for it. The hem depends on the fabric, for example, coarse calico or linen is tucked 0.5 cm 2 times. The pattern should be symmetrical and there should not be a white border on the sides. The sizes of towels "under the icons" and "union": length from 1.8 to 2 m, and the width of the towel depends on the pattern.