Since ancient times, a Russian wedding has been one of the most vibrant and unique rituals of Russian culture.
Ancient chronicles say that there were no pan-Slavic wedding traditions as such; customs were different among different tribes.
So, for example, the Polyans were more respectful of marriage bonds, considered them sacred, and spouses were charged with mutual respect and maintaining peace in the family.
Other tribes, such as the Drevlyans and northerners, simply kidnapped girls they liked, including from other tribes, and began to live with them without performing any rituals.
Polygamy was also not uncommon in those days.
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Wedding ceremonies
Gradually, the religion and life of the ancient Slavs became more complicated, new deities and traditions appeared, and new rituals were borrowed. In general, over time, morals became softer, primitive savagery gave way to, albeit peculiar, civilization. Bride kidnapping still exists, but it has become more of a ritual that usually took place by agreement of the parties.
Most wedding traditions, such as throwing rice or breaking the wedding cake, go back centuries.
Wedding traditions are divided into several stages. These are pre-wedding customs that include getting to know each other and viewing the bride. Then in wedding traditions we can distinguish pre-wedding preparation: matchmaking, bachelorette party. Then traditionally there are wedding ceremonies - bride ransom, wedding, wedding festivities. But in addition to these wedding traditions, we can recall more “ancient” customs. For example, there is a very interesting wedding tradition of passing wedding ring from generation to generation: from mother to daughter or from father to son. In addition, wedding traditions depend on the area and population category. But the commonality of wedding traditions and wedding ceremonies of different nations exists.
Every nation has many wedding traditions, rituals and signs, because marriage is one of the most important moments in life.
In the past, young people got married very early.
Single life, judging by the proverbs, was not particularly charming:
Not married - not a person,
Single - half a man,
God help the single man, but the mistress will help the married man,
The family is at war, and the lonely one is grieving,
Not the happy one that is with the father, but the happy one that is with the husband,
With him the grief is twice as bad without him.
How ancient weddings took place in ancient Rus'
Before going to church, the bride and groom were seated on a fur. The matchmakers combed their hair, soaking the comb in wine or strong honey. Then they were showered with hops or grain with money, after which the wedding candles were lit with the Epiphany candle.Until the 18th century, that is, before Peter’s innovations, old wedding customs were observed by everyone, including the highest strata of society. Since the 18th century folk ritual begins to be supplanted in high society by pan-European “polites”.
The old pre-revolutionary ritual consisted of three main cycles: pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding, which was the same for all classes. With the strictest adherence to customs, the first cycle included matchmaking, inspection of the house, bachelorette and bachelor parties, ritual washing of the bride and groom in the bathhouse (before the wedding).
The second cycle is the gathering of the wedding train, the arrival of the groom to pick up the bride, the meeting of the newlyweds at the parents' house, the bringing of the dowry, rituals after the first wedding night, etc. The central place was occupied by the wedding feast.
The third and final cycle included “diversions” - visits of the young to their closest relatives.
The wedding ceremony was the same for almost every Russian - from the great princes to the last subject. Otherwise, the marriage rituals of Rus' differed for each class. The variety of rituals and superstitions made a village wedding different from a city one, a noble one from a merchant one, etc. They had one thing in common - each set of rituals was aimed at ensuring harmony, wealth and offspring in the family.
Matchmaking in Rus'
Previously, it was customary to marry in Rus' early. Often the newlyweds were no more than 13 years old. The groom's parents chose the bride, and young people could find out about the wedding when preparations for it were already in full swing.
Nowadays, most families are formed according to mutual love, and the right to choose belongs to the young people getting married, so matchmaking, as in former times, with matchmakers, dowry agreements, deposits and other conditions, now practically does not exist. But even now, according to the rules of etiquette, a young man must come to the bride’s house and ask her parents to marry the girl to him. And this is already a tribute to the traditions of Rus' - in fact, the groom is not asking for permission, but for a kind of approval of their union.
Collusion
According to the ancient tradition, after matchmaking there is a conspiracy. The parties agreed on wedding expenses, gifts, dowries and similar things. All this took place in the bride’s house, where the meal was being prepared.
Bachelorette and bachelor parties
On the eve of the wedding, the bride always invited her friends to visit. They went to the bathhouse, washed, and then combed their hair. Groom and future family life It was customary to depict the bride in black colors, as this symbolized both the bride’s farewell to her friends and girlhood, and a talisman against damage.
The bachelor party is a rather late tradition. The ancient Russian groom went to the bathhouse alone, and custom ordered him, on the contrary, to remain silent. But gradually the bachelor party also became a tradition.
Ransom
The morning of the wedding day used to begin with the lamentations of the bride and the performance of various rituals against the evil eye in the groom's house, and when the groom and his matchmakers came for the bride, a cheerful ransom ceremony began, which many newlyweds love to this day. The bridesmaids ask the groom and his assistant witness difficult questions, ask riddles, or simply say:We won't give it away, we'll help you out! Let's drive you away or let them give you a ransom.
The groom must answer all questions, solve riddles and give his bridesmaids money or sweets.
Sometimes bridesmaids simply hide the bride’s wedding shoes and demand a ransom for them too.
Feast
Previously, the newlyweds were always greeted at the entrance by the mother, who sprinkled oats and millet on her son and daughter-in-law - for protection and wealth. Then the parents had to provide the newlyweds with bread and salt. In ancient times, parents baked bread themselves. The custom of breaking off or cutting off pieces of bread to tell fortunes has survived to this day. Previously, they used to guess about children - who would be born first, a boy or a girl, and how the young people would manage their income.
Wedding night in ancient Rus'
The wedding day ended with the couple seeing off to rest, usually to the bathhouse, hayloft, or even to the barn. This was done to keep the place of their first resting place secret and to protect them from the evil eye and evil slander.
That is why even now many couples sometimes unconsciously strive to spend their first wedding night away from home - in a luxury hotel, on a yacht, or simply in a new apartment where there is no one else.
Previously, the husband took his wife in his arms and carried her into the house in order to deceive the brownie: supposedly the wife was not a stranger from another family, but a born baby.
Most wedding traditions are based on ancient wedding rituals that have come down to us from pagan times that existed many centuries ago, when they had a certain meaning. Of course, weddings today and then in Rus' are very different from each other. Rituals and traditions have passed from past centuries to the present day in a modern and simplified form, having partially lost their original meaning.
On certain dates it was forbidden to hold a wedding, for example, during Lent, during Christmastide, and on Easter.
Often the choice of the bride and groom was made by the parents of the newlyweds. But it happened that parents approved of their children’s own choices.
The bride's parents prepared for their daughter, that is, the property that the bride would take with her after the wedding to her new home. This could be furniture, clothing and jewelry, and even livestock.
Great attention was paid to the wedding night of the newlyweds; after the first day they were escorted to their bed and not disturbed. In the morning, relatives could check if there were stains on the sheets or the bride’s shirt, which indicated the girl’s honesty.
Previously, the sequence of wedding and preceding actions and rituals was as follows: the groom’s relatives to the bride, engagement, and such an unusual stage as “howling”.
They organized it for the bride and her bridesmaids, and for the groom and his friends. Special attention They also paid for the bride's ransom from her relatives, and then the newlyweds were married. Then the newlyweds and guests walked and went to the celebration. 
Even after the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs remained quite superstitious, and this was reflected in their rituals. The main thing was to protect the young from the evil eye and damage.
Matchmaking and betrothal ceremony
IN modern form The matchmaking process is skipped in most cases and is considered optional and symbolic.
And before, not a single wedding was complete without it; the ceremony was called “handshake”. The groom and his friends and relatives came to the bride’s house, they praised the groom and asked for the girl’s hand in marriage. 
On this day, they agreed on when the wedding would take place, discussed the details and calculated the finances.
For the first time, the newlyweds were called bride and groom in front of everyone, and the guy gave the girl a ring and other gifts.
Parents blessed the newlyweds and gave parting words for a happy and long life together. A small feast was arranged, where, in addition to relatives, witnesses to the matchmaking ceremony were present.
"Vytie" and bachelorette party
After the newlyweds were engaged, the wedding began. At this time, the bride was supposed not to leave the house, but to lament and cry about her life in her parents’ house, since after the wedding she moved into the groom’s family in a new status.
The bride's friends and relatives came to the bachelorette party. They also cried and unbraided the bride’s braid, which meant that she was moving to another status, becoming a wife to her husband, a woman. 
Groom's bachelor party
In the old days, a bachelor party was called a “youth party.” As a rule, it took place at the groom's house in the form of a feast, during which farewell to his single life and friends took place. Having had fun, the groom and his relatives went to visit the bride with gifts and a good mood.
Bride ransom
Previously, at the ransom, before the groom came to pick up the bride, they swept the road to the house very well, so that the young people would not come across a stone or an object with a curse along the way.
First, the groom and his friends and relatives bought the way to the house, then the door to the house and the bride’s room, then the future wife herself. This ransom ritual was used to appease both the spirits and relatives of the bride for a happy future life.
In order for the family to have prosperity and well-being, after the ransom and before entering the church, the young people were sprinkled with millet or hops.
Wedding
The wedding ceremony is an ancient Christian rite in the process of a Russian wedding. There was a custom that the bride and groom were taken to church by different roads to ward off the evil eye, or, for example, a superstition that parents were not present at the wedding ceremony.
They laid, and are still laying, a scarf under the feet of the young husband and wife and sprinkled them with small change so that their life would be prosperous. 
At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom simultaneously extinguished the wedding candles, which were then preserved until the birth.
Previously, in church, at weddings, they would also break dishes in order to live happily; part of this sign has been preserved to this day. But now they don’t break dishes in church anymore.
After the wedding ceremony, the bridesmaids braided the young wife’s two braids, put them in a hairstyle around her head and put on a warrior, this is the headdress worn by married women.
In modern weddings, this ritual has evolved into a process where the bride's veil is removed from her head, which also signifies the transition to married life.
Walking
This ancient tradition has been preserved to this day. Before the celebration in the restaurant, the newlyweds ride around the city through parks, memorable and beautiful places.
In the old days, it was a tradition after the wedding of the bride and groom to take them along a winding road to the house of their new husband. 
And it was not customary for the bride to cross the threshold herself; her husband carried her in his arms in order to deceive the evil forces and avoid the bride’s tripping; this was considered a very bad omen.
Just like today, the young parents greeted the newlyweds with bread and salt, and the bride and groom each took a bite of a loaf, which they then broke over their heads.
In the future, the family had to keep this bread all their lives, as a symbol of family wealth.
In addition to wealth, the young people wanted more children, and for this purpose they put the young people on animal skins.
Wedding feast traditions
We walked and celebrated the wedding for several days. The first day was at the groom's house, the second at the bride's house, the third day we walked again at the groom's house.
According to tradition, on the first day of the festivities, the young couple did not eat anything. And after the first day, the ritual of “laying down” the young took place, which meant healthy offspring. 
On the second and third days, the young wife was given checks, for example, she had to light the stove, cook something, sweep.
In ancient times in Rus', weddings were celebrated widely and cheerfully, there were many guests, and the customs were carried out by all participants in the celebration so carefully and clearly that the wedding ceremony lasted several days.
Our ancestors did not rack their brains about where to find a good toastmaster or what competitions to come up with - they had a whole arsenal of signs and rituals that in no case could be ignored.
For luck, the future spouses were given chickens, rice was poured on the threshold and a barn lock was placed under the rug.
Some of these customs have survived to this day, and some would like to be revived.
1. Give birds to the newlyweds
The custom of giving a pair of geese in wedding ribbons came to Rus' from the Lithuanians. In ancient times, these geese were then roasted, and the young ones ate them on the first day. To avoid confusion on the part of guests, you can replace live geese with fried ones, or bake wedding cake in the form of a pair of geese.
2. Friends instead of toastmaster
Friends are very important people at the wedding. Today's witnesses are certainly inferior to them. There should be two groomsmen, they are obliged to help the newlyweds prepare for the wedding, hold the crowns at the wedding, and amuse the guests. Friends are often a good substitute for toastmaster. Groomsmen are chosen from among the groom's unmarried friends, but for modern wedding it is not so important whether the groomsman is married or not, and whose friend he is - the groom's or the bride's. Surely, you have a couple of merry fellows you know who would be suitable for the role of friends.
3. Shower the newlyweds with hops and coins
Upon leaving the church (for those not getting married, from the registry office), the newlyweds were showered with hop and flax seeds for good luck. At princely weddings, handfuls of coins were thrown. Coins are perhaps the best option for showering with “happiness”, because this is a Russian custom, unlike throwing rice, which came to us from India, and besides, rice gets stuck behind the collar and in the folds of clothing, which is not very convenient.
4. Drink beer while paying the bride price
The groom and the groom come to pick up the bride to bathe her. In general, the custom of drinking beer relates to matchmaking, and not to the wedding itself, but since in our time there is no matchmaking as such, you can do it on the wedding day.
The bridesmaids and her groomsmen ask riddles, the groom takes a step closer to the threshold of the bride's house for every correct answer, and takes a sip of beer for every wrong answer. Beer, after all, is not vodka, so even if the groom, who is not thinking well from excitement and happiness, answers all the questions incorrectly, he is unlikely to get very drunk.
5. The bride washes the groom, and the groom gives her bread
After the ransom, the bride, as a sign of her readiness to serve her husband and be devoted to him, washes her father-in-law from the jug, then the mother-in-law and the groom himself. And the groom gives his betrothed bread as a sign that he will be able to feed his family. The bride herself takes a bite of the bread, then the mother-in-law and father-in-law.
6. Matchmaking
Matchmaking is a ritual when the groom's matchmakers find out what the bride is like and how much her dowry is. In essence, it was a preliminary agreement for the wedding. Often, matchmakers not only went to find out details about the bride and negotiate the wedding, but also looked for the right candidate for the groom. According to tradition, matchmakers did not directly talk about the purpose of the visit, but used allegories. The bride's parents pretended that they did not understand what they were talking about and did not immediately agree to marry off their daughter.
7. Bride
Some time after the matchmaking, the bride's parents went to the bridegroom's viewing party. They examined not only the groom, but also the house and household to know where and in what conditions their daughter would live. After the inspection, a rich feast followed, after which the day of the bride's viewing was set.
The bride's viewing party was organized to find out whether she was beautiful, to find out what she could do around the house, and how much dowry she had. If everything was satisfactory, the future father-in-law kissed the girl on both cheeks, and the groom drank to the bottom a glass of honey drink brought by the bride’s mother.
8. Handshake
This ritual has practically not survived to this day. It consisted in the fact that the parents of the newlyweds discussed the financial affairs of the upcoming marriage, found out who would pay for the wedding, and decided where the newlyweds would live. All negotiations ended with a handshake (they shook hands) and an exchange of gifts.
After this ritual, the groom finally met the bride in public to exchange rings with her. An engagement took place.
9. Foods with meaning
A loaf of bread was prepared for the wedding so that the newlyweds would taste it as a sign of unity. Also, according to tradition, the bride and groom were given fried chicken as a gift. This served as a symbol that the newlyweds would now share all the food between two.
10. Initiation of the bride into a married woman
The matchmaker took off the bride's maiden wreath, twisted her hair and put on a woman's headdress - a kika, over which a veil was thrown. Giving his daughter to the groom, the father lightly hit her with a whip so that her husband would obey, then passed the whip to her husband.
11. Vytie
This is a ritual crying that takes place in the bride's home. This ritual is needed to show that the girl lived well in her parents’ house, but after the wedding she will have to leave her father’s house. Howling is a tearful farewell to the bride by her parents, friends and will.
12. Bachelorette party
It is both an ancient and modern wedding ceremony. However, in the past, the bachelorette party was celebrated a little differently than it is now. Friends came to the girl to help sew gifts for the groom and his close relatives, and at the same time the girls sang wedding songs. Sometimes the groom and his friends could also come there and together they would start drinking tea and organizing various youth games. At the same time, the bride spent all her time before the wedding howling and crying, as she said goodbye to her maiden life. Another important point, which was mandatory in the old days, was the bathing of the bride in the bathhouse the day before the wedding.
13. Bride ransom by the groom on the wedding day
Before the ransom, the young bride said goodbye to her parents' home, her parents and her friends. The bridesmaids did not want to give up their friend just like that and demanded a ransom from the groom. Directly on the wedding day itself, both the bride and groom must dress in everything new. By the way, it is interesting to note that previously they did not just pay ransom, but sometimes even organized symbolic fights between the bride’s relatives and the groom’s relatives. After some symbolic resistance, the bride's relatives gave in and handed her over to the groom.
14. Wedding
Now this rite is not considered obligatory, but those young people who are confident that they will be with each other forever, and who are ready to bind themselves to each other before God, perform this wedding rite according to all the rules of the church.
15. Call the proud
Previously, the bride's parents did not come to the wedding feast on the first day, and they were followed by guests in disguise, who were supposed to invite the bride's parents to the feast in a cheerful manner. This ritual was called “calling the proud.”
There are many different wedding traditions: both ancient and modern, each couple chooses what they like best and what the young people and their parents consider more correct, interesting and important.
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From time immemorial, a wedding for a woman was something more than a celebration and a holiday date on the calendar. Consequently, the choice of a wedding dress was approached with greater diligence than any other outfit. It will be interesting to know that white not always associated with a wedding. Previously, brides preferred completely different colors. And the styles were very different from those we are used to seeing on brides. An excursion into the bygone world of wedding fashion promises to be interesting, exciting and sometimes even filled with surprise.
Main fashion trends
The rich decoration of the bride testified to the wealth of her family, so the most expensive fabrics were chosen to create the wedding dress. Often it was silk or tulle, satin or corduroy. The fabric was richly decorated with gold threads and valuable natural fur.
The morals of past times were strict and required the bride to choose as closed a dress as possible. The maximum length was present not only on the skirt, but also on the sleeves.
Natural colors were common, since they were created using only natural ingredients. Bright wedding dress scarlet, blue or pink could only be found on a very wealthy bride.
Expensive wedding dresses were decorated with all sorts of jewels. Pearls, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds were used. Their number was sometimes so large that it was difficult to see the fabric of the dress itself.
The most striking evidence of this fact is the wedding of Countess Margaret of Flanders, whose dress was very heavy due to the large amount of jewelry. They numbered in the thousands. It was impossible to walk in such a dress, so they carried her to church.
17th century
With the advent of the 17th century, weddings began to have more of a dynastic role. But this did not at all dampen the ardor of the brides, who tried their best to appear before the guests in the most beautiful dresses.
True, these efforts were not always appreciated. Take, for example, the wedding of Princess Catherine of Braganza from Portugal and the English king. The bride did not change the fashion trends of her country and chose a pink dress, which included an internal frame. The British did not understand this decision, although after some time they fell in love with similar wedding dresses.
18th century
This period was marked by the high popularity of natural, expensive fur in wedding dresses. Only very wealthy young ladies who chose mink and sable fur could afford such finishing.
Brides from less wealthy families were content with fox or hare fur. Well, very poor brides could afford to choose linen fabric for sewing dresses instead of the usual coarse material that was used to create everyday clothes.
The status of the bride could be judged by the length of the sleeves and hem of her dress. For ordinary girls, whose wealth was not fabulous, the wedding dress later served as festive clothing, which was worn on major holidays.
At that time, white did not yet serve as the main color for a wedding dress, although it was considered immaculate.
Due to its impracticality and soiling, pink and blue were preferred. By the way, it was the blue color that was associated with the purity of the Virgin Mary herself. This custom has reached modern brides from English-speaking countries, who always add an element of blue to their outfit.
Pink was also often present in wedding dresses. Take, for example, the bride's dress by Joseph Nolekes (British sculptor), which, although it was made of white fabric, was richly decorated with pink flowers. The outfit was complemented by very high shoes for that time (as much as 8 cm) with the same pink embroidery. Despite its unusualness and extravagance, this outfit attracted all fans of wedding fashion, and fashionistas took it into their arsenal.
As for the color red and all its bright shades, they did not appear in wedding fashion soon, since they were associated with debauchery. Ignored green, which was attributed to forest mythical creatures such as elves and fairies.
Another categorical color was black, which carried a mournful connotation. Even guests tried not to wear it, so as not to bring trouble to the young people. Yellow has just begun to appear in the world of wedding fashion, reviving and flourishing with renewed vigor after being declared pagan in the 15th century.
The poorest brides had no choice but to wear dresses in gray or brown shades, which were the most practical and non-staining. A hundred years have passed and gray became associated with servants.
19th century
The beginning of the 19th century brought with it the fashion for ribbons, which were abundantly decorated with wedding dresses. They were multi-colored and each guest tried to tear off one ribbon for himself in memory of such a significant event.
A little time passed and the ribbons were replaced with flowers. Beautiful bouquets guests brought with them to congratulate the newlyweds, and no less beautiful flower arrangements the brides held in their hands. The bride's dress and hair were decorated with flowers.
Publications in the Traditions section
Unusual wedding traditions
In Rus', getting married in the fall was considered a good omen. The most successful wedding was played a few days before or immediately after the holiday of the Intercession Holy Mother of God. It is believed that at this time the newly-minted young family is taken under the protection of the Mother of God, the patroness of married women and mothers, and it is these marital unions that are the strongest. On topic and folk proverbs: “The Intercession Father came - he put the girl in the crown”, “It’s fun to spend the Intercession - to find a good groom (bride)”.
Lamentations, chants, glances, evening markets, antiphonal singing- familiar names in wedding celebrations of ancient times. In the midst of autumn, we collected the most colorful, interesting and unusual wedding rituals and decorated them with fiery, touching songs from new objects in the “Traditions” section and photographs of their original performers.
Residents of Sebezh villages have preserved the memory of an ancient wedding, at which the performance of wedding marches by a violin and cymbal ensemble was obligatory. Many of the lyrics of their wedding songs have a ritual and magical orientation. In the Sebezh region, an archaic form of performing wedding songs “for two choirs” (antiphonal singing), unique to Russian song traditions, was recorded: a group of singers performs one stanza of the song - the second group repeats it in response.
On the eve of the wedding, friends took the bride to say goodbye to all the villagers. The bride said goodbye to everyone, bowed and asked for forgiveness.
The bride and groom went to church, to the wedding, separately (each from their own home). On the morning of the wedding day, the bride was “scratched her head” (braid), then she prayed to God, asked for blessings from her relatives, and then they brought her to the table.
The ritual of combing the bride's hair, like many other stages of the wedding, was aimed at the well-being, wealth, and fertility of the future family. This is evidenced by the use of special attributes: the bride was seated on a bread “dish” (a container for kneading dough), covered with an inverted fur coat. The father was the first to approach the bride to “scratch her head”: he ran a comb crosswise through her hair and baptized the bride. Next is the mother, then the “boyars”.
Among Russian old-timers, on the morning of the first wedding day, the girls gathered at the bride's house. They took the burdock (bush) dressed up from the evening and walked to the groom’s courtyard, singing songs. There is evidence that, along with burrs, the girls took with them a dressed up bath broom. The bush was entrusted to be carried by the bride's closest friend. On the way to the groom, they sang the song “As it was in the garden, the garden,” and when approaching the groom’s gate, they sang “Oh, are you my branch, twig.” The groom met the girls at the gate, took the bush, invited the girls into the house and treated them. After the meal, the groom gave soap or perfume as a gift to the bride.
The girls returned to the house of the bride, who was sitting waiting for her friends, sat down around her and sang the song “The world and Maryushka have lived out and become comfortable with the priest.” The bride was crying.
Then the girls heated the bathhouse and took the bride to wash. According to the recollections of residents of the Karmaskalinsky district, a bathhouse could be prepared in someone else’s yard, at the other end of the street, in order to guide the bride through the village for as long as possible.
In the wedding ritual of Petrishchevo - pre-wedding meetings of representatives of two clans (matchmakers, looking at the courtyard, drinking), ceremonies of farewell to the bride and her friends (hen party) and her dressing up, gifting the bride and groom with their relatives for porridge, ransoming the bride and her attributes, tying the bride in the house groom
Upon arrival, the groom was not allowed to enter the bride’s house, they were not allowed to approach the table or the bride herself, demanding a ransom, and representatives of the two clans began to “fight” - to sing korillas: “Come, the young woman must be bought, the groom is not allowed to see her. Well, the grooms there have candy, vodka, and even money to give to these boyars and girls. Well, and songs. Who’s going to mess with whom”; “You’re going to bark like dogs. And we’ll miss her too, at the bride’s. We're all walking around there, we're walking around that house. This is how they fight. In general, every swaygo wants to hang out. That one is bad, but mine is better. Well, then they’ll sing, who knows.”
At the same time, the godparents of the bride and groom measured themselves with “baslavenya” - rolls that they had previously baked and brought to the wedding: “Then two come together - the groom’s horseradish and the other’s horseradish - and then: “Which bun is better? In my, in my goddaughter in what" - well, melting yours".
Ukrainian immigrants in the Voronezh region accompany wedding ceremonies with numerous chorus songs commenting on the events taking place. The villagers have preserved their original language, which represents a special group of dialects of the south-eastern Ukrainian dialect. At the same time, they position themselves as a special ethnic group (they do not consider themselves either Ukrainians or Russians), and stand out among their surroundings in their clothing, way of life and other components of spiritual and material culture.
When the groom's close relatives went to matchmaking, the groom was not present - they took a hat instead. With a successful matchmaking, the bride tied the matchmakers with embroidered towels - towels. A general pilgrimage was immediately arranged, and after it - a small feast.
The groom and his friends and the bride and groomsmen walked from their homes to the wedding. From the church they went home, where a festive feast was held for their relatives. From the groom's house, a wedding train was assembled for the bride: horses and carts were decorated, and the headman and groomsmen were tied with towels. The groom had a red ticket (flower) sewn onto his cap on the right side. The number of people going for the bride had to be unpaired; the groom was then paired with the bride.
The symbol of a wedding in the village of Uryv was a wedding flag made of red cloth, which was made both in the house of the groom and in the house of the bride. The groom's wedding train was traveling with one flag, and the bride's house was marked with the second.
Wedding ceremony in the eastern regions Kirov region- an extensive multi-stage action, rich in ritual songs and lamentations, genres of verbal folklore. Ritual singing marks all important wedding events.
Of particular interest and value are wedding choral lamentations, performed by girls at a bachelorette party or during the blessing of the bride and accompanied by her crying.
The place of the director at a wedding in the eastern regions of the Kirov region was occupied by a friend. He negotiated with the matchmaker and girlfriends when buying the bride, and monitored the order of ritual actions. The friend “sentenced the entire wedding” - he pronounced the texts of the sentences (slanders), did not sit at the table during the entire festivities, and treated the guests at the festive table.
Matchmakers played a significant role in the wedding ceremony. These are relatives from the side of the bride and groom who performed the function of communication between the two clans. The matchmakers exchanged ritual objects (bread, beer) during the ceremony, they were “scolded” in special choruses, and the groom’s matchmaker danced the bride.
The wedding ceremony of the suan of the Kukmor Udmurts living in the Republic of Tatarstan lasts about a year and consists of many stages. The ritual includes matchmaking, conspiracy and the wedding itself, which is divided into two parts.
The first part of the wedding includes the arrival of the wedding train, lunch at the bride’s house, taking her to the groom’s house and changing the girl’s headdress to a wedding one, consisting of an ashyan and a syulyk scarf. This part of the ritual is strictly regulated in time and can only take place during the period from Peter’s Day to the summer holiday of the Kazan Icon Mother of God(July 21). After one to six months, the ritual of removing the scarf is performed, after which the young woman returns to live with her parents.
The second, main part of the wedding is associated with Maslenitsa, when the main wedding feast takes place first in the bride’s house, and after she is taken away, at the groom’s.
In the Sverdlovsk region, on the eve of the engagement, before the bathhouse, girlfriends go to the groom without the bride. Two girls dress up as the bride and groom. Approaching the house, the costumed “bride” and the girls lament. Then they give gifts to the bride's groom, in return he decorates two brooms - one with candies, ribbons, the second - with soap and hands them to the girls. The trip ends with refreshments and fun for the bride's friends.
On the day of the crown, after waking up in the morning, the bride performs the ritual of “giving the virgin’s beauty.” While lamenting, she gives the girls ribbons lying on a platter in front of her.
At the end of the feast, arranged for the girls after the distribution of beauty, a ritual is held to “refuse the bride from bread and salt in her parents’ house.” The father moves the table away from his daughter (option: the mother closes a plate of food in front of her daughter), and the bride breaks the spoon or breaks the plate. The episode is accompanied by group lamentations.
The bride and groom's matchmakers meet in the fence and stand on a blanket spread in front of the porch. In some cases, they shake hands, exchange glasses with drinks, clink glasses, drink and kiss; in others, each woman, clinking glasses, tries to pour the wine into the other’s glass. Whose matchmaker succeeds in this will be the master of the house.
In the village of Keba, Arkhangelsk region, the bride’s transition to new family is perceived as departure to the next world, which is why the ritual is called “wedding - funeral.” Its distinctive feature is the inclusion of a large number of solo and group laments.
The next day after the matchmaking, a handshake was held, to which the groom came with his relatives, and the bride invited her close relatives. Mother was setting the table. The bride was taken to the guests from another room by her godfather and placed at the table under the icons. A glass of wine was poured for all the guests, then the girls - assistants or groomsmen - led the bride by the arms into the middle of the hut. The most close friend Weeping, she brought a mirror to the bride so that she could look into it.
The groom served the bride's relatives the wine he had brought with him, after which he was forced to kiss the bride, who turned away and tried to cover herself with a scarf. At this time, the godfathers were shaking hands. A watchman was placed next to them - a “knowledgeable” person who made sure that no one would spoil the young people. They said: if the jelly on the table turns black, it means someone has caused damage. After they shook hands, crybabies began to sound - the lamentations of the bride, who began to cry, that is, she began to cry, and the girls picked it up.
