If the newlyweds want to honor the traditions and observe all the rituals, they should know the signs about the towel for the wedding. After all, this is an important attribute of the celebration, participating in various rituals and stages of the event.

As it was before

The history of the appearance of the embroidered fabric is shrouded in many secrets and signs. Previously, this element was used in various stages of the ceremony. There were up to 40 types of towels. Each has its own purpose. One was for the loaf, the other lay under the feet of the young, the third was used for the icon. And all these products were made by the bride herself. Currently, only a small part of the rites is used, where the attribute is present. It is important to know what each of the towels is for, and what its presence at the holiday means.

Previously, the bride used to embroider a wedding towel with her own hands. She only went to work in a good mood. You couldn't sit with your back to the window. It was better to start making the product on Monday. Brides often ask themselves: what are towels made of? The material of the wedding attribute should be natural: cotton or linen. Patterns can be embroidered by hand or embossed on the machine. Traditional ornament for the canvas: floral patterns, the image of the Sun, birds and flowers.

Main signs

What are the main signs about a wedding towel:

1. It is impossible to sew a canvas from several matters. It must be whole. Otherwise, the life of the young will be full of holes and poor. According to the same sign, lace and hemstitches are not used as decorations.
2. It is not possible to rent a product for a wedding. It can be either a new thing or passed down from ancestors. The only thing is that the towel under the feet is not used a second time, because the blessing is given once.
3. An important point is not only how to choose a towel, but also what to do with it after the wedding. The custom says that it is necessary to save the relic by putting it in a box and hiding it from prying eyes. It can also be passed on to the next generation.
4. In many countries of the world, canvases are the most powerful talismans. Ukrainian amulets in the form of embroidered fabrics were famous. The product not only carries an important message, but also protects the young family from all sorts of adversities.
5. Often, newlyweds choose a nominal towel, which imprints the initials of the bride and groom, the date of their wedding.
6. If the young people got a canvas for the wedding from their ancestors who were happy in marriage, then this promises them well-being in everything.

It is important to consider the significance of patterns on matter.

1. It is unacceptable to use images of a cuckoo and a nightingale as decoration. They symbolize a single guy and an unmarried girl.
2. If the material depicts birds, for example, pigeons, then they should look at each other, and not in any way in different directions. The swallow is a symbol of good news. The rooster is a sign of wealth. The image of a peacock is the key to family happiness. All birds on the product must be embroidered or embossed with lowered wings - a sign of readiness for marriage.
3. Dew drops above the flower symbolize the addition to the family. How many drops, so many children will be born to a young couple.
4. Acorns and viburnum are a symbol of the masculine and feminine. The images are intertwined on the product, creating bizarre patterns, as a sign of fidelity of the spouses.
5. The crown is a blessing from above. There should be no inscriptions or other ornaments above the image.
6. Hop leaves - love, young prowess and fun.
7. Oak - development and life.
8. Grapes - fertility and wealth.
9. Lily - purity and innocence.
10. The sun or octagonal star is the feminine symbol of procreation. Often in a duet with this image, Water is embroidered in the form of a spiral. Both of these meanings suggest the beginning of something new.

Product types

Each of the canvases is responsible for a certain action and carries an important message and charge. Signs about a wedding towel connect us with the past, remind us of eternal values ​​that are also important in the modern world.

Under your feet

A towel under your feet is used at a wedding in a church or is taken with you to the registry office when registering a marriage. There is a sign that the one who stepped on the product first will be the main one in the family.

In the center of the canvas, which is used under the feet of the young, there should not be any pattern. Otherwise, according to the sign, young people can trample on their happiness. It is better not to depict doves or swans, flowers or wedding rings along the edges of the product.

Under the loaf

Allied

Among other products, an allied towel is distinguished at a wedding. They tie the hands of the young. It should be made of white material, and the pattern on it is also made with white threads. According to the sign, this promises the newlyweds a cloudless life.

Under the icon

It is also important to know which towel is needed for the icon. It is also called "God". The tradition of blessing newlyweds is still alive. Parents hand over icons with towels to the newlyweds, who, in turn, must keep the relic in their home. You can even hang the icon along with the canvas in the corner of the room. The product contained embroidery with floral ornaments. They separated the male side and the female side. On the first one, oak leaves were depicted, on the second, viburnum branches.

It is necessary to know the signs about the towel for the wedding, as well as to know the history of their origin and the meaning of the ceremony. Following the traditions, the newlyweds doom themselves to eternal family happiness and prosperity.

Russian wedding towels are decorative towels made of home-woven canvas. This towel is a subject of folk culture of the Eastern Slavs. Long ago in Rus', this product had a ritual and ceremonial meaning, and was not simply made for aesthetic reasons. The patterns that are on the towel are not only a decoration of everyday life, but also a symbolic reminder of the invisible bonds that connect each person with his ancestors.

At the wedding ceremony, these towels are mandatory, since since ancient times they have been considered one of the main symbols. The central meaning of this Old Slavonic accessory is the path that a husband and wife must walk together.

These products can also be divided according to the method of sewing, for example, wedding towels embroidered with a cross, etc. In accordance with the established traditions of the Eastern Slavs, there should be more than one towel at the wedding, the total number of these old Russian towels can reach up to forty pieces, which! This number will include:
- towels for the ceremony of parental blessing, placed on the icon;
- placed under the bread that parents hold during the blessing of the newlyweds;
- under the loaf;
- to connect the hands of the bride and the hands of the groom (as a symbol of inseparability);
- a special towel that the bride brings to the groom's house;
- decoration for the "wedding train";
- the witness tied a towel on his chest crosswise (probably, this is where the custom of making ribbons for witnesses came from);
- table towels with wedding symbols,
etc.

During the wedding, the young people should stand at the lectern on the "wedding" white towel, symbolizing the cloud. The cloud, in turn, is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven, before which the newlyweds appear during the wedding.

If you need to buy handmade towels for a wedding in Moscow - contact the Pion-decor salon!

Towel- this is one of the few attributes from the pagan past, which is still used today. They decorate the corners in which icons hang, they are used at baptism, weddings, and guests of honor are welcomed.

What is a towel?- this is a richly embroidered rectangular piece of cloth made of linen or hemp threads. Compositions on the towel are embroidered or woven. One of the possible explanations for the origin of the word "rushnyk" is the Ukrainian word "rushati", that is, to start moving along your own path, because even the cloth resembles a road. Other scientists are inclined to the version that the word has the root "rush", that is, to destroy, to break. This is due to the fact that in ancient times the fabric was torn off manually for a towel, because it was customary to weave long fabrics, and scissors had not yet been invented at that time.

The width of the towel is often 35-40 cm, its length is from 1.5 to 5 meters: it is decorated not only with embroidery, but also with lace, ribbons, braid. The towel was considered the "face" of the housewife: the more towels in the house and the more beautiful they were, the better was the opinion about the economic abilities of the woman and her daughters.

Towels in wedding ceremonies

Our ancestors believed that for the wedding, a girl should embroider towels and outfits with her own hands: if she did not have time, then all the women of the family helped her. Sometimes ornaments and symbols were passed down from generation to generation, the number of towels embroidered for a wedding could reach 40. Now everything is much simpler: one towel is needed for bandaging hands, on the second the newlyweds go to the registry office or church, on the third they put a wedding loaf, another towel is needed for icons and for the gospel.

Towel under your feet: it is believed that he is the most important at the wedding, because there is a tradition: whoever of the young will be the first to stand on the towel, to be the master of the house. It is best to choose a towel with a floral or geometric pattern. It was believed that it was impossible to embroider on this towel a pair of doves or swans, symbolizing the young, as well as wedding symbols like rings or flowers, otherwise they would trample everything that could be good in the life of the young.

Towel hand-beaten. It was embroidered by the bride with her own hands, this is the largest and most beautiful towel that her mother presented to the groom after the matchmaking, confirming her consent to marriage. Be sure to tie the witnesses with towels crosswise (now they use ribbons instead of towels).

Allied towel. They bandage the hands of the newlyweds in the church or the registry office - this is a symbol of the strength of bonds, unity, family happiness. On these towels one could embroider various patterns, ornaments, pictures, write wishes for health and family happiness. Often, when embroidering towels, white and red threads were used, sometimes black was added for contrast.

Hospitable towel. A wedding loaf is placed on it, with which parents meet the young after the registry office. A couple of doves, swans or larks are embroidered on the canvas, floral ornaments are embroidered on the sides of the towel - a symbol of prosperity and well-being, flowers, trees, wedding rings.

"God" or towel for icons. The tradition of blessing the young is still alive, so often the icons in the house do not just stand on the shelves, but hang in a special corner that can be decorated with towels. Floral ornaments were embroidered on such towels, and before starting work, they always prayed. For the bride and groom, such towels were different: symbols like oak leaves or grapes were embroidered on the “male” towel, and roses and viburnum branches were embroidered on the female one.

Ornaments of wedding towels and their symbolic meaning

Before you embroider yourself or just buy a ready-made towel, it would be good to know what the main symbols that are depicted on it mean.

Grape. This is a sign of wealth and fertility: a kind of wish for young people to have many children in the house, like berries on a bunch of plants.

viburnum. Slavic symbol, which is still considered a symbol of Ukraine. In the wedding theme, it is a symbol of female beauty, health, strength. It is believed that the bush got its name "viburnum" from the Old Slavonic name of the Sun - it was called Kolo. Since the berries on the bush are of a bright scarlet color, they have become a symbol of the immortality of the family.

Rose . One of the most popular flowers, which is often found in the floral ornament of the towel. It is a symbol of rebirth, constant movement, the sun.

Lily. Means girlish purity, innocence and charm. Previously, the lily was embroidered in such a way that if you turn the flower over, it will look like the silhouette of two birds sitting side by side - a symbol of love. Sometimes dew drops were embroidered over the lily - a symbol of fertility, which means the feminine.

Rooster . Symbolized wealth, happiness, health. Also, this bird was associated with diligence, wealth.

Mallow . A sign of girlish beauty, youth.

Pigeon and dove or other pair of birds. A pair of birds embroidered on a towel was considered a symbol of family and love. Dove and dove - a sign of peace, they should be depicted opposite each other or with their heads bowed towards. If the birds sit with their backs turned away - the girl used to present such a towel to the groom in case of refusal.

Peacocks . They were also called firebirds of family happiness, birds of the sun. Such a symbol carries the energy of constant development and improvement, it is a symbol of a new family. A bird may have a viburnum branch in its beaks, and a wedding crown above their heads.

Cuckoo and nightingale. These birds were embroidered on pre-wedding towels: they are symbols of a single guy and an unmarried girl.

poppies. These flowers on towels are less common, although they symbolize wealth, the flowering of female beauty. It was customary to embroider them if the family eats those who died in the war, so the young are simply obliged to continue their family.

Oak. The tree is sacred, it was considered a symbol of life, male energy. Acorns were most often embroidered on the groom's towel and intertwined with viburnum branches, symbolizing the unification of two principles.

Hop cones . A symbol similar in meaning to grapes, a wish for love, fertility, youth.

genus tree . Amulet sign: it was embroidered in the form of large branches with flowers and birds in red threads. They symbolized family happiness, a strong connection between generations, the continuation of the family. Such a towel was also used at christenings.

Also, the sun, stars, geometric ornaments and other patterns were often embroidered on towels. Images were arranged symmetrically, most often wedding towels were double-sided. It was considered a good sign to get married on a towel inherited from ancestors who lived a long and good life.

Before starting to embroider a wedding towel, the girl had to pray, fast and wash her hands. Thursday was considered the best day for this lesson, and work could only be started with bright thoughts: it was believed that if a craftswoman is angry with someone, she can bring this negative information into her work. Now most often we buy wedding towels, but still, knowledge about their purpose and symbols will not be superfluous. Be happy!

A wedding towel can be called an obligatory attribute of Slavic weddings. Why do these towels, which are decorated with intricate embroidery, receive so much respect and attention? The newlyweds believe that the towel is a symbol of a happy and strong family life.

The emergence of the tradition of using towels for a wedding

Previously, brides embroidered towels with their own hands. The girl sat over her creation for days. For these purposes, a piece of linen fabric was used. The name comes from the word "rushiti", because they embroidered patterns on a torn piece of cloth.

In the old days, it was customary to marry young girls, so the duties of the future wife were taken over by her relatives. They embroidered towels and prepared wedding attire. They faced an important task - to finish the painstaking work on time so as not to let the young bride down.

At this time, the bride did not rest and did not have fun. She, too, had her own responsibilities and worries. There was an opinion that the chosen one of the future bride, who first became a guest of her house, first of all looks for embroidered towels with his eyes. According to the masterpieces seen, the patience and perseverance of a young girl were evaluated.

The wedding towel, which has long been considered a pagan symbol, was also adopted in the Orthodox Church. This towel can be purchased both in modern salons and in shops that work at churches. You can also order a wedding towel from a professional needlewoman who will embroider your chosen patterns.

How to choose a wedding towel

Lovers who decide to tie the knot have two options: buy a ready-made towel or order it from a professional. If you believe in the magical properties of towels, then it is better to order an attribute from a needlewoman. The symbols that the craftswoman will embroider carry a certain meaning that our ancestors passed on from generation to generation. In addition, hand-embroidered things look much more attractive than artificial products. Of course, this option has one significant disadvantage - this is a rather high cost of the service.

If young people are used to sticking to traditions, but they don’t have too much money, then they can buy a ready-made towel. A small minus is that it is artificial. The main advantages of this attribute can be called colorful performance and low cost.

But there is an option that is considered the cheapest of all. You need to purchase fabric and embroider patterns with your own hands. But in order not to turn the usual wedding towel into an incomprehensible piece of fabric, you must learn the basics of embroidery. It is advisable to take a few lessons from an experienced needlewoman. Do not forget that the embroidery process is characterized by a number of certain rules. Their implementation will help the towel to acquire magical properties and in the future to keep warmth and tenderness in your relationship. Embroidery is a painstaking and difficult task that requires patience and perseverance.

How many towels should you have at a wedding

There should be two main towels:

1. you will need the first one at the registry office. It will be spread by the godparents of the bride and groom. Then the newlyweds must stand on the towel in a special place - a snow-white area in the middle of the attribute, which was not touched by embroidery. Tradition claims that newlyweds who stand up correctly will never trample on the embroidery that protects family life.
2. on the second towel, a loaf of salt is served. This happens at the moment the newlyweds return home. The newly-made husband and wife should tear off a piece of muffin, dip them in salt and eat.

However, this list only includes those towels that must be present during the wedding ceremony. Previously, the formalization of relations meant the use of 60 towels! For example, if the newlyweds decide to get married in a church, then they will need another towel that needs to be spread out in front of their feet.

When meeting the newlyweds in a restaurant, relatives use an allied towel. This is the fourth attribute of the solemn day. Godparents or relatives mom and dad should tie the hands of the young as tightly as possible. After that, they are helped to enter the house. This ceremony helps to consolidate the relationship between the newly-made husband and wife. It is believed that the young family will now never face quarrels and omissions.

There is another main rite - this is a parental blessing. Parents must purchase icons of the Mother of God and the Savior in advance. These icons will be complemented by small embroidered towels, which are called "gods". They cover the icons before the blessing of the parents. If the newlyweds decide to get married in the future, then all these paraphernalia will definitely come in handy. The bride and groom who will follow all of the above rules must purchase six towels.

Storage of towels after the wedding

Husband and wife who got married in a church should in no case give or throw away towels. Otherwise, you will destroy strong family relationships on your own, and there will be no stability and happiness in your family. They must be stored very carefully. Treat them the way you treat your family relationships.
Towels that came in handy at the registry office can only be given away to your grown children on the eve of their wedding. Such an exception was made by pagan ancestors. Over time, it passed into the Slavic culture. Almost every family follows this tradition.

If you started to quarrel often, then you need to get wedding towels, completely relax and look at the intricate embroidered patterns. You will immediately forget about quarrels, resentment and misunderstanding. It will immediately become clear to you that family happiness is the most important thing in the whole world.

You can turn the towel into a kind of symbol of your own kind. To do this, the attribute must be passed on by older family members to the younger generation. In this way, you can bless your adult children. Wish them a happy life with your soulmate. Let this be the hallmark of your family!

Do you want to play a wedding in the Slavic style and make it original and memorable? Do not forget about the paraphernalia - be sure to use towels. These decorative homespun towels will be needed at a wedding, as well as for holding contests and meeting parents with a loaf. A wedding towel will easily become the first family heirloom.

Varieties of towels and their purpose

At a traditional wedding, it was customary to use up to 40 towels, which the girl had to embroider herself. Sometimes relatives and friends helped in this difficult task. Moreover, each of the 40 elements had a specific meaning. At a modern celebration, no more than 4-5 types of towels are used, acting as amulets. They are given a magical meaning:

• embroidered symbols;
• color;
• the number and location of individual elements.

Towel for wedding under the feet

This is the most important element that must be used at the wedding. Previously, during the ceremony, the newlyweds knelt on it, today they can step in with their feet. For this reason, it is undesirable that swans or doves, symbolizing the newlyweds, be depicted on the wedding canvas. It is believed that by standing on a wedding towel, you can trample on the future. It is worth abandoning products with hems, lace inserts. An ideal towel for a wedding is a product with a geometric or floral ornament.

Bozhnik, or a blessed towel for an icon for a wedding

Designed to decorate the icons that parents use to give blessings to the newlyweds before marriage. They are distinguished from other species by richer colors, a kind of embroidery with a predominance of bright red thread. As a rule, patterns of geometric figures and magnificent plant textures are depicted on blessed towels for icons. Grapes, oak leaves are embroidered on the groom's canvas, on the version for the bride - viburnum branches, rose flowers, and so on.

Hospitable towel for a loaf for a wedding

The traditional moment of every wedding is the meeting of the couple with their parents after the wedding. In this case, there must be a wedding loaf lying on a towel. There are no restrictions for this type of textile. The product can be bright, decorated with anything: birds, floral ornaments, trees, wedding rings, wishes for the bride and groom.

Allied - for tying the bride's hand to the groom's hand

It symbolizes the strength of the bonds between two loving people, family happiness, unity, mutual affection. It is better to choose a canvas with floral ornaments, embroidered with the names of the spouses or with wishes of love, happiness. This type of towel is used for bandaging the hands of newlyweds in the registry office or in the church. Threads of any color can be used for embroidery.

Large table towels for a wedding

These products - paths on the table - will perfectly decorate any wedding banquet. They can be from canvas, calico, hemp linen, waffle fabric. Table towels have a lot of white, red and other bright colors depending on the pattern and patterns used. The fabric often depicts:

• flowers, for example, roses, symbolizing rebirth, the sun, or lilies, a sign of innocence;
• grapes - a sign of fertility, wealth;
• birds, for example, peacocks - a symbol of the family, the energy of development, improvement;
• family tree, symbolizing the connection of generations, family happiness.

How to choose a wedding towel

Ideally, if the bride is engaged in embroidery and can make a towel for the wedding herself. There is a magical meaning in the rite - according to traditions, she must work with positive thoughts in order to endow the product with energy, program it to help a young family, a happy future. Purchased towels will never compare in strength with those that are embroidered with one's own hand. If the future wife does not want to embroider or is not familiar with complex patterns, it is worth ordering a product from an experienced needlewoman or purchasing a ready-made version. Prices are available to everyone.

Tips for choosing a shop towel:

1. Pay attention not only to the price, the beauty of the product, but also to other parameters. Refuse to purchase towels with lace, hemstitches - the canvas must be solid. Tape is allowed. By tradition, the length and width of things should be divisible by 7. It is desirable that the embroidery be only at the edges.
2. Choose ready-made options - sets with ornaments such as birds, rings, flowers, trees. They are suitable for weddings, meeting the newlyweds, tying the hands of the wife and husband. A sign resembling a cross is required.
3. A wedding towel should not have cut, torn edges.
4. It is desirable that both sides of the thing be identical. Front - for people, purl - for God. Identity is needed in order for there to be harmony between the material and spiritual worlds.

Prices for wedding towels

Products are not for rent. If the couple decided to use them on their holiday, you should either make them yourself or take a thing that has been passed down from generation to generation. You can purchase a ready-made version. Entire sets of towels for the wedding can be bought in the online store at affordable prices. The cost of one product is from 700 rubles. Sets are sold in bridal salons, craft stores. When purchasing, remember that the price for manual labor can never be low.