The cultural history of every nation includes a wide variety of rituals and beliefs. And, probably, they were the most colorful and varied.

The formation of the above-mentioned was primarily influenced by ancient folk beliefs.

The history of the formation of wedding rituals in Rus'

Wedding ceremonies in Rus' go back to pagan times, before the adoption of Christianity, people asked various deities for favor with the newly formed family, performing all kinds of rituals for this. After the baptism of Rus', a fusion of beliefs took place, which gave rise to a unique system of wedding rituals, peculiar only to it. Foreign traditions also had a significant 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, showering newlyweds with flax - from the Romans. All this gave an extraordinary flavor to Russian wedding ceremonies.

Pre-wedding ceremonies

According to ancient tradition, the choice of a bride in Rus' was carried out only by the groom’s parents, 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 the brides took place.

Girls in their best outfits walked around the villages singing, giving people the opportunity to get a good look at themselves. Not only the beauty of the girl was assessed, but also her ability to run a household, her skill in 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 the talent of oratory and persuasion. The most successful days for matchmaking were 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. Under no circumstances should you talk to anyone on the road. In some territories of ancient Rus', matchmakers were thrown with hats or whipped before going on the road. Arriving at the house of a potential bride, the matchmakers began to glibly praise the groom, not forgetting to look at everything around him. If the girl’s parents agreed, the next stage of the wedding rituals began—the bride’s viewing.

Bride

About a week after the matchmaking ceremony, a bridesmaid ceremony took place - a kind of presentation of the bride to the groom's parents. In addition to the future newlyweds, relatives from both sides were always present at the viewing, as well as close friends of the girl, who accompanied the entire ceremony with songs.

For the future bride, this was not an easy test. She could talk during the ceremony only in the most extreme cases; she was often asked to demonstrate her handicraft skills or prepare dinner for the future relatives who had 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. At the bridesmaid ceremony, a girl could refuse to get married. However, this happened quite rarely, since in those distant times, few girls dared to contradict their parents.

Collusion

After the viewing, a conspiracy ceremony took place, at which all the main issues regarding the upcoming wedding were resolved. When the parties agreed, the young woman was invited to the hut, who from then on was called the bride. The future newlyweds kissed the icons and each other.

Refusal to get married from that moment on was impossible and was considered a terrible sin.

The day before the wedding

On the eve of the wedding, a bathhouse was always lit for the bride - a kind of symbol of farewell to her girlhood and her stepfather's house. Her friends 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, damage and strengthen her connection with her future husband. The girl's hair was braided for the last time, 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 was not bored at this time either. With friends and male relatives, they cheerfully celebrated the end of his single life, drinking mead and beer and remembering various stories.

Bride's wedding dress

First thing in the morning, the bride washed her face with cold water, and then went to her parents for a blessing. After this, the ceremony of dressing the bride began. First of all, the girl’s naked body was wrapped in bast in order to protect her from the spell of evil sorcerers. They put a little wool, flax and soap under her bosom to ensure that her clothes were always of high quality and clean. Gingerbread cookies 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 color was an obligatory 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 bottom of the sundress were of variegated colors and lined 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 dress

The main element of the groom's wedding attire in Rus' was a scarf given to him by the bride. They tied it around his neck, or it peeked out of his trouser pocket. The costume consisted of light pants and a bright, preferably linen or silk shirt. Immediately before the wedding, the groom was belted with a luxurious embroidered towel.

Ransom

Not a single wedding in Rus' took place without a ransom. While the bride was being dressed up for the wedding, the groom's family was preparing for the bride's ransom. According to one tradition, 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. The bride's relatives and friends did everything possible to make the groom feel this for himself.

The groom had to saw through wide logs to prove how strong he was. After passing the road tests, he found himself at the bride’s house, where his parents were waiting for him with a new batch of surprises. The groom had to guess several tricky riddles, and for the wrong answer he was fined. Entering the bride's room, he had to guess his betrothed among the identically dressed girls sitting with their backs to him. As a result, having finally guessed his future wife, the groom took a place next to her, and the bride’s parents blessed them, after which the newlyweds went to church. The road in front of them was carefully swept so that none of the ill-wishers could throw them the charmed little thing.

Wedding

Before the adoption of Christianity, young people went to the meadow, where they were given special wreaths, round dances were held around a decorated birch tree, and ritual songs were sung. At the same time, evil spirits were driven away from the young people in every possible 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 people were showered with flax seeds.

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 their marital bed, and the feast flared up even more. In the morning, the newlyweds were woken up, the matchmaker showed everyone the bride's shirt with traces of innocence, and then the newlyweds were escorted into a heated bathhouse.

Wedding traditions in Rus' were distinguished by incredible color, were held cheerfully and with enthusiasm and deserve to be remembered.

For a long time, a wedding has been considered the most important event in life. Our ancestors created a family, adhering to traditions and strictly observing special rules. Echoes of Russian wedding ritual traditions are also present in modern marriages.

The traditions of Slavic wedding ceremonies go back more than one century: our ancestors were extremely careful about observing the rules. Starting a family was a sacred and meaningful act that took an average of three days. Since that time, wedding signs and superstitions have come down to us, passed down from generation to generation in Rus'.

Wedding ceremonies of the ancient Slavs

For our ancestors, the wedding ceremony was an extremely important event: they approached the creation of a new family with extreme responsibility, hoping for the help of the Gods and fate. The word “wedding” itself consists of three parts: “sva” - heaven, “d” - an act on earth and “ba” - blessed by the Gods. It turns out that historically the word “wedding” is deciphered as “an earthly act blessed by the Gods.” Ancient wedding ceremonies came from this knowledge.

Entering into family life is always primarily aimed at continuing a healthy and strong family. That is why the ancient Slavs imposed several restrictions and prohibitions on the creation of a new couple:

• The groom must be at least 21 years old;
• the bride's age is at least 16 years;
• the clan of the groom and the clan of the bride should not be close by blood.

Contrary to existing opinion, both the groom and the bride were rarely married off or married against their will: it was believed that the Gods and life itself helped the new couple find each other in a special, harmonious state.

Nowadays, much attention is also paid to achieving harmony: for example, more and more people are starting to use special meditations to attract love. Our ancestors considered dance to be the best way to harmoniously merge with the rhythms of Mother Nature.

On the day of Perun or on the holiday of Ivan Kupala, young people who wanted to meet their fate gathered in two round dances: men led a circle “salting” - in the direction of the sun, and girls - “counter-salting”. Thus, both round dances walked with their backs to each other.

At the moment of rapprochement between the dancers, the guy and girl, their backs colliding, were taken out of the round dance: it was believed that the Gods had brought them together. Subsequently, if the girl and the guy were in love with each other, a viewing party was held, the parents got to know each other, and, if everything was in order, a wedding date was set.

It was believed that on the wedding day the bride died for her family and its guardian spirits in order to be reborn in the groom's family. This change was given special significance.

First of all, the wedding dress spoke about the symbolic death of the bride for her family: our ancestors adopted a red wedding dress with a white veil instead of the current translucent veil.

Red and white in Rus' were the colors of mourning, and the thick veil that completely covered the bride’s face symbolized her presence in the world of the dead. It could only be removed during the wedding feast, when the blessing of the Gods over the newlyweds had already been completed.

Preparations for the wedding day for both the bride and groom began the evening before: the bride's friends went with her to the bathhouse for ritual ablution. Accompanied by bitter songs and tears, the girl was washed with water from three buckets, symbolically indicating her presence between the three worlds: Reveal, Navi and Rule. The bride herself had to cry as much as possible in order to receive the forgiveness of the spirits of her family, whom she was leaving.

On the morning of the wedding day, the groom sent the bride a gift, signifying the loyalty of his intentions: a box with a comb, ribbons and sweets. From the moment she received the gift, the bride began to dress and prepare for the wedding ceremony. While dressing and combing her hair, the girlfriends also sang the saddest songs, and the bride had to cry even more than the day before: it was believed that the more tears shed before the wedding, the fewer they would be shed during married life.

Meanwhile, the so-called wedding train was assembled at the groom’s house: carts in which the groom himself and his squad went to pick up the bride with gifts for her friends and parents. The richer the groom's family, the longer the train should be. When all preparations were completed, the train departed to the bride's house accompanied by singing and dancing.

Upon arrival, the bride's relatives checked the groom's intentions with questions and comic tasks. This tradition has been preserved in our time, turning into a “ransom” for the bride.

After the groom had passed all the checks and had the opportunity to see the bride, the wedding train, together with the newlyweds, the groom and relatives, headed to the temple. They always took a long road to see him, covering the bride’s face with a thick veil: it was believed that at this time the future wife was half in the world of Navi, and people were not allowed to see her “fully alive.”

Upon arrival at the temple, the waiting sorcerer performed the ceremony of blessing the union, thereby confirming the harmony in the couple and sealing the oath of the young people before the Gods. From that moment on, the bride and groom were considered family.

After the ceremony, all the guests, led by the married couple, went to a feast in honor of the wedding, which could last up to seven days with breaks. During the meal, the newlyweds received gifts, and also repeatedly presented their guests with belts, amulets and coins.

In addition, during six months of family life, the new family, having appreciated the gift of each guest, had to pay a return visit and give the so-called “otdarok” - a return gift worth more than the guest’s gift. By this, the young family showed that the guest’s gift was used for future use, increasing their well-being.

Over time, unshakable wedding traditions have undergone some changes caused by migrations and wars. The changes took root and brought us the memory of Russian folk wedding rituals.

Russian folk wedding rituals

With the advent of Christianity in Rus', wedding rituals changed radically. Over the course of several decades, the ritual of blessing the Gods at the temple turned into a wedding ceremony in the church. People did not immediately accept the new way of life, and this directly affected the holding of such an important event as a wedding.

Since a marriage was not considered valid without a wedding in the church, the wedding ceremony consisted of two parts: the wedding in the church and the ritual part, the feast. “Sorcery” was not encouraged by the highest church officials, but for some time clergy took part in the “non-wedding” part of the wedding.

Just like the ancient Slavs, in the tradition of Russian folk weddings, traditional customs were preserved for a long time: matchmaking, bridesmaids and collusion. At the general viewings that took place during the festivities, the groom's family looked after the bride, inquiring about her and her family.

Having found a girl of suitable age and status, the groom's relatives sent matchmakers to the bride's family. Matchmakers could come up to three times: the first - to declare the intentions of the groom's family, the second - to take a closer look at the bride's family, and the third - to obtain consent.

In case of a successful matchmaking, a bridesmaid was appointed: the bride's family came to the groom's house and inspected the household, concluding whether it would be good for their daughter to live here. If everything was in order and met their expectations, the bride's parents accepted the invitation to share a meal with the groom's family. In case of refusal, the matchmaking was terminated.

If the bridesmaid stage was successful, then the groom’s parents came for a return visit: they personally met the bride, observed her ability to run a household and communicated with her. If in the end they were not disappointed in the girl, then the groom was brought to the bride.

The girl had to show herself in all her outfits, to show how good she was as a hostess and interlocutor. The groom also had to show his best qualities: on the evening of the “third viewing,” the bride in most cases had the right to refuse the groom.

If the young couple managed to please each other and did not object to the wedding, their parents began to discuss the material costs of their children’s wedding, the size of the bride’s dowry and gifts from the groom’s family. This part was called “handshaking” because, having agreed on everything, the father of the bride and the father of the groom “beat their hands,” that is, they sealed the agreement with a handshake.

After the completion of the contract, preparations for the wedding began, which could last up to a month.

On the wedding day, the bride's friends dressed her in a wedding dress while lamenting about her girlish, cheerful life. The bride had to cry constantly, seeing off her girlhood. Meanwhile, the groom and his friends arrived at the bride’s house, preparing to buy his future wife from her family and friends.

After a successful ransom and symbolic tests of the groom, the newlyweds went to church: the groom and his friends went noisily and singing, and the bride went separately, on a long road, without attracting much attention to herself. The groom certainly had to arrive at the church first: in this way, the future wife avoided the stigma of a “jilted bride.”

During the wedding, the bride and groom were placed on a spread white cloth, sprinkled with coins and hops. Guests also carefully watched the wedding candles: it was believed that whoever holds his candle higher will dominate the family.

After the wedding was completed, the newlyweds had to blow out the candles at the same time in order to die on the same day. Extinguished candles should be kept for life, protected from damage and lit briefly only during the birth of the first child.

After the wedding ceremony, the creation of a family was considered legal, and then a feast followed, at which the ritual actions of the ancient Slavs were largely manifested.

This custom existed for a long time until it changed into modern wedding traditions, which still retained many of the ritual moments of ancient weddings.

Ancient wedding rituals

Many people in our time do not even realize the sacred significance of the now familiar moments of any wedding. Instead of an authentic ceremony at a temple or a wedding in a church, which has long been mandatory, now there is state registration of marriage followed by a banquet. It would seem that what is left of the ancient way of life in this? It turns out that there is a lot.

The tradition of exchanging rings. The exchange of rings has existed for a very long time: even our ancestors put a ring on each other as a sign of union before the Gods in heaven and on earth. Only in contrast to the modern custom of wearing a wedding ring on the right hand, it used to be worn on the ring finger of the left hand - closest to the heart.

Weddings that took place several centuries ago are significantly different from today's weddings. Many traditions of the past have been preserved, but have taken other forms, modified, having lost their original meaning. Ancient wedding rituals in Rus' (bride, blessing, etc.) were an integral part of marriage, without them the celebration could not take place. The descriptions of sacraments and traditions presented below will help you understand how an ancient Russian wedding took place.

The sacrament of the wedding ceremony in Rus'

The transition of a girl from one family to another is the basis of wedding ceremonies of the past. It was believed that she died in her father's house, and after the wedding was reborn in her husband's family. At the wedding, the girl was hidden under thick fabrics and scarves, behind which her face and body were not visible. It was impossible to look at her, because according to legend she was “dead.” The bride was led to the altar, holding her by the arms, but after the wedding she left the church on her own, “born again.”

Many wedding ceremonies in ancient Rus' had a magical background. Before the priest forever united the souls of lovers, the future husband and wife were considered vulnerable to evil forces. Many rituals were carried out to help the newlyweds avoid the evil eye and damage: for example, sweeping the road in front of the newlyweds. The ritual excluded the possibility that something would be planted at the feet of the spouses that would attract evil spirits to the new family. Crossing their path was also considered a bad omen.

In ancient times, a wedding was celebrated for several days. The first day was full of events: the bride was prepared for the imminent arrival of her betrothed, the dowry was transported, then the future spouses received a blessing and went to the wedding feast. A large-scale wedding feast took place the next day, after the church wedding ceremony. During the wedding, the groom had to remain silent, so responsibility for performing wedding rituals lay with the groom (relative or friend of the groom).

To avoid damage, custom prescribed that the newlyweds should sleep in a new place - for their first wedding night they were prepared with a haybox, the decoration of which was icons, arrows in the four corners with martens on them, and a bed of twenty-one sheaves. During the wedding feast, the newlyweds drank and ate little, and the last dish was brought to them at bedside. In the morning, they lifted the blanket with the help of an arrow, checking whether the bride was innocent when she got married.

Matchmaking and wedding preparations

Before the wedding, there were several ancient rituals. The first was matchmaking, when the groom's relatives and friends came to the bride's parents, praised him, and talked about his merits. In order for the meeting to be successful, matchmakers and matchmakers traveled in a roundabout way, confusing their tracks - this was protection from dark forces. The first time, the bride's parents should have refused the matchmakers, despite the preliminary agreement between the families about the marriage.

After the positive answer was given to the matchmakers, another important ritual was carried out - the bride. It consisted of an inspection of the chosen one’s clothes, dishes, and the general condition of the household. In the old days, bridesmaids could change the parents' decision to marry off their daughter - a person who was not rich enough to provide for her was refused.

If the viewing went well, and the girl’s relatives were satisfied with the financial situation of the future spouse, a day was set when the family would officially announce their decision - then nothing could interfere with the wedding, except for unforeseen force majeure circumstances. In Rus', it was customary to talk about engagement during a feast in the presence of many guests.

On the eve of the celebration itself, the girl and her friends had to visit the bathhouse. There they washed, sang songs, talked. After the bath, the bachelorette party continued, where rituals of protection against dark forces were carried out - the girlfriends described the life of the bride and her husband as gloomy and unhappy. Previously, it was believed that this would scare away unclean spirits. The girls performed night fortune-telling by candlelight, danced in circles, and performed ritual ceremonies to strengthen the connection with their future husband.

Unraveling the betrothed's braid by the bridesmaids and weaving two braids instead is an important wedding ritual in the list of customary ones in Rus', which was carried out on the eve of the ceremony. It symbolized the bride’s farewell to girlhood, her formation as a woman, and her readiness to conceive a child.

The groom also visited the bathhouse before the wedding celebration, but alone. Unlike his betrothed, who had to spend the whole evening talking with her friends, telling fortunes and dancing, he had to remain silent.

Ancient blessing ceremony

The Orthodox rite of parental blessing, carried out in ancient times, was considered one of the most important wedding events. Couples separated if they were refused the blessing ritual. It was carried out like this: before the wedding, the future spouses came to the courtyard of the bride’s parental home, where the mother and father greeted them with bread and salt and baptized them with icons wrapped in a towel. For more information about the ceremony, see the photo below.

The newlyweds should have refrained from drinking and eating at the wedding table. They accepted gifts and congratulations, and when the last dish was served (usually a roast) they went to the hay barn, where they spent their first wedding night. Guests were allowed to wake up the newlyweds several times during the night in order to call them back to the table.

In the morning, when most of the tipsy guests left the feast, a “sweet table” was set. After it, the newlyweds went to wash, and the bride’s sheet or shirt was often shown to fellow villagers, proving the girl’s innocence.

The third day of the wedding was difficult for the wife - she needed to show her abilities as a housewife: light the stove, cook dinner, wash the floors, and the guests tried to interfere with her in various ways.

A peasant wedding usually lasted three days. The betrothed were called “prince” and “princess”, because the sacrament of the wedding ceremony in this perspective in Rus' was similar to the elevation of princes to the dignity of power.

Traditional wedding songs

Not a single celebration was held without traditional wedding songs. They accompanied pre-wedding rituals and several holidays. Watch videos of traditional Russian wedding songs being performed:

• Russian folk wedding song:

• "Loach over the water":

Many wedding rites and customs have lost their original meaning, and the attitude of modern people towards ancient rituals has changed - often weddings are limited to painting in the registry office. But some couples continue to observe the ancient traditions of the celebration, paying tribute to the rich past of our country.

What Russian wedding rituals did you find interesting? Maybe you were a participant in such a wedding? Tell us about it in the comments.

Modern wedding traditions differ significantly from the ceremonies of the past. In ancient times in Rus', the bride had to match her husband in status and financial condition. Parents themselves chose a couple for their children, and quite often the first meeting of the young people took place only on. The wedding took place only in autumn or winter.

The wedding ceremony in Rus' can be divided into three stages:

1. Pre-wedding. Consisted of matchmaking, sewing a dowry and a bachelorette party.
2. Wedding. Wedding ceremony and wedding.
3. Post-wedding. “Unveiling” of the newlyweds in the husband’s house, the festive table, the morning awakening of the newlyweds.

Previously, marriage was concluded like this: when parents decided that the time had come, they asked relatives for advice, then sent matchmakers who were already involved in the marriage.

Ancient wedding rituals in Rus'

The main attribute of the celebration was the dowry; sometimes it took a lot of time to prepare it, everything depended on the financial condition of the bride’s family. It consisted of a bed, a dress, household utensils, jewelry, serfs or property if the bride was of noble origin. The most dramatic moment was the “Baen” ceremony, when the girl’s braid was unraveled.

The ceremony took place in the evening, for which they put on the best dress and all the jewelry that was available. In the front door they prepared a table at which they awaited the arrival of the groom. Then the mother-in-law combed her hair and braided two braids, which symbolized a woman in marriage. After the blessings, the newlyweds went to the wedding; according to the rules, the groom had to arrive first. Only after the wedding could the couple kiss. When leaving, the newlyweds were showered with hops and flax seeds, with wishes of happiness. Afterwards, everyone headed to the husband’s house, where the celebration itself took place.

Wedding ceremonies of Ancient Rus'

Such a celebration in Rus' had certain rules that had to be observed. All ancient weddings in Rus' had a certain scenario:

It is difficult to imagine that nowadays a bride would leave the house every morning from the moment of matchmaking until the very day of marriage and lament, sob, mourn her girlhood, beauty, and youth. However, as difficult as it seems possible now, many of those customs and rituals that were once an integral part of the wedding ritual, but are now either forgotten, lost, or reinterpreted...

Matchmaking

Matchmaking is not only the unexpected arrival of the groom, accompanied by relatives, to the bride’s house in order to woo in an allegorical form (show himself and look at the goods). Matchmaking was the starting point from which the rebirth of the main participants in the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom, literally began. From the moment of the betrothal, the bride (the bride) was subject to restrictions on movement, her living space was sharply narrowed to the confines of her parents' home. If a girl went out, it was only accompanied by her friends and, in fact, only to invite guests to the wedding. The bride was also removed from all household chores and became incapacitated. This is how the gradual “dehumanization” took place, necessary for the birth of a new person, already a family one.

Bride

Two or three days after the matchmaking, the groom and his close relatives again come to the bride’s house, now for the bride’s viewing, during which the girl must show herself in all her glory and demonstrate all her skills and abilities, just like the groom who shows off in front of by all those gathered. After this, the groom's mother closely examines and evaluates the bride's dowry. Everything that happens is necessarily accompanied by songs and lamentations, most often performed by the bride’s friends. However, the girl could refuse marriage without going to the groom.

Handcraft

Shortly before the planned wedding day, there was a handshake or a drinking session, an event that finally sealed the agreement on the wedding. After the handshake, refusing the wedding was impossible. The bride and groom were seated side by side at the table and celebrated in songs performed by the bride's friends.
But what do the bride and groom themselves do? The bride does not talk, but laments, and in some houses they even call the maid, who “howls,” that is, performs laments, and the bride groans and cries. And, despite the visible activity of the groom, his constant movements (he comes to the bride’s house almost every day after the hand-waving for “visits”, “kisses”, “visits”), he still remains passive: the matchmakers speak and do everything for him, relatives, friends.

hen-party

Has this ritual also disappeared? The fact is that a bachelorette party in Rus' is not only the farewell gatherings of the bride with her friends on the eve of the wedding, but also the making of “beauty” (“will”), unbraiding the braid, washing the bride in the bathhouse, destroying or transferring the “beauty” to a friend or groom. Girlish “beauty” is the last thing that connects the bride with her girlhood. It could be a tow, a tree decorated with ribbons and rags, a wreath, or a scarf. After making the “beauty,” it was burned or the bride distributed it to her close friends. Whatever the object symbolizing “beauty,” it is invariably associated with the head, more precisely hair, and hair is a kind of personification of girlish beauty and will. With the destruction or distribution of “beauty,” the girl was allegorically deprived of her girlhood.

Also, the bride could cut off her braid and pass it on to the groom. And the ritual ablution in the bathhouse finally completed the process: the bride became: “neither alive nor dead,” and in this state she was handed over to the groom, bargaining was arranged, and the bride and her friends resisted with all their might.

Young woman's hairstyle

Immediately after the wedding, the bride was given a young woman’s hairstyle: they braided two braids and covered her head with a scarf, or immediately “twisted them like a woman”: the hair braided in two braids was twisted at the back of the head into a bun, and a married woman’s headdress was put on top (povoinik, ochtok, nametka) . From that moment on, only the husband could see the bride’s hair: appearing bareheaded to a stranger was tantamount to treason, and tearing off a woman’s headdress was an insult. A change in hairstyle means the girl’s transition to the power of her husband, and also represents the formation of a new appearance of a person, his rebirth in a new status. The girl begins to “come to life”: she regains the ability to move independently, as well as the ability to do everything with her own hands: the bride, entering the house, begins to actively explore its space, throws rye, puts down a cow, throws a belt, etc.

"The Bride Revealed"

A special ceremony was dedicated to the “unveiling” of the bride, when the newlyweds came from under the aisle to the groom’s house. This ritual was endowed with a double meaning: for the bride it meant the return of vision; the bride, continuing to come to life, now looked at everything with different eyes, and for the groom this was a kind of recognition of his beloved, since she was now different. In some details of the ritual, an erotic meaning is read when the bride is “opened”: the father-in-law or boyfriend lifts the hem with a whip or a grip. pie or stick. Or they placed a pie without filling on the bride’s head, symbolizing a child, and wrapped it in a scarf, putting it in a closet, where the newlyweds first ate separately from everyone else, and then spent their wedding night. In some areas, it was the custom to arrange a bed for newlyweds in a cage or stable, which is associated with the idea of ​​fertility and childbirth.

"Outlines"

“Otvodiny” (a joint visit by the young couple to the bride’s parents) marks the end of the wedding as a special state for all its participants. This element of the wedding ceremony is especially important for the bride, who comes for a short time and as a guest, which emphasizes the irreversibility of all the transformations that happened to her during the wedding. However, there are other data about the bride’s connection with her home. For example, in the Voronezh province, during the first year of marriage, a young woman lived with her mother and was engaged in spinning for her future needs.