The best wedding traditions in Russia. Wedding customs in Russia

Two loving hearts decided to create a new union. Ahead is a lot of pleasant troubles for the preparation of the celebration. It's time to remember what wedding traditions exist. In Russia, most couples try to adhere to even the most basic ones. All customs carry a semantic load, which we often do not remember, performing all the unwritten rules, rather, out of habit, so that it is like everyone else's. Let's try to figure out what the customs and traditions symbolize at the wedding in Russia.

Wedding Dress

The first thing that comes to mind when you rememberwedding traditions in Russia - this is a wedding dress. Romantic and airy, modest and innocent, luxurious and elegant - it can be anything, the main thing is that the bride should feel herself to be the most beautiful in her day. Despite this, most girls choose white outfits. And only in rare cases do they agree to a garment in which someone has already married. Usually this is my mother's dress, if she has a happy marriage. Why is it white and new? This color symbolizes youth and innocence. Therefore, many women, getting married for the second time, choose blue or variations of the color of champagne, believing that they already put on their white outfit. The new dress symbolizes a new life, which begins with the day of marriage.

By the way, white in the tradition of a wedding in Russiacame from Europe. For a long time our girls got married in red dresses, which symbolized fertility. Fashion is changeable, including on wedding images. Many modern brides tend to escape from traditional colors, adding to their alongside bright or, on the contrary, delicate ribbons or other finishes. Red is now chosen only by the most extraordinary and extravagant people.

Veil

The history of the veil as an attribute of the wedding dresshas about two thousand years. The Roman brides concealed their faces under a veil as a sign of modesty, chastity and mystery. Only after the ceremony, the husband could take off this veil with his beloved. In the East the veil did not adorn the young woman, but kept between the future spouses, so that they could not touch each other until their first night.

Wedding traditions in Russia oblige brides,first time getting married, wearing a veil. If the marriage is second, then it becomes unnecessary. Today, this custom is no longer so serious. Fat is perceived, rather, as an accessory, complementing the hair, along with a diadem for example. Sometimes a small veil, attached to the hat, is put on instead of it. You can do without this wardrobe element at all.

Old and new, borrowed and slightly blue

With this phrase, modern wedding traditions inRussia describes the overall outfit of the bride. "New" - this is undoubtedly a dress - a symbol of entry into a clean and bright family life. "Old" - usually it is jewelry, transmitted in the family from mother to daughter. It is not necessary to talk about family diamonds, it is perfectly permissible to use some detail of the mother's wedding dress. This thing will symbolize the connection between generations, that part of the parental warmth that they have invested in their daughter and which she will bring to her own family. "Loans taken" - this is a gizmo that my friends lent. It will mean that close to the young family there will always be friends and close people, always ready to help and support. The blue color in the outfit is a symbol of peace and harmony in the future family. It can be used in bride make-up, dressing and accessories. Often put on a blue garter.

Rings

Wedding traditions in Russia, as in otherscountries, do not do without the exchange of rings. Young people going to get married, today choose jewelry from precious metals - gold, silver, platinum, smooth or with stones, decorated with carvings and engraving. And yet traditional wedding rings are smooth, without inserts and ornaments. Why is it so? The ring is an infinite straight line, without beginning and end. It symbolizes a long future family life. Every pebble or roughness, according to popular beliefs, means some misfortune on the way of the young family, as the ring is closed, troubles will be repeated time after time, in a circle. So they often choose smooth rims.

Blessing

Discussing the tradition of weddings in Russia, one can not forgetabout the important custom of receiving a parental blessing. It is this that gives a happy start to family life. The absence of parental approval can still be considered a weighty reason for the wedding not to take place. Each of the newlyweds in the morning on the day of the celebration should bless mothers or godparents.

Redemption

Like many years ago, modern traditionalA wedding in Russia is not complete without a bride buy-back ceremony. This custom has existed from time immemorial in our country. It symbolizes the transition of the girl from the parental nest to her husband's family. The sacral meaning of this rite is almost lost, now the ransom has turned into a fun action, designed to entertain guests. The groom has to show remarkable ingenuity to cope with all the tasks that his bridesmaid friends have prepared for him. Often they help to demonstrate how well the future husband knows his beloved and what kind of paradise life he promises her. If the task is not completed, you have to pay off money or candy - from the youngest participants. The groom can be helped by his friends. Sometimes they manage to break through by skipping some of the tasks. In any case, the ransom is one of the most fun rituals.

Bridal bouquet and groom's boutonniere

The best Russians are associated with the bridal bouquetwedding traditions (and the most beautiful). Previously, the groom was his own. He could pick flowers in the field or ask any of the neighbors to cut the plant he liked in the garden. Such a request is usually not denied. Today, a rare girl will allow the bridegroom to order a bouquet in the cabin without her approval, yet he is one of the main wedding accessories and should blend in harmoniously with the image. The groom is not allowed to see the dress in advance, so he is unlikely to be able to pick flowers on his own.

For the first time, the bouquet plays its role in the bride price. When the future happy husband overcomes all obstacles, he gives his bouquet to his beloved. The ransom is terminated at the moment when she takes the bouquet in her hand - this means consent. Then the girl should take out one flower from the bouquet and pin it on the groom's chest. The tradition of boutonniere started from here. It always consists of the same colors and is similarly framed.

Custom throwing a bunch of unmarried girlfriends into the crowdthe bride, and the second - the garter to the groom's friends, came to us from Europe. It’s not often the well-known omen that works, but the cheerful tradition has taken root perfectly. And the guests support her with pleasure. The main bouquet is usually cherished, they order a second, smaller size for throwing, which the girl who caught him can pick up, sometimes artificial flowers are used.

The scattering of the newlyweds grain

After the end of the marriage ceremony, usuallyat the exit from the registry office, guests waiting for the newlyweds line up on both sides of the exit, forming a tunnel through which the bridegroom carries the bride through, and shower them with grain, small coins or rose petals. This action is included in the wedding traditions of the peoples of Russia and many other countries. Different objects can be used, but the meaning of the rite is the same. It symbolizes the wishes of happiness, wealth and fertility of the newly-made family.

Bread and salt

Upon entering the house where the newlyweds will live,young parents of the groom are waiting with bread and salt - a festive loaf. It is decorated with the image of swans, bunches of rowan and other symbols of wealth, loyalty and fecundity. Bread symbolizes the wealth and well-being that the young family wants, and salt should protect them from evil forces. Young should bite off each piece of loaf and eat. There is a sign that the one who grabs a bigger piece will be the head of the family.

There are other wedding traditions in Russia,associated with the arrival of a new home. The groom must certainly move the bride over the threshold in his arms. This custom should protect it from the evil eye, diseases and other misfortunes. If the girl did not enter on her feet, then she was not in this place.

Even for the young, the fur coat was furred up - a symbol of wealth. Who was the first to kneel on her was the head of the family.

Smashing dishes for luck

Many wedding traditions and wedding customs inRussia comes from villages. The custom to beat the dishes for good luck is also from there. On the second day after the celebration, it was decided to beat clay pots. If the vessel broke, then the girl got married clean and immaculate. Even if the cracks did not appear, they could begin to slander the bride. It was believed that the more fragments, the more happiness young people will meet on their way.

New wedding ceremonies

Each city has its own variationswedding traditions and their places where young people must visit during a walk after the registrar. Among them is necessarily a bridge, through which the bridegroom must carry the bride in his arms so that she does not touch the ground with her feet. Often, locks with the date of the wedding and the names of the newlyweds are hung on the fence of the bridge. Together they lock them and throw the key into the water, as if holding their union together and throwing out the only possibility of its destruction. Sometimes lucky ribbons tied to trees.

The sacred meaning of wedding ceremonies is often alreadynobody knows. They are perceived only as good old traditions and a way to amuse guests. And yet, most couples who marry, tend to follow the customs known to them, believing that they will be able to make their marriage more successful.