Wedding traditions in Russia are a mixture of ancient Russian rituals, traditions of the Soviet period and Western trends. Recently, more and more often we can see Western-style weddings being held in Russia: with on-site registration, without toastmaster, competitions, accordion player, ransom and loaf, but still the majority still prefer classic Russian weddings. In this article we will take a closer look at how a traditional Russian wedding takes place.
Before the wedding
There are many signs and traditions, and some of them relate to the period of preparation for the wedding: this is traditional matchmaking, which now takes the form of a small feast for parents and newlyweds.
There is also a tradition of bachelorette and bachelor parties. According to Russian traditions, the bachelorette party was held before the wedding day: the bride's friends gathered there, the bride cried and wailed, said goodbye to her girlhood, and unbraided her hair.
Nowadays, hen and stag parties are increasingly held as we often see in Hollywood films - fun, noisy and with alcohol.
Let's return directly to the day of celebration. What ritual begins almost any Russian wedding?
Small celebration in a restaurant
It is not necessary that a wedding with parents should take place at home . A great option is to book a table for a small celebration in a restaurant. After painting, you can take a walk through the most charming corners of the city with your parents: ride on the rides in the local park, release snow-white doves or balloons into the sky, walk along the lively colorful boulevards or ride along the city streets on bicycles or a horse-drawn carriage. It would be great to find a photographer in advance who could capture the very first hours of family life.
After a busy walk, you can safely go to the festive table and reminisce with your parents over a glass of wine the most touching and funny stories from childhood.
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Bride ransom
Previously, the phrase “bride price” was not a metaphor at all! Indeed, the bride was bought from her parents' house.
Now money has faded into the background. The bride price, which is usually organized by the bridesmaids, takes place in the house of the girl's parents and includes competitions. By going through these competitions, the groom proves that he knows and loves the bride well, and the groom's friends should come to his aid.
This is how the wedding fun begins. Having gone up to the bride's house, the groom takes her to register the marriage. Usually, during the bride price and after it, the bride's parents arrange a small buffet.
How to celebrate a green wedding today
Today, a green wedding is rarely celebrated separately as a celebration. They just celebrate the wedding day, have a feast and have fun. It is especially important to honor the traditions of antiquity, as they show how valuable the union of two lovers is. The first day of the wedding is highlighted by the most amazing events held by the relatives of the newlyweds. One of the most popular traditions is the bride price. To do this, they hide her from the groom and try to get a ransom for her from the groom and his relatives. Here it becomes clear how much he will value his companion in the future. Therefore, as a rule, the ransom is very rich and distinguished by its diversity.
Since it is not so easy to find a myrtle tree today, many people prefer to give ordinary indoor plants to young people. They should also symbolize a new beginning of the two newlyweds' married life together. Also, the newlyweds should choose two bottles of champagne from the wedding. They are left for two occasions: the first is opened on the first anniversary, and the second is left until the birth of the first child. Arriving at the house after the marriage process itself, the groom must give the bride a bouquet of flowers, and she must attach a special boutonniere to his jacket.
The color must be green in the design. You can decorate the hall with plant branches, balls or satin ribbons. However, you should not overdo it with decorations; you should leave room for the ceremony itself.
Wedding ceremony
After the ransom, traditionally the couple, followed by the guests, go to the registry office, where the marriage is officially registered. The newlyweds perform their first dance there, for which they often order live music.
After accepting congratulations from the guests, a small photo session is usually held, first for everyone, and then only for the newlyweds, during which the guests prepare for the bride and groom to leave the registry office.
Guests sprinkle the newlyweds with rice (for the early birth of children), candies (for a sweet life), coins (for wealth) and rose petals (for a beautiful, romantic life together).
Orthodox couples who belong to the church also undergo a wedding ceremony in the church.
Games and competitions for newlyweds and guests
Wedding competition with the participation of witnesses. The essence of the entertainment is that the witness must carry the witness in his arms in different positions. Two chairs are placed opposite each other so that he can sit her down and change position each time. The main requirement: use at least 10 different poses. During this competition, cheerful music should be played at a home wedding.
Wedding competition with a rope. You will need two regular clotheslines, with spoons tied at the end of each, and several people in two teams. It is necessary to thread a rope through the participant’s clothing onto the spoon. According to the home wedding scenario, members of both teams should do this. The group that will quickly complete the task of threading a rope through all the competitors will win.
Wedding competition with the “Applying Water” relay race. According to the wedding scenario, each participant is given a plastic bottle cap and a container of water. An empty bowl is placed at the other end of the room, into which it is necessary to apply this liquid using a stopper in one minute. To make it more challenging, ask participants to transfer water by placing a cap on their lips. The one with the most liquid in the bowl will be the winner of the wedding competition.
Wedding competition “Experienced Couple”. The newlyweds, along with other couples, also take part in it. The wives each take a glass of vodka (wine) and carefully bring it to their husband. Having reached the goal, the women sit on their husbands’ laps for 1 second and they, quickly picking them up in their arms, carry everything together to the other end of the hall, just as carefully, without spilling a single precious drop of liquid. The winners of the wedding competition must drink a glass of this liquid and loudly shout “Bitter!”
You can make your wedding at home fun and exciting with a well-thought-out wedding plan. Often, a lot depends on the guests themselves, how willingly they want to take part in the wedding festivities. Don't be upset if something goes wrong. The good thing about a wedding at home is that there can be no mistakes or failed competitions. Charge those present with a good mood, improvise according to the situation right at your home celebration.
Wedding walk
After registering the marriage, the guests (often only young friends and girlfriends of the newlyweds) go for a walk around the city. At the same time, they try to visit the most beautiful sights in order to take pictures there.
Seven Bridges
We have all seen the groom carry the bride across the bridge. It turns out that this ritual also applies to wedding customs and traditions in Russia.
It is believed that if the newlyweds cross seven bridges on their wedding day, their marriage will be strong. It rarely happens that a couple manages to go around all seven bridges, but everyone tries to cross at least one.
Also, a padlock with the names of the newlyweds is often hung on the bridge, which, according to legend, seals the marriage.
Bread and salt
Traditionally, after the wedding, newlyweds come to the house of the groom's parents, where they meet them with bread and salt.
Usually the new mother-in-law holds a loaf of bread on a towel (a special towel), from which the bride and groom must take a bite. Whoever bites off the most will be the head of the family.
Wedding traditions and customs of the Russian people these days are losing touch with religion: previously, the groom’s parents used to bless the newlyweds in this way, and the groom’s father kept icons for this. Loaf for a wedding is a tradition that originated from here.
Now the wedding loaf is greeted at the restaurant where the banquet on the occasion of the celebration will be held.
Banquet to celebrate a wedding
The final part of the wedding celebration will be a banquet. If you find a smart and cheerful toastmaster, then half the job is done. An experienced host will competently draw up a script for your celebration, taking into account your characteristics and wishes. Organizes fun competitions, helps decorate the hall and seat guests, and supervises the serving of dishes. Also, an experienced toastmaster will offer you his companions: a DJ, artists and florists who have been tested by time and circumstances.
The groom's parents will meet the newlyweds at the entrance to the restaurant with a loaf of bread and an icon, blessing them for a long and happy family life. Beautiful rituals are also organized by the host of your wedding, such as: entry into family life, transfer of fire from the hearth of the bride’s family to the young family. Such events are accompanied by solemn vows and music, leaving no one indifferent to those present.
At the end of the wedding reception, the bride passes the baton to the unmarried brides, throwing her wedding bouquet. The groom, removing the garter from the bride's leg with his teeth, throws it to his friends, identifying the next groom.
According to tradition, all guests, starting with the closest relatives, offer toasts and congratulations to the newlyweds. Gifts are presented and auctions are held. At the end of the feast, a cake of unprecedented beauty is brought out. After dessert, the newlyweds thank all their relatives and friends for spending this special day with them and sharing their joy.
The culmination of the evening is the festive fireworks, the mass launch of sky lanterns or balloons into the night sky.
Festive feast
The celebration continues in a cafe or restaurant, where everything is ready for the arrival of the newlyweds. The decoration of the hall, tables and menu are usually chosen in advance.
This is a separate topic worthy of a huge post. Now we are talking about the traditions of the wedding feast.
Congratulations
The whole holiday is organized in such a way that special attention is paid to congratulations: everyone will have time to congratulate! Usually the parents are the first to congratulate, they are given the floor, and they seem to bless the children for marriage.
Afterwards, relatives congratulate: first on one side, then on the other, and then friends. Often, the bride prepares a special box in advance, in which she places envelopes with money so that they do not get lost.
Dancing
After the guests have eaten, the dancing begins. But here, too, traditions cannot be avoided. The first dance of the bride and groom is obligatory. Recently, it has become fashionable to prepare this dance in advance, to make it unusual, brides change their dress for the dance, grooms can also change clothes. Of course, such dances are remembered by guests.
Another dance, without which it is difficult to imagine a Russian wedding, is the dance of the bride and her father. With this dance, the father seems to be escorting his daughter to another family, saying goodbye to her. This touching dance reminds that a completely new time is coming in the bride’s life.
Family hearth
An ancient tradition that is still popular today. How to spend a family hearth?
- Organizers and assistants hand out small candles to guests.
- Guests stand in a circle and light candles.
- The lights in the hall turn off.
- To the accompaniment of slow music, the presenter tells a parable about a family hearth.
- Parents light their candles and approach the young people.
- A new candle flame is created for the newlyweds - a family hearth.
Ritual of removing the veil
According to tradition, at the end of the holiday, the mother-in-law or mother of the bride removes the veil. At first, the bride should not agree, only the third time does the mother manage to persuade her to remove the veil.
After the veil is removed, the groom undoes the bride's braids. During the ceremony, the leader usually explains what is happening and tells the story of the ceremony. This wedding moment always turns out to be very touching.
How to congratulate your daughter on her wedding - tips for parents
Of course, the day when a daughter gets married is no less, and maybe even more exciting for her parents than their own wedding. And the closer this day approaches, the more often they ask themselves this question. After all, I want this congratulation not only to sound beautiful, but also to be a kind of parting word to a daughter who is leaving her parents’ home and setting off on her exciting flight.
That is why parental congratulations are given such an important place at a wedding. How I want to make it not just a solemn word, but also put all the warmth of my soul and the most sincere wishes into it. How to congratulate your daughter at her wedding?
Give yourself some free time amidst the pre-wedding bustle when you can sit down and think carefully about what exactly you would like to say. Your thoughts may be scattered and unclear at first; this is quite normal.
Be sure to have a pen and a piece of paper on which you can write down everything that comes to mind at this moment. When you re-read the notes again, you will be able to reduce them to a single text.
Perhaps those congratulations in poetic form that you can find on the Internet can help you with this difficult task. If you cannot find anything that would best suit the feelings you are experiencing at the moment, you can try to write poetry yourself. And even if they do not meet all the canons of the poetic genre, the most important thing is that they come from the heart. And then all you have to do is choose the appropriate postcard and write down on it what you got.
You probably have a lot of photographs of your girl, from the moment of her birth and at all stages of growing up. It is possible that some small but so memorable trifles are also stored here, like collections of postcards or tickets to the circus.
Take a photo album made in beautiful pastel soft colors and place everything that you managed to select on its pages.
Now you are ready to congratulate your daughter at her wedding. When the moment of congratulations comes, read what is written on the card, congratulate your daughter and, of course, the groom again, and present this album. It will be a wonderful reminder of the time she spent in your home and, perhaps, will mark the beginning of a new collection in which things associated with her own family will be stored.
Second wedding day
But the holiday doesn't end there! The first day is followed by the second wedding day, the traditions of which include an informal celebration.
On the second day, guests most often gather outdoors, where they drink, sing songs and barbecue. These days, weddings are rarely celebrated for more than two days. After the wedding, the newlyweds can go on a honeymoon.
These are the wedding traditions in Russia. Of course, these are not all the rituals that exist; many of the traditions are already disappearing, but new ones are replacing them.
So, fortunately, at weddings we can find vulgar competitions, which were very popular 10 years ago, less and less often. Nowadays, themed weddings and outdoor weddings are gaining popularity.
In any case, you do not have to follow all wedding traditions and customs, the main thing is that your wedding is memorable and you like it!
Wedding in the middle of nature
A celebration on the wedding day can be organized outside the city, on a personal plot or on the shore of a reservoir. This option is especially attractive for the warm summer months. Due to the small number of invitees, it will not be difficult to get to the appointed point. When creating a menu, you should take into account all the nuances of preparing dishes, as well as their shelf life at summer temperatures.
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You don’t have to worry about decorating your holiday: natural landscapes are guaranteed to provide the most vivid photographs. The entertainment program can easily include kite flying, boat rides and even wedding fishing. And in the evening it is very romantic to launch oriental lanterns into the blue night and stand under the roar of festive fireworks.
The only thing that can darken this day is the weather conditions.
Enjoy your speech
Try to take your time, speak more slowly than usual, and take more pauses. This will make you feel more confident and calm. Make sure you pause where you expect to hear laughter—sometimes people take a while to get the joke. Well, the main advice is just enjoy. You will remember this moment for the rest of your life. No matter what you say, you should definitely be proud of your daughter.
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Features of organizing an ideal wedding
When planning a perfect wedding , answer the following questions:
- event format : magnificent ceremony or friendly party;
- number of guests (their age, lifestyle, hobbies are also taken into account);
- wedding style : the celebration is organized taking into account the hobbies of the couple in love, in a national or thematic style, in a certain color.
Without a toastmaster, it is easier to organize a wedding in the format of a friendly party and with a small number of guests. An approximate celebration scenario must be drawn up.
Do not panic
This advice may seem obvious to many, but it is really difficult to put into practice. Mothers of the bride are often the most nervous speakers, who sometimes cannot utter a word due to the surging emotions. It's normal to show feelings at a wedding. But don't pay too much attention to the speech. Your daughter probably just wants to hear you on this day, and she doesn’t need this performance to blow away all the guests.
