Repeated
Wedding is one of the seven great sacraments of the Orthodox Church, a mystery that binds two destinies together. During this ceremony, the groom symbolizes Christ, and the bride symbolizes the Church. The oaths of love and fidelity given during the ceremony are sacred, and therefore divorce or debunking does not exist for the Orthodox Church.
The conditions under which the bishop will allow a second wedding are limited, requiring a personal petition and the provision of compelling evidence.
Reasons preventing the ceremony
There are other reasons that prevent participation in the ceremony. The following are not allowed to attend the sacrament:
- atheists and representatives of other faiths (an exception is possible for Catholics or Protestants, but only after a conversation with a priest and a promise that the children will grow up in the Orthodox tradition);
- people who have not officially formalized the breakup of their previous union or who have already been married three times (and even a civil union is considered);
- newlyweds who are blood or spiritual relatives to each other;
- couples who have not registered their relationship with the registry office;
- incompetent or minor;
- women over 60 and men over 70, since after this age childbearing is physically impossible (the rule has a large number of exceptions).
Orthodox church wedding calendar for 2021-2022
The wedding day is the most important date for a true believer. Perhaps someone will consider it unnecessary or invalid. All these are the prejudices of atheists, and more and more often young people seek to tie the knot in the Orthodox Church.
There is a belief that harmony, love and happiness come to a family whose union has been approved by God. It is worth preparing in advance so that in 2021-2022 you can choose a suitable date that is not prohibited by the church and does not have any negative influences.
The wedding ceremony must be planned in advance
The church calendar, which marks both favorable and unfavorable days, will help you decide on the wedding date.
Selecting a day according to the Orthodox calendar
When can you plan your wedding? It does not have to happen immediately after the painting at the registry office. Often married couples come to such a decision at an age, after many years of marriage, when there are children and even grandchildren, and feelings have long been tested by life’s adversities. The Church views this decision extremely positively, joyfully blessing a strong union at any age.
The sacrament is not performed every day. They do not get married on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, so that the wedding night does not fall on fast days or Sundays. You cannot get engaged during Lent, important church holidays - the twelfths, great ones, temple holidays, during Maslenitsa, Easter and Christmastide.
Important! Brides should remember that during critical days women do not have the right to cross the threshold of the temple, which means they should also take into account their own calendar.
It is best to check the church calendar or consult with the priest before choosing a date.
When not to get married
The sacrament of wedding takes place under strict church rules, according to which the temple will not give a blessing for the ceremony if:
- The groom is under eighteen years old, the bride sixteen;
- The future spouses are closely related;
- One of the young people has already been married three times;
- One of the spouses is not a Christian and does not plan to convert to Christianity;
- Baptized Christians declare not a desire to get married, but a desire to fulfill the request of their parents or other half;
- One of the young people is already married to someone; first you need to officially dissolve the previous relationship and only then ask for the priest’s blessing for a new union.
It is necessary to refrain from ceremonies on special church holidays:
- Lent;
- Cheese and Easter weeks;
- Days from the Nativity of Christ to Christmastide.
If you want to get married, you must sacredly respect church traditions. The Saturday that precedes the great church holidays and fasting days should be chosen for the wedding. Only the ruling bishop can make concessions and exceptions in special situations.
Dress code
In the church there is a certain dress code that must be observed by everyone present, not just newlyweds. Men enter the temple without a headdress, women, on the contrary, have their heads covered. It is obligatory to have crosses on the neck. These are the basic conditions.
For the bride
The bride should give preference to a chaste style of dress - the shoulders, neckline, and knees must be covered. Fully exposed arms are also undesirable, so it is better to choose an outfit with sleeves or add a cape to it. As a last resort, you can wear gloves, but remember that they will have to be removed before exchanging rings.
It is not necessary to use pure white for the dress and accessories; any light, pastel shade will do. You should avoid flashy red, acidic neon tones, as well as dark shades of brown, black or purple.
The bride can cover her head with a veil - in this case it is important that the accessory is attached high enough, on the top of the head, covering almost all the hair. Or choose a chastity scarf - an excellent option, presented in a variety of models - bolero, cape, scarf. Remember that according to church canons, only an innocent girl can wear a veil , which makes the use of this accessory inappropriate for pregnant brides or brides who already have children.
Important! A wedding dress should not be too tight, overly sexy, or pretentious, because the image of a bride is primarily associated with purity and purity.
Makeup is chosen to be calm and nude. You cannot paint your lips, even with colorless gloss. The fact is that you have to kiss crowns and images, and doing this with painted lips is simply indecent.
Another important point is decorations. There shouldn’t be a lot of them, and it’s better to avoid pretentious and luxurious ones altogether. No rings or rings are allowed on your hands , with the exception of a wedding ring if you are going to wear it with your wedding partner in a duet.
Choose simple shoes, without high heels, because you will have to stand motionless for almost an hour, and the witness will have to hold the crown above your head with outstretched arms.
For the groom
As for the groom and invited men, there are fewer rules for them. It is important that the outfit is formal, but not luxurious. A traditional, formal, dark-colored suit will do just fine.
Church is not a place for experimenting with your own appearance, so you should abandon unusual styles, acidic colors, and flashy details.
What are the restrictions on fasting before a wedding?
Fasting involves a complete abstinence from any animal products : meat, fish, fish roe, eggs, dairy products, butter, cheese, and so on. You should also exclude any alcoholic drinks. An exception is made for Cahors, which is used to give communion to parishioners in church.
During long fasts, such as Great Lent, it is allowed to eat fish, but for a short three-day restriction it is better to do without it
Still, the purpose of such abstinence is, first of all, spiritual cleansing .
What you can eat during fasting: any food of plant origin, for example, cereals, vegetables and fruits, berries, mushrooms, nuts, and so on. It is important to understand that restriction is not just a refusal of meat and other things, but also abstaining from overeating . You need to eat modestly, not allowing yourself excess.
Post before the wedding
How to fast on the eve of a wedding? In addition to not eating meat and dairy foods, fasting involves humility and turning to the spiritual . It is worth refraining from intimacy, entertainment events, and turning to reading prayers and holy books.
Preparation for the sacrament
Before the sacrament, be sure to visit the church where you are going to get married. It doesn't have to be the most luxurious cathedral in the city. Some couples, on the contrary, choose small rural parishes, full of comfort and grace.
Important! You should feel good and easy under the arches of the temple, joyful and calm.
No less important is the priest who is to perform the sacrament. Talk to the priest before the ceremony. This is necessary for him to confirm that the wedding is permitted, and for you - the priest will guide you through an exciting stage of life, so his personality must inspire trust.
If you are a church member, then the question of where to get married does not arise. The ceremony should be carried out in your church and with your confessor - this is the most correct decision. But it is still necessary to talk before the ceremony, confess, and take communion, because you should enter a new family life prepared.
Folk signs for a wedding day
There are certain signs that, along with observing church dates, favor marriage in a church:
- A wedding held in the last month of summer will bring understanding, harmony and a long union to the spouses.
- A wedding May 22 , the day of St. Nicholas the Great, favors a long and strong union full of love.
- A wedding in September and November will bring a long and understanding, strong union.
- It is good to get married on the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God ( July 21 and November 4 ). July 21, 2022 is not a wedding day.
- Good wedding on the day of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God ( February 25 in 2022 )
Attributes
In addition to the spiritual side of the issue, there is also a material one. The sacrament requires certain things that you must take with you. You can buy them in one special set or select each item separately.
You will need:
- images of the Savior and the Mother of God;
- wedding rings;
- towel;
- candles and handkerchiefs.
Icons
You will have to kiss the image in front of the altar, swearing an oath of eternal fidelity to each other. The bride holds the icon of the Mother of God and personifies the Church, the groom holds the icon of the Savior and personifies Christ.
It is best if you inherit the images from your parents. This way the symbol will be the brightest, most blessed, the most correct. But if the Orthodox tradition begins only with your family, it is not forbidden to buy new wedding icons.
Rings
Canonically, wedding rings are made from different metals. The groom brings gold, a symbol of the sun and masculinity, the bride brings silver, a sign of the moon and femininity.
During the sacrament, the newlyweds exchange rings three times, and as a result, the bride wears her husband’s gold ring, as his promise to always protect her, and the groom wears his wife’s silver ring, symbolizing her oath of eternal devotion and selfless love.
Wedding rings are a sign that, like the pectoral cross, cannot be removed throughout life. That is why you should not choose frilly, bright jewelry with large stones. You can decorate rings with engravings - most often with prayers, names of spouses, wishes, vows.
It is not forbidden to choose identical rings made of gold, silver or platinum, but other metals are prohibited. Instead of rings, wedding rings are also possible.
Important! A priest may consider luxurious multi-colored rings to be jewelry and refuse to place them on the altar for consecration.
Candles and towel
A towel is a pink or white towel. It should be large enough for both spouses to be able to stand on it. Often the edges of the towel are decorated with symbolic embroidery.
It is best to buy wedding candles in a church shop. If you are going to purchase them elsewhere, make sure that they are wax and specifically wedding ones. The bottom of the candle should be wrapped with a special scarf so that the wax does not drip onto the skin.
What to do with the attributes after?
According to tradition, all wedding symbols must be carefully preserved. You cannot throw them away or re-gift them.
The icons remain in the new family’s home, protecting the hearth. Wedding candles are lit during difficult childbirth or illness of children. The remaining attributes remain family heirlooms.
It’s worth mentioning separately about the wedding dress. It cannot be given, sold, or cut. But you can wear it again, for example, on a wedding anniversary.
Price
The church does not have a price list or a fixed price, so each couple leaves a donation in the amount that seems adequate to them. Poor families can be accommodated and get married for a nominal fee or free of charge.
As for the accepted donation amounts, they vary depending on the cathedral. A wedding in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow or the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg will cost approximately 10,000 rubles, in lesser-known parishes - from 500 to 5,000.
Beautiful dates for a wedding in 2021-2022
- January: 20.01.2022; 22.01.2022
- February: 20.02.2022
- March: 02.03.2022
- April: no
- May: 02.05.2022; 22.05.2022; 30.05.2022
- June: 12.06.2022
- July: 17.07.2022
- August: 08/30/2021 and 08/08/2022
- September: 09/01/2021, 09/19/2021; 22.09. 2022, 09/29/2021 and 09/19/2022
- October: 10/01/2021; 10.10.2021; 10/11/2021, 10/20/2021, 10/22/2021, 10/31/2021 and 10/02/2022, 10/10/2022, 10/22/2022
- November: 11/01/2021; 11/10/2021; 11/12/2021; 11/21/2021; 11/22/2021 and 11/20/2022
- December: no
Should you fast?
Three days before the wedding, you should limit yourself to animal food and intimate relationships. This is done so that the young people tune in spiritually. On the wedding day itself, you should not eat, drink, or smoke from midnight, because in the morning you will have to attend the liturgy.
Is it possible to eat if you are in poor health? If you have medical contraindications or are afraid of fainting, then be sure to discuss this issue with the priest. The church makes concessions, and if you wish, you can drink sweet tea or yogurt before the ceremony.
The best favorable days for a wedding in 2021-2022
Of course, with such a strict restriction, it is difficult to choose the most suitable day for a wedding, but it is quite possible. Most couples prefer to get married on a day off: Saturday or Sunday. They don't know that the best days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The best date for a wedding ceremony is Krasnaya Gorka ( May 1, 2022 ). This day comes precisely on Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter.
The right date will play its due role and can make your marriage prosperous, both on earth and in heaven.
What not to do after?
After the ceremony, you can celebrate such an important event, but you should not throw a merry feast with overly frank or loud entertainment. Karaoke, discos, and plenty of alcohol should be left for another occasion.
It is best to celebrate a bright day together with your loved one or in a small company of your closest and dearest, outdoors, in a cozy restaurant or at home.
It’s good if the chosen event is held in the Orthodox tradition. Humor and competitions are acceptable, but they should never be vulgar.
Orthodox wedding calendar for 2021-2022
Marked below on the calendar:
- in red and in bold font the dates of Orthodox church holidays.
- Dates allowed for weddings are in lilac.
Wedding calendar for 2022
Orthodox calendar for 2022
Signs
Such an important sacrament as a wedding has acquired signs and superstitions over the centuries:
- Under no circumstances should the groom see the bride in a dress before the wedding. Buying an outfit together is also prohibited;
- Letting someone, even those closest to you, try on a wedding dress means allowing you to try on your own happiness;
- For bottomless marital love, take an oath of fidelity before the wedding, speaking into the well;
- It’s a bad sign if one of the wedding candles goes out early - this means that the person holding it will leave the world before their spouse;
- During the ceremony, newlyweds should not look into each other's eyes, then family life will be cloudless;
- A good omen is snow falling the night before the wedding. It symbolizes a new, clean, bright life;
- Smooth wedding rings promise a smooth family life , but stones, engraving, roughness are a variety of problems;
- Tucking, or even more so breaking, a heel during the ceremony will make your entire family life lame, so it is better to choose the most comfortable shoes;
- Part of the bride’s outfit, for example, a scarf, should be taken from a loved one - then friends will always come to the aid of the family.
Important! How to treat signs, everyone decides for themselves. The Orthodox Church views such superstitions with skepticism, but folk wisdom often contains a rational grain.
Is it possible to eat before the wedding?
As far as I know, church rules do not provide for strict fasting, such as, for example, the Eucharistic fast before the sacrament of Communion. But confessing and receiving communion before the Wedding is a very pious and important tradition.
You shouldn’t overeat before the sacrament itself, and purely for practical reasons. Firstly, it will be difficult to stand with a full belly. Secondly, belching and other processes of the stomach will not decorate the Wedding in any way. And, thirdly, as popular wisdom says: a full belly is deaf to prayer.
