A wedding is not just a holiday, it is a whole collection of rituals, rituals and traditions that are performed differently in different countries.
For example, in Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Belarus, customs are similar, so the wedding day there is almost the same. I would like to dwell in more detail on the Slavic celebrations.
At the wedding there are many paraphernalia, which is already considered mandatory: a rushnyk, loaf, trifle and sweets to sprinkle on young people, icons, candles, glasses for young people, a bride’s bouquet , a garter, a scarf for a young wife and so on. Let us consider in more detail some of the above. Towel is a symbol of family, unity and prosperity. It must be embroidered manually. On the wedding towel, each cross and symbol means something:
- two pigeons - a sign of endless love;
- a bunch of grapes - fertility and wealth;
- the cross is the sun, goodness, light and happiness in a new family;
- guelder-rose - fidelity and female beauty;
- oak - masculine energy and strength.
The loaf is served to the young after the wedding by the parents of the groom along with their blessing. How to do it right and not forget anything? Not every parent knows how to bless the young, what to use at the same time . This is a very crucial moment. During the whole wedding, the newlyweds are blessed twice: the first time the bride’s parents give their instructions after the ransom, the second time the groom’s parents congratulate the young family on the loaf in the restaurant. Let's start in order. How to bless the young before the wedding?
After the groom passes all the tests prepared for him by friends, the time comes for instructions from future mother-in-law and father-in-law. Parents of the bride should use the icon of the Mother of God, most often the Kazan. This sacrament is best done away from a noisy company that has already begun to drink champagne. The icon must be directed in a way to the young and held with a rushnyk, not with your hands. Before blessing the young, parents say parting words and wishes to the new family. Then you need to impose a sign of the cross on the bride and let her kiss the image, then the groom needs to do the same. A towel is tied up in as many knots as possible. There is a belief that a family will have as many children as nodes.
How do parents bless the young after marriage? When the bride and groom come to the restaurant, the father-in-law and the mother-in-law with the Savior’s icon, holding it with a rushnyk, likewise impose the sign of the Cross in turn on the young. Then the parents offer a loaf of salt. People believe that whoever takes a bigger bite will be the main thing in the family. Before blessing the young, the groom's parents should congratulate the children on becoming one family.
The main advice to parents who do not know how to bless the young is to be sincere. No need to make speeches and long speeches, speak with all your heart. Only then will your blessing be truly parental and will certainly be remembered for the rest of your life. After the celebration, the icons that blessed the young, climb into the house of a young family and put in a red corner.