Wedding ceremonies and traditions. Leaving after the wedding, the bride distributes change in order to avoid troubles in her family life. Each time has its own chips, what goes well becomes a trend. There are things that hang in time and are exploited

At each wedding, you can see a variety of traditions that have come to us since ancient times, but they still try to adhere to them.

We are familiar with many wedding traditions - this is a created family, the ransom of the bride, exchange, eating a loaf, a white wedding dress, showering young people with coins, rice, sweets, flowers, throwing a garter by the groom, and the bride with a bouquet, dressing the mother of the bride in chebots. This list goes on and on, you can find in each wedding tradition exactly what your couple likes the most. We offer several options for wedding traditions, which, even after many centuries, continue to be relevant.

Each nation has its own wedding rituals and traditions.

Each wedding is a bright event full of positive emotions.

In European countries there is a tradition to hold a small dinner before the wedding. Such a pre-wedding dinner is very often observed by newlyweds in our country. On this evening, close friends of the bride and groom, their parents, relatives, and, of course, the young people themselves, get together in order to get to know each other better before the wedding day. If you are interested in such a tradition, then you need to know the following things before carrying it out:

• Dinner location and time. Since this dinner is not an official event, it does not have to be celebrated in a cafe or restaurant. You can meet at someone's house (at the parents of the bride or groom), arrange a trip out of town, have a picnic, cook fish soup, fry a barbecue. It is best to arrange such a dinner three to four days before the date of the wedding, since before the wedding itself everyone will be busy with other, more important things.
• Who should be organizing such a dinner? It can be organized by the newlyweds themselves, and their parents, relatives or friends. Much depends on who is invited to dinner. You can call both relatives and friends, or you can limit yourself to inviting only the most relatives so that they can get to know each other better.
• How can you entertain those invited to your pre-wedding dinner? This question is one of the most important. Since the purpose of this evening is to bring relatives closer together, you can invent anything you want. Newlyweds can prepare vows to each other in advance, come up with an original declaration of love, tell everyone present a story about how they met. They can thank the parents for their help in preparing for the wedding and give them gifts. Relatives or friends can use a slide to show joint photos of the newlyweds. You can come up with a variety of interesting contests. You can just spend the evening talking with loved ones. It is important that the organizers of such an evening discuss all the details with the bride and groom.

There are some Western countries in which a wedding dinner involves a complete rehearsal of the wedding ceremony, right up to the feast.

Traditions and customs on the wedding day

• Home. The custom of the hearth came from ancient Russia. Today the hearth is supposed to be lit by the mothers of the bride and groom. It is believed that in this way they convey experience, harmony and traditions to a young family. In fact, this tradition is carried out by sparking candles.
• White color . This is a very old tradition. A wedding dress should be white, as this color is considered a symbol of innocence, purity, harmony and purity. But lately, girls often break this tradition and make their own adjustments. Modern brides often choose wedding dress colors such as ivory, cream, and pale pink. Some people prefer to get married in a bright red dress. Everyone has their own style and taste. Still, the white color of the wedding dress remains traditional.
• The first dance of the newly made family. To many, the first dance does not seem like a wedding custom. It seems that with the help of dance, young people show off their dancing skills and beautiful outfits. But this is absolutely not the case. The first dance of a young family reflects their feelings, relationships, harmony.
• Throwing the bride's garter. This is a relatively new tradition, but it is present at almost all weddings. The groom needs to remove the garter from his wife's leg and throw it to all the single guys present at the wedding. In whose hands the garter will be, he will soon get married.
• Tossing the wedding bouquet to the bride. This tradition is one of the most beautiful and memorable. Throwing away her bouquet, the bride gives the opportunity to one of the unmarried girls present to get married in the near future. Some brides throw their festive bouquet at the very end of the wedding, others do it between feasts, some prefer to throw the bouquet after the wedding ceremony.

It is necessary to choose such traditions that will please both the bride and the groom. This day should only be yours, it should give you a lot of positive emotions, colorful impressions and leave memories for a lifetime! Love each other and be happy!

Wedding traditions of the peoples of the world:

What traditions or customs do you know?

Many wedding ceremonies in Russia have come down to our time, which accompany the wedding ceremony. All of them have changed, most of them today are more entertainment in nature. If you want to pay tribute to a rich cultural past by embodying it in your celebration, explore wedding customs and traditions that originated many centuries ago, but have not lost their charm today.

Blessing the young

"God bless!" - with these words in the old days in Russia, parents gave their consent to the marriage of the young. This is a church custom, which assumes that parents cross their future spouses with icons wrapped in a towel. Only the baptized were allowed to conduct it, but now even those who have not been baptized are present at the beautiful wedding ceremony / custom of Russia, but this is not a blessing in the literal sense.

Rituals

The Russian wedding of previous centuries, according to tradition, did not take place without a sorcerer who provided protection for the newlyweds from evil forces, performed rituals to protect them from the evil eye. The modern sorcerer is a friend of the groom and the toastmaster at the same time. He takes care of a pleasant, interesting wedding atmosphere throughout the entire celebration.

Matchmaking

In the old days, the groom's parents came to marry. They gave their children down the aisle early, so all issues were resolved between adult family members - dowry, expenses, deposit. Over time, this Russian tradition has changed, because people marry for love. But it is considered a gesture of respect, as well as upholding customs on the part of the groom, to visit the parents of the bridegroom to ask for her hand in marriage.

Ransom

Previously, the ransom was purely financial in nature - the groom had to prove his worth. Now this Russian custom has turned into a game where girlfriends prepare a lot of tasks, puzzles, contests for the betrothed. If he does not cope with them, he pays off them with money, sweets - such is the custom.

Collusion

The collusion traditionally took place after matchmaking and was the monetary part of the wedding tradition. The groom's side together with the bride's side discussed organizational, financial issues about dowry, deposit, wedding expenses of families. An analogue, or rather, a continuation of this custom of ancient Russia, can be called a modern contract, which spouses conclude at the time of marriage, "conspiring" about the rules of family life after the wedding.

Feast

The former Russian feast is a demonstration of the generosity of the parents. The wedding menu was extensive, each dish had its own meaning, but all together allowed the guests to be fed and watered from the heart so that not a single hungry person was left. The young were to be treated with bread and salt - according to tradition, it was a loaf. Now all these traditional stages are carried out during a banquet, where the tables are always full of festive snacks. The abundance of meat and fish dishes is replaced by vegetable dishes, there is always bread on the tables, and the crown of the feast is cake.

"Bitterly!" - this is the word the guests shout at the wedding feast in Russia - before it was not a call to a kiss, but had a different meaning. From the tray that the bride was carrying, the guests took a glass of vodka, leaving money, gifts in return, and then shouted: "Bitter!" By this they confirmed that they had drunk an intoxicating bitter drink.

Another tradition of a wedding feast is the tying of two bottles of champagne by witnesses, one of which, according to the Russian tradition, will be opened by the spouses on the anniversary, the second - when the child is born.

The last stage of the official part of the wedding feast in Russia, which has already become a tradition, is the first wedding dance. The couple go out to dance together, later other couples join them. This moment marks the transition of the wedding celebration into a dance, music, and competition program.

Wedding

The church wedding ceremony confirms the marriage between a woman and a man before God. After him, the spouses go on a wedding walk, having time to visit several places before the banquet, to take memorable photos. Nowadays it is not always customary to get married, so the cortege picks up the newlyweds immediately after the wedding registration. And before the wedding was the main part of the wedding celebration, so not only the church itself was carefully selected, but also the outfits for the bride and groom.

When the newlyweds walk, another custom occurs - fortune-telling: they tie pink and blue ribbons on the paws of two pigeons, then together they let the birds go, determining by tradition what gender the future firstborn will be - male or female.

Bachelorette and bachelor parties

The tradition of holding a bachelorette party before the wedding has come for a long time: in Russia, girlfriends gathered at the girl's, combed her braid, took bath procedures, along the way telling her the dark details of her future life. This was done in order to protect the young girl from damage. The bachelor party, as a tradition, appeared not so long ago - before the wedding, the groom had to go to the bath alone.

Wedding rings

Wedding rings are a symbol of loyalty, love and devotion. They first appeared among the Egyptians, who believed that such gifts for a wedding to each other would help keep the spark of the relationship between two people. They are familiar to us today, they came to us in Russia not so long ago from European countries, having become a well-established tradition.

The bride's bouquet

In Russian traditions, it was like this: a girl passed her bouquet to a friend. Interestingly, a traditional Russian round dance was used here: while spinning and dancing, the bride (blindfolded) chose the one who would be the owner of the bouquet. The tradition of throwing a bouquet into a crowd of unmarried girls appeared later and came to us from Europe - the girl who was lucky enough to catch him was destined to marry next.

Men, too, will not be left without a kind of tradition at the wedding: before throwing the bouquet, the girl takes off the garter, which will soon be caught by the men. It also determines who will marry successfully next.

Bride kidnapping

Now the kidnapping is of entertainment nature, but during the time of serfdom in Russia it was an unpleasant peasant custom. The girl who was given in marriage could be taken on the wedding night by a pan or a gentleman. If the groom resisted this, his assistants stole the bride from the celebration and brought her by force, but rich men managed to pay off this.

Bride's shoe

But stealing a shoe was not accepted in Russia. On the contrary, the betrothed herself gave her to her girlfriends who were just waiting for their happiness. The one for which the shoes fit demanded a ransom from the future husband. This custom of Russia also made it possible to determine the well-being of the groom, to appreciate his generosity.

Towel

A towel independently embroidered by a bride was considered one of the main attributes of a wedding celebration; it remained with the spouses forever after the wedding, and was part of the girl's dowry. At the wedding, the spouses stand on one towel, and with the second they tie the hands of the newly-made spouses, forever fastening them together. This attribute is still used to this day when blessing and offering a festive loaf in Russia.

According to Russian custom, it was believed that the groom's shirt should also be embroidered by the bride.

Wedding loaf

At the doorstep, the parents presented the newly-made spouses with a wedding loaf with bread and salt: they must take turns taking a bite, this is the custom of Russia. Previously, he meant a kind of fortune-telling - what gender the baby will be, where the family's expenses will go. However, modern newlyweds are wondering who will be the “leader” in the family and who will be the “led”, depending on which piece is larger. In Russia, such fortune-telling was unthinkable, because the only possible head of the family, according to tradition, was a man.

Wedding night

After all the traditions of Russia, followed by the customs, comes the last, the main part of the wedding day - the first wedding night of lovers. This is an important event for an innocent girl. The spouse brings the bride through the threshold in his arms so that the evil demons think that this is a baby and not a stranger. Often the newlyweds chose an unusual place for their wedding night so that “the spirits would not find them” - the hayloft, shed, bedchamber of a familiar couple.

Even modern people tend to spend it not at home - in a luxurious hotel room, in a rented apartment. In recent years, as the attention to tradition has made them popular again, a rustic wedding involves the wedding night in a fragrant haystack, and romance lovers do not refuse it.

After this event, the second day of the wedding celebration may take place, but this depends on the financial viability of the organizers of the wedding celebration. Usually, according to tradition, it ends with a honeymoon - the travel of the spouses. But earlier, the honeymoon meant a light alcoholic drink, which was prepared for the wedding and drank not only during the celebration, but also for a whole month after it. Interestingly, the weight of the barrel was no less than 10 kilograms, and it was forbidden to drink anything other than this invigorating sweet drink.

For wedding ceremonies and traditions in Russia, see an interesting video:

Traditions, customs and people have changed, only one thing has remained unchanged - the solemnity of the wedding ceremony, which will forever be remembered by a loving couple. For this day to be perfect, a traditional Russian wedding requires serious and responsible preparation.

Will you use these customs and traditions at your celebration? Let us know in the comments.

When we get married, we all want to celebrate this event so that it will be remembered for a lifetime. Today, interest in the traditional wedding ceremony has increased markedly. On this solemn day, people try to observe all wedding traditions that are passed down from generation to generation.

The ancient name of the wedding "sviyatba" means binding (sviyatba). Sviyats (matchmakers) performed a binding ceremony, after which it was possible for a woman and a man from different clans to cohabit together. In the future, the binding rite began to be accompanied by various wedding ceremonies. The Russian wedding ceremony appeared in the 18-19th century, it is one of the most important family rituals, consisting of a huge number of elements. Among them are ritual songs, orations, obligatory ritual actions of the bride, boyfriends and other participants.

Wedding ceremonies were a symbol of the transition of a girl from the paternal clan to the masculine clan, under the auspices of the masculine spirits. This transition was regarded as death of its own kind and the birth of a husband in the family. For example, one of the wedding ceremonies of vyvat (ritual crying) is compared to lamentations for the deceased. At a bachelorette party, going to the bathhouse is compared to washing the deceased. When the bride is led to the church by the arms, it is a symbol of lifelessness, lack of strength, and the young wife leaves the church by herself. The tradition of bringing the bride into the groom's house in his arms is aimed at deceiving the brownie so that he will accept the girl as a newborn who has appeared in the house, and not entered it.

The Russian wedding ceremony differs in different regions of Russia. For example, in the north, the rite is accompanied only by laments, and in the south, it consists entirely of funny songs, where the laments play a more formal role. Some regional traditions have pre-Christian origins, as well as elements of magic. The wedding ceremony is presented in the form of a strictly organized system.

Despite some differences, the general order of the wedding ceremony remains unchanged and includes the following elements.

Matchmaking.
Matchmaking is a wedding ceremony that involves the groom's marriage proposal to his beloved in the presence of her parents. In this ceremony, as a rule, the future groom himself participates. However, he can also send matchmakers to the parents of the bride-to-be. Most often, the groom's parents, close relatives, godparents act as matchmakers. Friends are an exception; they can be present during matchmaking on rare occasions. Before the actual matchmaking, the parents of the bride and groom preliminarily agreed on this.

Entering the bride's parental home, the matchmaker performed certain ritual actions. For example, in the Simbirsk province, the matchmaker had to sit under the mat, and in the Vologda province - to rattle the stove flap, etc. It so happened that the matchmaker could speak about the purpose of his visit in a certain ritual language, and the bride's parents answered him in the same manner. This was explained by the need to protect the wedding ceremony from the effects of evil spirits. By tradition, the bride's parents are obliged to refuse the matchmaker for the first time, even if they are approved, the matchmaker in this case is obliged to persuade them. After the matchmaking ceremony, the parents of the bride-to-be gave an answer. As a rule, the girl's desire was not taken into account. Her consent was only a formality. In rare cases, matchmaking took place without a girl at all.

For matchmaking, the future groom must wear a suit, and also bring two bouquets of flowers with him. One of them he must give the girl's mother (future mother-in-law), and the second - to his future bride. The groom confesses his love for her to the girl's parents and asks them for her hand. In case of parental consent, the bride's father puts his daughter's right hand into the groom's.

Nowadays, as a rule, matchmaking is combined with any family holiday or weekend. Natural chores around the table allow future relatives to get to know each other better. In the event that the groom's parents for any reason were absent from the matchmaking, the future newlyweds should visit them, where the son will introduce his beloved to his parents, and she gives flowers to the future mother-in-law. After the matchmaking, the young set the date of the engagement and its announcement.

The bride.
The bridegroom is also an obligatory part of the wedding ceremony, in which the groom, his parents, matchmakers evaluate the merits and demerits of the future wife. As a rule, the bridegrooms were held before the marriage, after the matchmaking. In addition, the bride-show also presupposes an examination by the girl's parents of the groom's household, with a special place occupied by the presence of cattle, bread, dishes and clothes. If the parents were not satisfied with something, they could refuse the groom. Otherwise, the bride's parents set the date for the vowel matchmaking - hand-arm.

During the mating ceremony, the final agreement was reached on the wedding (date, expenses, number of gifts, masonry (a form of material support for the bride from the groom's relatives), dowry, etc.). As a rule, handshaking was carried out 2-3 days after the matchmaking. Wedding ranks were also distributed during the mating. The result of the handicraft was the beating of each other on the hands (while wearing canvas mittens) by the fathers of the bride and groom. This custom symbolized the obligation to fulfill the agreement reached. The rite of arms testified that the bride was betrothed; in this case, only an exceptional case could cancel the wedding (for example, the bride's escape).

Later, the rituals of mating and matchmaking were added to the bride.

Disposal.
Dislocation meant ritual crying, which was carried out on the side of the bride. The washing symbolized the bride's farewell to her parents and girlfriends. The bride's head was covered with a semblance of a veil so that she could not see anything and accompanied her. As the girl was released, she fell.

Hen-party.
The bachelorette party took place, as a rule, before the wedding or on the days from arm-wrestling to wedding. For a bachelorette party, her friends gathered at the bride's and helped her to sew gifts for the groom and his relatives to the wedding songs. The bride at this time had to "cry, howl, wail." This meant saying goodbye to a girl's life, expecting hard work after marriage.

Another important moment at the bachelorette party was the unweaving of the girl's braid, which was carried out by the bridesmaids. It meant the end of the girl's former life.

Another equally important element of the wedding ceremony was the ritual washing of the bride in the bath. As a rule, this was done on the eve of the wedding or on the morning of the wedding day. The bride went to the bathhouse with her girlfriends, while special songs and orations were sung, and sometimes some ritual actions with magical power were carried out. For example, in the Vologda region, it was customary for a bride to go to a bathhouse with a healer, who collected her sweat in a special vial, and at the wedding poured it into alcohol for the groom.

In our time, it is still customary to celebrate a bachelorette party, only they do it at home or in cozy cafes with girlfriends. But there may be other options for holding a bachelorette party, it all depends on the imagination of the bride's friends.

Dowry.
The bride had to prepare a large dowry for the wedding. Her friends helped her in this. The period for preparing the dowry was called a week. The dowry mainly consisted of things made by the bride with her own hands: a bed (feather bed, pillow, blanket) and gifts to the groom and relatives: shirts, scarves, belts, patterned towels.

First wedding day.
The first day of the wedding is characterized by the arrival of the groom, a trip to the crown, the transfer of a dowry, the arrival of the young at the groom's house, a blessing, a wedding feast.

Dear friend.
Druzhka (or druzhka) has always been the most important participant and leader of the wedding ceremony. Most often, it is the friend who is scolded according to ritual custom, and he must adequately answer such jokes in his direction. The groom practically does not say any ritual words on the solemn day. The brother or close friend of the groom acts as a boyfriend. Its distinctive feature was an embroidered towel tied over its shoulder. In the traditions of some regions, two or even three friends could be present, but one of them will still be the main one.

Arrival of the groom.
According to the traditions of some regions, on the morning of the wedding day, the boyfriend visits the bride's house to find out if the bride is ready for the groom's arrival. The bride should already be in wedding clothes for the visit of her friend and sit in the red corner. The wedding "train" included the groom with a boyfriend, friends and relatives (travelers). As the wedding train moved, special "poezzhansk" songs were sung.

Ransom.
After the arrival of the groom, another wedding ceremony took place - the ransom. To get to the bride, the groom must pay a ransom for the gate, door, etc. When carrying out this rite, much attention is paid to magical actions, for example, sweeping the road in order to protect the young from damage that can be aimed at an object thrown at their feet, a stone, etc. In different traditions, the road to be swept is different. The ransom of the bride has survived to this day. It is allowed to redeem the bride from girlfriends and from parents. It so happened that the groom was deceived, leading to him the bride with a closed face. Instead of a real bride, they brought out another girl or even an elderly woman. In such a situation, the groom had to redeem the bride again, or look for her.

Wedding.
Before the bride and groom left for church, the bride's parents blessed them with an icon and bread. Before the wedding ceremony, the bride's braid was untwisted, and after it two "woman's" braids were braided for her, while carefully covering her hair with a headdress (warrior). Sometimes this was carried out at a wedding festivities, and among the Old Believers - between the betrothal and the wedding, or before the betrothal.

Arrival at the groom's house.
After the wedding, the bride is taken to the groom's house, where his parents bless their union. In many traditions, upon arrival, the bride and groom were put on a fur coat, which was a talisman. Bread was an indispensable element of the blessing ceremony. As a rule, the bread was next to the icon. In many traditions, both the bride and groom must take a bite of bread.

Wedding feast.
As a rule, the wedding was celebrated over food with jokes and songs. According to tradition, the bride's parents should not be present at the wedding table on the first day, so there was such a custom “to call the proud”. This task was entrusted to the masqueraded guests by the husband and wife. In a noisy crowd, they came to the house of the bride's parents and invited them to the wedding table. After the sacrament of the wedding, the lamentations of the bride end, and the joyful and cheerful part of the ceremony begins. After that, the newlyweds go to the bride's house for gifts, after which they go to the groom's house, where everything is ready for the wedding feast. The wedding feast is always accompanied by stately songs for the groom, bride, parents and boyfriend. The second day is celebrated in the house of the bride's parents. If the feast lasts three days, then the third day is again celebrated in the groom's house.

"Laying down" and "waking up" of the young.
"Laying the young" was carried out by a matchmaker, or the bed-bed prepared the marriage bed, for which the groom had to pay a ransom. In the morning, the matchmaker, mother-in-law or boyfriend "woke up" the young. As a rule, after “waking up,” the guests were shown a sheet or shirt of the bride with blood stains, which testified to her honor. According to other customs, the “honor” of the bride was demonstrated by the groom, eating from the middle or from the edge of an egg, pancake or pie. If the bride turned out to be not a virgin, her parents were ridiculed, they could cover the gate with tar, etc.

Second wedding day.
The most common rite of passage on the second day of the wedding is the search for a bride, "search for a bright spot." The essence of this rite is that the bride (yarochka) is hiding somewhere in the house, and the groom (shepherd) or his relatives are looking for her.

Two hearts by the will of the zodiac

Merged into one in the shadow of Braque.

There are seven wonders in the world, however

There is nothing more wonderful than Marriage.At the present time, the wedding, as a complex multi-stage complex of rituals, has practically not survived. Time and fashion dictate their terms, but some elements are alive.

The church wedding ceremony is becoming more and more frequent.

It is impossible to imagine a wedding without first meeting the parents. They also stipulate the material side of the issue - what the wedding will cost, and how the expenses will be distributed. (Immediately, we note: today there is more atypical in this matter than at any other time in the past).

Traditionally, rings, dress and shoes for the bride are bought by the groom, and the bride's family provides "dowries" - bed linen, dishes and furniture. A wedding feast is almost everywhere. As a basis for a wedding, you can take both a village and an urban rite, or you can combine the elements of both. The rest depends on the capabilities, tastes, traditions of the families of the bride and groom and the ingenuity of their friends. Often, professionals are invited to hold a wedding, they resort to the services of special institutions - houses of wedding celebrations, etc.

There are also various wedding scenarios. Let's dwell on some "generally accepted" points.

It is customary for the bride and groom to write invitations themselves and deliver them personally to those whom they wish to see at their wedding. The exception is for nonresidents, but it is considered more polite if the written invitation is confirmed by a telephone conversation. Relatives and friends must certainly be present at the solemn act of registration of marriage, where they congratulate the newlyweds, give flowers. The presence of witnesses is officially regulated. Wedding palaces became popular. There, every couple will definitely smile (and if necessary, they will help, calm down: there are many cases when brides fainted from excitement).

It is customary to give gifts to young people at a wedding. It has become, however, quite acceptable once offensive business - handing young people money in a smart envelope. And those invited, but who could not come to the wedding, relatives or friends simply send money orders.

The main characters at the wedding - the bride and groom - should be the most elegant. If the bride is getting married in church, then her dress should not have a deep cut. Flowers ordered by the groom (with the knowledge of the bride) should be in harmony with the dress. (At the registration of marriage, the bride may appear in a short dress or without a veil, but with a bouquet). The bride's light dress and the groom's white shirt and tie are an indispensable condition for a church wedding and are specially stipulated - just like the fact that Christians married must be baptized and wear crosses on themselves.

At a wedding, only the bride can wear white!

In the old days, grooms wore a tailcoat, today they can wear a dark (in winter) or light (in summer) well-tailored suit, white shirt, tie or bow tie. It's good when in the buttonhole there is a small bunch of the same flowers as the bride.

(In case of remarriage, which in our time, alas, is not uncommon, weddings are no longer played so magnificently and in a rather narrow circle. Guests come in festive toilets. However, the bride no longer puts on veils and a snow-white dress. hair, sometimes decorated with several flowers or a hat, but a bouquet is still needed in the hands).

More about flowers. Previously, the bride was supposed to choose flowers of the same color - mostly pale pink or white, but now they choose other flowers or combine many types of flowers, trying to harmonize them in shape and color. There is one general rule: anything is permissible that does not violate the harmony. Flowers are used in different ways in the bride's attire. In the form of a graceful wreath, they can decorate her head. The graceful boutonnieres pinned to a light veil or dress are very beautiful.

A traditional bouquet can be made openwork, hanging or placed in a small elegant basket, ending with an inconspicuous convenient ring that is put on the finger. Most often, bouquets for the bride are made elongated - this is a one-sided "German" bouquet, or - with far-reaching shoots of climbing plants - the so-called English variety. Less well known is the Swedish round "summer solstice" bouquet, made up of variegated summer flowers, cereals, ears of corn, lace ribbons and colored tulle.

It is not at all necessary that the bouquet consists of expensive flowers. The decisive factors for choosing a bouquet are the age and appearance of the bride, as well as the color and length of the wedding dress.

A large and lush bouquet is contraindicated for a short, fragile bride, and too large flowers will not work. It is preferable for her to choose a small, elegantly arranged bouquet, which she can hold with two fingers, or a basket bouquet.

A tall and physically proportioned bride should prefer a fairly large bouquet, which is worn at the elbow. This is a bouquet of long-stemmed flowers, the center of gravity of which is on the bride's hand and the flowers themselves hang down.

For the groom, you can make a delicate boutonniere. For complete harmony, the boutonniere should be of the same colors as the bridal bouquet.

In many countries, the bride wears myrtle twigs in her hair and a bunch of the same twigs in the form of a brooch on her chest. The groom wears a bunch of myrtle twigs in his buttonhole.

The traditional exclamation "Bitterly!" has been ringing at the wedding table for centuries. You can't do without congratulatory verses either.

The wedding table does not have an essential ritual program. Perhaps, only chicken dishes and a wedding cake have been preserved on the menu. The rest - according to tastes and possibilities. But a special mention should be made about the wedding cake.

A wedding cake, or the bride's cake, is not only a delicious confectionery and table decoration, but also a symbol expressing good wishes to the bride and young family with skillful decoration. Cake in the form of a wicker basket with white roses - a symbol of purity, purity and love; with red - deep and passionate love; a cake with swans and a chick - a hint of adding to a new family; "cornucopia" - to prosperity; horseshoe cake - fortunately; "lyre" - to creative perfection; cake in the form of a pyramid - a wish to live to a ripe old age, together to ascend to the top of life ...

On "thematic" cakes, donation inscriptions and wishes should not be made.

The wedding cake is usually placed on the banquet table in front of the young. You can put the cake on a special bedside table or table near the bride and groom. When the time comes for dessert, the bride cuts the cake (this is where the test of dexterity and accuracy is!). The piece with the main pattern is placed on the bride's plate by the groom.

It is advisable to arrange the tables with the letter "P"; a different arrangement is also possible - the main thing is that the groom and the bride and parents are in the center of the table. At crowded weddings, it is recommended to place guests according to the plan according to the name cards.

The decoration of the banquet table is fruits. A composition of grapes, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, etc., laid in a tall crystal vase, gives the wedding table the necessary splendor and freshness. In general, it should be remembered that the color of the treats, the external decoration of the table are no less important than the taste. Skillful arrangement of dishes, fruits, pastries on a white or colored tablecloth affects a person like a good painting.

The rule of serving and serving guests states that before serving the dessert, snacks, bread and spices must be removed from the table. An exception is allowed at a wedding. In this case, the owners only have to put the table in order from time to time: remove the empty dishes, and put the same snacks remaining on the dishes on one dish along with herbs and other decorations. To do this, it is best to have at hand pre-cut and dipped in water greens, radishes, olives, cucumbers, green peas, etc., than you can immediately decorate the combined dishes. It is advisable to have soft drinks on the tables until the very end of the celebration.

The solemnity of the wedding table, in addition to flowers, is given by candlesticks in the form of candelabra for 3-5-7 candles. Old silver and bronze tall candelabra or ceramic and wooden candelabra are always beautiful. Tall candlesticks and slender even candles do not blind those sitting at the table, do not interfere with seeing each other. However, you should not overload the table with candlesticks. For a 50-seat table, 2-3 candelabra with 3 candles are enough (the total number of candles, as is customary, should be odd).

Leave some space at the table to the right of the bride and to the left of the groom, somewhat separating the young from the rest. This should be done not so much for convenience (although comfort is important), as according to the tradition, which provides for the special position of the bride and groom.

A happy marriage loves the holidays. We have loving spouses celebrate every anniversary. But there is also an almost "official" list of wedding anniversaries, which are usually celebrated.

The first wedding anniversary is called chintz. Five years - wooden, seven - copper, ten - pink, fifteen - glass, twenty - porcelain, twenty-five - silver, thirty - pearl, forty - ruby, fifty - gold, seventy-five - diamond. The name implies gifts as well. And favorite flowers (or maybe those that made up the wedding bouquet!).

An example of a wedding scenario in one of the wedding houses:

The wedding celebration begins with a solemn meeting of the newlyweds at the entrance. The presenter congratulates them and takes them to the room of the young, while organizing the guests for a solemn meeting in the wedding ritual hall. Guests are located on both sides of the carpet, at the end of which are the parents of the newlyweds.

When the young, accompanied by witnesses, enter the hall to the sound of the wedding march, the guests shower them with sweets and flowers. The groom's mother brings them a lush fresh loaf, specially baked for the wedding, on an elegant towel, and the bride's mother generously sprinkles them with grain. Everyone wishes happiness and prosperity to the young family.

Young people break bread, treat each other, parents, witnesses and all guests with a wedding loaf. The presenter hands the young wife a small broom, and the young husband a scoop, and offers to sweep the carpet. Young people gather grain and sweets to cheerful music. The presenter comments on their work, explaining to the guests the importance of the wedding ceremony: the bride, having shown skill, must remove the garbage quickly in order to please the mother-in-law, and the son-in-law - the mother-in-law, as a good helper for her daughter. The guests thank the young people with applause for their first joint work and give gifts. (V. Dahl - to teach the young to sweep the floor / she sweeps, and the guests litter to test her patience / - Approx. Comp.).

Then the host, on behalf of the newlyweds, invites everyone to the wedding table. The first solemn toast - congratulations to the young people - is offered by the host of the celebration or the honored guest of the wedding. The guests greet the young by standing. Young people thank their parents. The presenter invites guests to congratulate their parents on a happy event.

The response word - parental order - is offered to the parents of the newlyweds. Then guests of honor, witnesses and friends speak.

The dances are opened by the newlyweds, the next dance is offered for everyone.

Then the presenter reads out the decree - a comic parting word to the young, in an epic style. The decree is issued in the form of a scroll with wax seals. After reading, the scroll is presented to the young. And again, congratulations, wishes and instructions follow.

Young people are invited to break a hoop baked from dough. Whoever breaks off a larger piece is proclaimed the head of the family for a day.

A prerequisite for a feast is songs. Young people sing their favorite songs, elders - old wedding songs.

Marriage is soon. These words evoke different feelings in the soul. You are overwhelmed with joy that soon you will forever connect your fate with your loved one. But how can you make your marriage truly strong and happy?

About what magic and ancient wedding ceremonies exist and how they go, read and see in our article.

Of course, no wedding is complete without traditional wedding rituals. This is a meeting of young people with a loaf, and throwing the bride's bouquet, and a wedding cake. These rituals are known to everyone, but there are a dozen or two more customs that are often overlooked by young people. But they are the ones who will help you make your wedding emotional and unforgettable.

It is simply impossible to list all of them at once, so we suggest you choose from those that are the most common, significant and beautiful.

According to an old English tradition, the bride must wear something old, new, blue and borrowed to the wedding (“something old andsomething new, something borrowed and something blue”).

It stands for this: a new thing symbolizes good luck for the bride in her new family life. The old (usually a family jewel) symbolizes the connection with the bride's family, brings her peace of mind. Borrowed guarantees that the bride will always have loyal friends by her side. And something blue will bring love and fidelity to the bride.

Now it has become fashionable when newlyweds hang a castle with their names on bridges. But this ancient Russian rite was carried out in a slightly different way. Before the young people are going to leave the house, a castle is placed under the threshold of the house. After the young people step over the lock, they close it, and the key is thrown into a deep reservoir. The castle should be kept in the family as a symbol of love.

Launching pigeons has already become a tradition. This custom came from Italy, where the bride would release the dove as a sign that she was leaving her home. Now the newlyweds make a wish when launching the pigeons, and if the pigeons flew nearby, then the wish will certainly come true.

A completely new custom - the bride releases a sky lantern or balloon into the sky with her maiden name written on it as a sign that she says goodbye to her.

When the newlyweds meet after the ceremony with a loaf, they beat glasses, throwing them over their backs. Glasses beat as a sign that the young have left all their evil behind. And on the fragments of broken plates they see how happy the newlyweds will be - the more fragments, the more happiness.

Before the start of the wedding banquet (and sometimes before the young people leave home), a ceremony is held to ignite the family hearth. Mothers of young people with the help of candles transfer the warmth of the parental family hearth to their children. The newlyweds light one large candle with two candles. This large candle will symbolize their family hearth.

The wedding dance, which appeared in Russia in the era of Peter I, has changed a lot in our time. The staged dance is becoming more and more popular, when young people prepare their beautiful wedding dance long before the wedding.

A beautiful custom is the dance of father and daughter. Usually, after a touching dance, the father brings his daughter to her chosen one and hands the daughter over to the reliable hands of the young husband, but there are also very funny incarnations of this action.

The ceremony of farewell to the veil is becoming more and more fashionable. There are several variations of it.

According to one scenario, in the second half of the wedding, the bride changes from a wedding dress to a ball gown, and gives her veil to an unmarried girlfriend who dreams of finding her betrothed.

However, most often the veil is removed by the mother-in-law, immediately covering the bride's head with a scarf or shawl. This symbolizes that the mother-in-law accepts the bride into her home, as a daughter, as a continuer of the clan. The veil itself should be kept at home, it should not be given to strangers. Our grandmothers used to say that a young mother can cover the baby's crib if he sleeps restlessly.

In western Ukraine, the veil is being "danced". The bride dances with unmarried girlfriends and holds the veil over her head. Thus, the bride "dances" to her husband's friend.

At a wedding, the bride can give a box from the wedding rings to the girl she wishes for a quick marriage.

Young people are presented with tied bottles of champagne, one of which they drink for their wedding anniversary, and the second for the birth of their first child.

There are a lot of modern wedding rituals and ceremonies: new ones are constantly appearing, and sometimes well-forgotten old wedding ceremonies just come back. Choose which ones you like, which ones will look beautiful at your wedding, and those that make sense. It is possible that at your wedding there will be ceremonies that your grandmother or someone you know will tell you.

But do not forget that the rituals should be approached carefully so that there are not too many of them, and each rite becomes vivid and will be remembered not only by you, but also by your guests.