Slavic wedding: description, traditions, customs, outfits of the bride and groom, decoration of the hall and table

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Recently, young people have begun to show genuine interest in the old traditions of Slavic weddings. The original and in many ways unique customs of the ancestors are often quite organically woven into modern marriages.

Wedding is an incredibly important event in the life of every person, requiring careful preparation and marking a new stage in the life and relationships of lovers. Ancestors treated this event with due respect and awe, and therefore it is not surprising that the traditions of the Slavic wedding are attractive for those who get engaged today.

Traditions, customs and rituals

The ancient Slavs considered the creation of a family one of the most important stages of their lives, while relying on the mercy of fate and favor from above. The word "wedding" consisted of three parts, fully expressing the attitude of the ancestors to this event: "sva" meant heaven, "d" - an earthly deed, and "ba" - blessed by the gods. This decoding could be formulated as “an earthly deed,blessed by the gods in heaven." The statement also determined the nature of all the ancient rites at the Slavic wedding.

The union of two people has always been traditionally associated with procreation, and the birth of children was strongly encouraged. In connection with this, the ancient Slavs gradually formed several restrictions and prohibitions for candidates for a potential bride and groom. The age limit for the newlyweds was very reasonable: the young man must be over 21 years old, and the girl must be 16 years old. For obvious reasons, the gender of the groom and the bride should not have intersected too closely.

It is a popular misconception that young people were often married against their will. In fact, the traditions of the Slavic wedding assumed the existence of a special, harmonious connection between the newlyweds. It was believed that life itself and the gods guided them into each other's arms.

If we talk about Old Slavonic traditions and customs, then up to now they have been repeatedly subjected to changes due to constant migrations and wars. The birth of Christianity in Russia marked a change in wedding rites, the wedding began to be held in the church, and the blessing of the young by the gods at the temple was forgotten as one of the many pagan traditions.

Style and symbolism

The basis of the style of the Slavic wedding was the idea of unity with nature and respect for traditions. Clothing and entourage did not imply the frills and frills of modern wedding celebrations, did not exude excessive pathos and stereotyped style. atmosphere likeAs a rule, it is maintained in the Old Russian key. Decorating the place of the festival with as many natural elements as possible and the absence of synthetic and plastic parts is welcome. Usually the color palette of costumes, decorations and backgrounds is based on white and red colors, but blue shades are also acceptable.

An ancient amulet called a wedding man, denoting the creative and destructive beginnings of the sun and therefore possessing double power, can rightfully be called the main symbol of a Slavic wedding. This talisman personified in a general sense the unification of two clans, protected the future family from the evil eye and all troubles, and also brought prosperity, mutual understanding and happiness to the house of the married. According to tradition, the parents of the young should give the wedding man at the end of all ceremonies.

The ancient Slavs believed that this talisman had magical properties that contributed to the creation of a family microclimate, helped the early appearance of he althy offspring and protected spouses from squabbles and quarrels. One of the rites of the Slavic wedding prescribed, after the birth of the first child, to hide the wedding man along with the veil, dress and other attributes of the celebration in a chest. However, some couples still left the symbol in the most prominent place in the house.

Today it has become popular to apply the image of this amulet in the form of the same tattoo to both spouses. It is worth noting that, according to Old Slavonic traditions, such a talisman is not considered real and does not have magical properties. According to ancient customs, the weddingwas made by embroidering with natural threads on a piece of white fabric. The talisman could then be hung on the wall like a painting. Preference was given to fabrics of linen origin. Some opted for a wooden talisman made of beech, oak, ash or birch.

Wedding scenarios

The essence of any scenario for holding a wedding in the Old Slavonic style lies in the naturalness of the theme. From various well-established wedding templates, you should immediately abandon. The atmosphere of a holiday, bright colors and unbridled fun is the foundation for writing a script for a Slavic wedding. Already at this stage, it is time to decide who will get the role of leader. A professional toastmaster is likely to cope with this task better, but he must be warned in advance about the style of the celebration and discuss all the details.

According to Slavic customs, it is customary to make a wedding train at a wedding, which is attended by the bride and groom, parents from both sides, friends of the groom and bridesmaids, as well as professional musicians. The young man, accompanied by his retinue, goes first of all to his beloved, and then goes with her to the place of the wedding ceremony. At this time, the guests are already waiting for the start of the celebration. Contrary to established European traditions, the bride should not be led to the altar by her father, but by the groom himself. Then the official part of the event begins, during which the newlyweds swear love to each other, exchange wedding rings, sign in agreement ongetting married and kissing to the applause of the guests.

The old folk entertainments and colorful competitions of those times will fit well into the scenario of a Slavic wedding. The audience will appreciate the tug-of-war, the stream, the tag and the competition in the towns. The degree of fun will increase the ancient Russian fun of jumping over a fire. Of course, with full observance of all security measures. Heroes of Slavic folklore and folk tales will only decorate the holiday. Charming mermaids, frightening goblin and mysterious brownies will perfectly fit into the atmosphere of a real Slavic wedding.

For the delight of the guests' ears, you can invite musical groups performing songs to Russian folk instruments like gusli, domra, hurdy-gurdy or the well-known balalaika. It is recommended to supplement the string group with wind instruments: shepherd's pipe, zhalyuka, kalyuk, flute or horn. Keeping the rhythm of peppy Slavic dances and dances should be entrusted to a percussion group, consisting of tambourines and bells, rattles and rattles. The size and composition of the Slavic orchestra will depend only on financial possibilities. Under fervent musical motives, guests will certainly appreciate ostentatious fisticuffs. Undoubtedly, it is best to use the services of professional artists for such fights.

Wedding table decoration

Banquet in the organization of the celebration in the old Russian traditions plays a special role. Table decoration at a Slavic wedding should be made as diverse and rich as possible. The inhabitants of Ancient Russia gathered for such events in whole villages, and therefore the tablespractically caved in under a huge number of treats for every taste. The dishes invariably included various pastries, meat and fish dishes, and at the head of the table there was always a loaf, which was instructed to bake by married women from the bride's family. Of course, the organization of a Slavic wedding currently allows ordering a loaf in a bakery. The most interesting thing is that a large loaf can fully replace a wedding cake and once again emphasize the Slavic flavor of the event.

You also need to decide on a list of dishes for the table that will be both tasty and in line with the general style of the celebration with a Slavic bias. The banquet menu in this case may consist of an impressive selection of treats:

• cakes, pancakes and fritters,
• baked fish and s alted herring,
• game and skewered meat (rabbit, pork or beef),
• pickled mushrooms and various pickles,
• caviar and sauerkraut,
• suckling pig as an exquisite delicacy.

The list of drinks includes compotes, fruit drinks, kissels and uzvars. The latter are decoctions of boiled water with fruit and berry and wine additives to taste. In principle, traditional wedding drinks like champagne and some kind of strong alcohol are quite acceptable to leave on the menu. If you pour strong alcohol into jugs and decanters stylized as Slavic life, then this will only benefit the holiday atmosphere.

Wedding gifts

Ancient Slavsstrictly followed the established procedures and always knew who and how much should have been presented as a gift, so that all those present were satisfied. Then they could give everything that could be useful in everyday life and at the same time personified we alth and prosperity. Domestic birds and animals were used: the young were given geese, ducks, chickens, piglets, cows, bulls and calves. It was not forbidden to give even food as a gift. From what to give for a wedding in the Slavic style at the present time, we can mention fringeless towels, which were a symbol of unity and love of those who were married. By the way, ancient Slavic customs prescribed to give gifts of something in large quantities and always a multiple of ten. For example, one hundred boxes of chicken eggs or ten geese.

The oldest of the relatives in the groom's family traditionally gave him a whip. The groom was supposed to place this whip on a prominent part of the wall in the house. Symbolism consisted in this case in demonstrating the power of the husband over his wife. Other relatives were also supposed to present certain gifts in accordance with the traditions and customs of the Slavic wedding. For example, the future mother-in-law usually gave her daughter-in-law some valuable family heirloom. With such a gift, the mother-in-law bequeathed to keep family traditions in the house of the future married couple. A ring or any other piece of jewelry acted as a relic.

Of course, many people will find gifts like geese and whips a little strange for a modern wedding. However, in Old Slavic times, young people were often given fine furs and textiles as a gift,as well as beautiful decorations. These gifts are unlikely to ever go out of fashion. Also, ordinary household items will always remain relevant as a present. It will not be difficult to find a useful gift from kitchen and household appliances, services and sets of dishes, sports equipment and entertainment devices.

An interesting tradition was the so-called "returns". In the first six months of family life, the husband and wife evaluated the gifts of the guests at the wedding. After that, they always paid a personal visit to each guest and presented him with reciprocal gifts, which cost more than the wedding gifts given to them earlier. The meaning of this custom was that the family showed the value of the gifts received and how these gifts increased their family we alth.

Folk songs for the wedding

Not a single wedding banquet can do without singing positive songs, and even more so at a Slavic wedding. At the same time, both the guests of the celebration and the newlyweds themselves, as well as professional musicians performing songs to the accompaniment of old Slavonic instruments, can sing. The repertoire should be selected when preparing the script for the wedding, either on your own, or listen to the ideas of the musicians you plan to hire.

In Ancient Russia, special attention was paid to ritual chants. Slavic folklore singled out wedding songs as one of the four main genres. At the celebration, they served as a figurative and expressive means with a number of literary devices: personification, the presence of constant epithets, comparisons and diminutive suffixes to designatebride, groom and all members of the young family.

In fact, the ritual songs of the Slavs were a unique combination of folk eloquence, Slavic mythology, elements of oral poetry and an encyclopedia about the life of the simple peasant people of those times. Many songs use the method of idealization of the image and characters of the bride and groom, have extraordinary brightness in depicting plots. At the head are also the motives of we alth, happiness and well-being of the young. The groom is often compared to a drake or falcon, and the bride to a duck or cuckoo. Interestingly, the image of the cuckoo symbolizes the funeral. The ancient Slavs associate this with the rite of initiation, according to which the future bride had to “bury” her past life and start a new, joint life with her husband from scratch. The symbol of the cuckoo is mentioned just in the songs at the bachelorette party and during the departure of the girl to the crown for the wedding ceremony.

The repertoire of Slavic wedding songs offers several dozen works that will perfectly fit into the holiday atmosphere even today. A list of the most popular of them can be seen below. The spelling and style of writing have been preserved. For the most part, the titles are the first line of the lyrics, from which the full text is easily found on the corresponding information resources.

Lyrical wedding songs in the Slavic style, performed directly at the festive banquet, are as follows:

• "The birch bowed to the dark forest…".
• "A duck was swimming in the sea…".
• "Why are you a birch torch, you don't burn brightly…".

Ritual and ceremonial songs for a wedding in the Slavic style:

• “Like a matchmaker in the yard…” - the song announced the beginning of the ceremony to congratulate the groom and sounded exactly at the moment when the bride’s parents gave their consent to the wedding.
• "A soap dish was made, like our girls'…" - talks about the bathing ceremony in the bride's house.
• “All the boyars have entered the yard…” - they sang it either at a bachelorette party or for the arrival of the groom. It was allowed to perform at the wedding itself.
• "And the duck swam …" - the song was supposed to be performed at a bachelorette party when the bride untwisted her braid.
• “A birch stood at the gate…” is a calendar ritual song. It implies the entry of the bride into a new role for herself as a mother and continuer of the man's clan.

Choosing a wedding dress, outfits for the groom and guests

Without characteristic costumes, it is simply impossible to fully convey the full flavor of the celebration. In addition, photos of guests taken at the Slavic wedding in the outfits corresponding to the style of the event will be a wonderful memory for the newlyweds. Even more responsibly, you should approach the choice of a wedding dress for the bride and attire for the groom.

Usually, the bride's attire suggests the presence of a white sundress with red ethnic patterns intraditional style. For a slightly less authentic option, go for a white and red dress, which is sure to be found in any bridal salon. If the combination of red and white does not suit you, you can try a combination of snow-white and blue shades. At the same time, many organizers insist that the decoration of the Slavic wedding be in the same colors as the bride's dress.

From shoes, you should look at red shoes or fabric boots in the Old Slavonic style of the same color. Patterned white felt boots in combination with a fur coat, a muff and a winter hat are well suited for a winter wedding for a bride. In spring and autumn, it is permissible to cover yourself with a colored shawl or scarf.

One of the most suitable hairstyles for the Slavic style, experts consider loose curls and slightly careless styling. The custom in Ancient Russia ordered girls to wear one braid before marriage, and after the braid was untwisted, and then it was supposed to braid two braids. It is worth clarifying that there is no veil at a wedding in the Slavic style; a kokoshnik or a wreath is put on instead. Modern girls rather prefer to leave their heads uncovered and decorate their hair with a hairpin. If there is still a wreath, then after the official murals at the wedding, the bride must give it to her mother.

If the newlyweds have decided on a bride's dress suitable for a Slavic wedding, it remains to choose an authentic stylish suit for the groom. There are two main color schemes of the outfit to choose from: red and black colors withgolden patterns or an all-white dress with an ornament of ethnic patterns. The groom, as a rule, wears fabric boots on his feet. Mandatory elements, regardless of the color palette, are bloomers and a long shirt tied with a sash.

It is necessary to exactly match the patterns on the groom's suit and the bride's dress. Ornaments at Slavic ritual weddings usually denoted one of the ancient gods and were something like an offering for the sake of protection and blessing of the union by higher powers.

The color requirements for the guests' outfits were not as strict as those of the heroes of the occasion. Suits of all natural natural colors were allowed, including green, blue or orange. Girls are free to choose dresses of any length, respecting the authenticity and general style of the Slavic entourage. Men's suits should mainly be made up of bloomers and long shirts with sashes.

Choosing the venue, decorating and decorating the hall

Many newlyweds try to hold a wedding celebration in one of the summer months. However, the organization of a Slavic wedding is permissible both in the warm season and in winter frosts. Holding the event in winter will only add to the entourage, since the action of most old Russian fairy tales unfolded precisely in the cold season.

When choosing a place, you can give preference to a real Russian hut with a chimney, wooden shutters on the windows and a well beyond the threshold. A key role in styling will be played by wooden interior and exterior trim. The location of the houses in dense coniferous forest will give a special charm to the celebration.or a birch forest in autumn, when everything around is already strewn with yellowed leaves.

As for the summer wedding in the style of Ancient Russia, everything is much simpler here. You can hold such an event right in nature, for example, go to a wheat field. In a good and cozy place in the open air, it is allowed to conduct registration, a photo session and the celebration itself with a banquet. A less radical option is to rent a summer terrace in a restaurant with a suitable design style. The interior welcomes the presence of a real Russian stove, fireplace, towels, wicker fences and wooden furniture.

The color palette can be made up of red, burgundy, dark pink, blue and orange shades. At the heart of the design of the hall for a Slavic wedding, white must also be present. Summer is more conducive to warm, calm tones like pink, and in winter red will look best in combination with snow-white snowdrifts. In turn, it was the red color that occupied a special place in the Old Slavonic style. In addition, it was already mentioned above that the best option would be to combine the color scheme of the hall with the colors of the bride's wedding dress.

From the generally accepted decor items for decorating the hall for a wedding in the Slavic style, it is recommended to select those listed in the list below:

• Textiles like chintz curtains, knitted rugs, towels and patchwork tablecloths.
• Musical instruments like balalaikas, gusli, rattles, harmonicas, tambourines, button accordions and accordions.
• Gifts of nature like cones,bunches of mountain ash and spruce branches.
• Buckets and rockers.
• Sleds and carts.
• Dummy Russian oven.
• Samovars and baskets.
• Small and large nesting dolls.

Ideas for a photo shoot in Slavic style

First of all, you need to make sure that the props for decorating the celebration itself are used as much as possible in the photo shoot, which you should initially tell the hired photographer about. The bride and groom can be posed against the background of a wheat field or a river bank. Ancient Russian-style huts, haystacks and horse pens will serve as wonderful thematic backgrounds for photos at a Slavic wedding.

There are also many different subjects for winter photography, for example, young people sit down at the table, the bride pours tea from a samovar into cups. Winter sleds will also be great props for photography. Some go even further and shoot voluminous wedding productions in the style of Russian fairy tales like Morozko.

Other features of preparing for the wedding

Taking into account all the traditions and rituals of Slavic weddings is an extremely difficult task. If everything is more or less clear with the main points, it remains only to clarify some details. As they say, the devil is in the details.

Small themed gifts for guests will be a kind gesture from the young. Sweet cockerels on sticks, beautiful amulets and nesting dolls, as well as painted plates stylized in the Slavic style can serve as such a pleasant little thing.and saucers. Towels and bath brooms are also suitable as symbolic gifts.

The organization of banquets with an impressive number of guests does not always go smoothly. One of the useful little things can be called special cards with the names of people invited to the wedding. Such cards are made of plain cardboard and are placed in those places that are intended for specific guests at the banquet. For authenticity, cards can be placed on small barrels made of wood or stumps. Dried grass is scattered around the card.

We should definitely mention wedding invitations, which also should not stand out from the general Old Slavonic style. The front side of the invitations is usually decorated with the image of two roosters, a loaf and photographs of lovers in themed outfits. The newlyweds hold wooden wine glasses in their hands. Red and white embroidery can decorate the edges of invitation cards. Some prefer to change the very form of standard invitations and perform them in the form of a nesting doll or cockerel with the proper color scheme.

In conclusion, it should be added that the traditions and rituals of the Slavic wedding are truly fascinating and original. This style is perfect for the most important event in the life of young people. A high-quality approach to organizing the celebration will allow the newlyweds and guests to plunge into the real atmosphere of the Old Slavonic holidays and visit the fairy tale.