Transcript Document

Russian Wedding Tradition
PART 1. Ransom for the bride (VYKUP NEVESTY)
The groom is coming to the bride's home
with his closest friends and relatives.
To get the bride he has to pay some
ransom to the folks on the bride’s side.
Everything is played out as a
joke and both sides are mostly
competing in the sense of
humor.
After getting the bride, the
couple gets out of the house
into the car to go for the
marriage registration.
PART 2. Orthodox Marriage Ceremony
(VENCHANIE)
If the couple decides to get
married in the Russian
Orthodox Church, the
ceremony is usually 30 to
120 minutes long with all the
Russian orthodox traditions
taking place.
PART 3. Civil Ceremony (ROSPIS' V ZAGSE)
The civil ceremony takes place at the department of
public services (“ZAGS”). At the entry to the registration
hall the couple is greeted by the guests with bread and
salt.
Afterwards they are led by the receptionist
inside the hall, where the actual ceremony
is held.
The ceremony is about 15
minutes long and at the end
of it the couple exchanges
rings, says “I do” and signs
the book of registry.
Then they are pronounced
the man and wife and walk
out of the hall to the music of Mendelssohn
played by the Russian Wedding Orchestra.
The civil ceremony is an official
part of the wedding but the real
celebration starts afterwards.
PART 4. LIMOUSINE AND PLACES (PROGULKA)
After the official part, it is
customary for the bride and
groom, and some of their close
friends and relatives to go on a
tour of the historic sites of the
town, taking pictures and
drinking champagne.
PART 5. Russian Wedding Reception (GULYANKA)
But all of the above is just a prelude to the main celebration – the gala feast! Unlike
wedding receptions in the West, Russian wedding receptions are very loud and they last
for two days or sometimes even longer. They include a lot of Russian music, singing,
dancing, long toasts, and the abundance of food and drinks to go with it. The guests love
to sing Russian traditional songs to the sounds of accordion, bayan or garmoshka.
BREAD AND SALT
It is offered to the newlyweds by both parents as a symbol of health, prosperity and long
life. Both bride and groom must take a bite of the bread and the one that takes the largest
bite will be the head of the family!
WEDDING TOASTS AND BROKEN GLASSES
At the beginning of the reception
a relative or close friend makes a
wedding toast to the bride and
groom.
By Russian tradition everyone
throws their champagne glasses
on the floor and it is considered
a good luck if the glasses break
when they hit the ground.
STEALING THE BRIDE (KRAZHA NEVESTY)
The groom should
constantly keep his
eyes on the bride.
If the bride gets
out of the groom’s
sight, she could be
stolen by his
friends and the
groom will have to
pay the ransom.
PART 5. Day number two
Celebration goes on with no less fun than the day
before. After some rest more drinking, singing, dancing,
and fighting takes place. There is a rule that the second
day of the Russian wedding celebration is even more
fun than the first day.
Some other wedding traditions &
superstitions
According to Greek culture, bride should
tuck a sugar cube into her glove and it
will sweeten her union
The English believe a spider found in
a wedding dress means good luck
In English
tradition,
Wednesday is
considered the
"best day" to
marry,
although
Monday is for
wealth and
Tuesday is for
health
Saturday is
the unluckiest
wedding day,
according to
English
folklore.
Funny - it's
the most
popular day
of the week to
marry!
The groom carries the bride across the threshold to
bravely protect her from evil spirits lurking below
Ancient Romans studied pig entrails to
determine the luckiest time to marry
Rain on your wedding day is
actually considered good luck,
according to Hindu tradition
For good luck, Egyptian women
pinch the bride on her
wedding day
Middle Eastern brides paint
henna on their hands and
feet to protect themselves
from the evil eye
A Swedish bride puts a silver coin
from her father and a gold coin
from her mother in each shoe to
ensure that she'll never do without
Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice
A Finnish bride
traditionally went doorto-door collecting gifts in
a pillowcase,
accompanied by an
older married man who
represented long
marriage
Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify
themselves before their wedding ceremony
In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the
newlyweds' home as a symbol of fertility and luck
Car Procession
In Germany after the
wedding a car
procession is formed
and drives through
town honking their
horns - others honk
back wishing the
couple good luck