In Russia, from courtship to marriage are sometimes held for months or even years. It all started with an introduction and then followed step of gathering information about the bride, bride, conspiracy and only then - the preparations for the wedding ceremony. Today, many traditions have been lost, however, and now the suit - a holiday with deep folk customs.

Terms matchmaking

No matter when and where the young learned, often in ancient times, the search for the bride and groom were engaged in professional matchmaker. Whether it is more important to come to the wedding. Prevent the junction of two loving hearts could be anything: gossip, lack of dowry the bride, different social groups, which are young and more. If the groom managed to negotiate with the parents of the bride's house to send matchmakers, he began the ritual of courtship, passing on special strict rules.

Before matchmaking proxy groom's parents "tried to find out the rock," that is collected information about the relatives of the girl, her piety and innocence, about the size of the dowry, moral character and physical advantages of the future bride. If the information received in line with expectations, and appointed the first day Smotrin. Through this phase of courtship certainly were all girls, regardless of classes.

The bride gets to the middle of the room and under the gaze of matchmakers and groom performed the action proposed to it: paced, hands raised, performed some work. At the same time all of her physical flaws inevitably detected. Then the two men with the groom went to the porch to discuss nominations. If, after the groom returned to the house, he drank a glass of intoxicating honey, which were presented by him to the girl's mother, the wedding to be. If we put on the table glass of untapped - to prepare the celebration does not make sense.

In the case of a favorable outcome of the suit began with the traditional jokes "have the goods, we have a merchant" conspiracy of the wedding. If the bride's parents were against it, he replied: "Swat the girl is not a shame." Any of these steps matchmaking traditionally begins drinking tea and talking about other topics. Next came "Propoi" the bride, the groom's review of the economy. Very often the conspiracy started immediately after Smotrin, and at the end of the ritual began talking about the engagement, engagement and wedding.

Interesting signs of matchmaking

Before you go to the bride to the bride, the two men sat on chairs in the groom's house, where all four legs tightly bound wide sash. This sign was to bring good luck in such a delicate matter as matchmaking. Swat certainly thrown in the back worn to holes bast, watching for a good cause. Before that, every Matchmaker prayed on his knees before the icon of the Mother of God, reading the wedding charms.

Almost always secretly wooing came, so that if it was possible to avoid unwanted publicity. This and his matchmakers, and the bride's parents were metaphorically, symbolically, trying to observe the ancient customs of their ancestors. Hence, the "chance" meeting and "red goods," and "young merchant", "chicken", "males". All these elements of the game have their own symbols: so the two sides getting to know the habits of the bride and groom.

There were symbolic symbols, means the consent or refusal to accept the offer. For example, in Ukraine, Belarus and Spain is a symbol of the failure to meet the bulging matchmakers pumpkin Pumpkin for health: a royal vegetable in home pharmacy   or watermelon. In Catalonia, the bride began to sweep the floor in the direction of matchmakers and groom showing thus its refusal.

The modern tradition of matchmaking

Undoubtedly, many of the ancient tradition of matchmaking gone. However, today the suit of "Acceleration" option, when the parents of the bride and groom agree on all the details of the engagement, engagements and weddings, has a profound meaning. The bride receives a blessing to the marriage by the bride's parents, the girl - from the parents of her future husband. Swat, as usual, are the closest people Suite - godparents, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters, friends and girlfriends rarely colleagues.

The groom asks the bride's parents' marriage of the girl. In a sign of consent is usually the bride's father puts her hand in the groom's right hand, and then give the young parents of small gifts. Often accompanied by a courtship ritual jokes, contests and tricky tasks aimed at better learn about the habits and characteristics of the bride and groom.

Jeanne Pyatirikova

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