Consultation for parents
« Family holidays and rituals»
In the history of the Russian people, at first only one Rus' was depicted - historical and social, forgetting family Rus', perhaps the only one in the life of the Russian people. We must accurately and completely portray our life, presenting our everyday life with all its changes. Not a single foreigner will understand our delight like this. family life: they won’t warm up his imagination like that, won’t awaken such memories.
This is why our native tunes speak so sweetly about the Russian soul, about the homeland and ancestors; our epics are so generous with memories of our grandfather’s grief; our fairy tales make us so happy with their retellings in our native Russian language; This is why our games are such a comfort for young people after work; This is why the ardent Russian soul of generations has so much fun at our weddings; from this, the general world life is reflected in the superstitious beliefs of our people.
Grandma's pedagogy existed. With her maternal instinct, her experienced eye, the grandmother is the first to see his character in the baby’s hesitant steps and babble, and perceives him as a Human. And carefully, tenderly she introduces the young creature into the world. Grandma is always there, like a good spirit at home. She will forgive and understand a lot, she would rather regret than offend. A child and a grandmother - this familiar combination was so normal for all of us that when we lost this in city apartments, we did not immediately understand the extent of what was lost.
Peasant families try to introduce their children to work from an early age. Village children can do a lot: feed and milk a cow, shear sheep, dig and plant a vegetable garden, mow the grass, wash, iron clothes, heat a hut.
Researchers noted that Russian peasant children were engaged in 85 types of work in the house alone. Adults didn’t really need children’s help; they could do without it. However, they consciously attracted children to work, well understanding its educational role.
Russian peasants loved to sing polyphonic songs in chorus; song was a part of their life. Singing together makes you feel like one family. There are no lonely people among the singers. Neither holidays, nor weddings, nor seeing off young men to the army were complete without tears.
There is a traditional association family rituals around the most important periods of human life - birth, marriage, death. From here comes the chain of maternity, wedding, and funeral rituals that accompany these rites.
For example, in family holiday“Name day” was considered a spiritual birth more significant than a physical one, and as a result, the birthday remained unnoticeable, and the day of the angel or the name day was celebrated throughout life by everyone whose condition allowed it.
But now, unfortunately, many fascinating, cheerful, colorful elements of ancient customs have been undeservedly forgotten. Customs, despite their generally accepted nature, are not something immutable. Indicative in this sense is such a family ritual as a wedding. Previously, the wedding was played as a whole performance. Currently, the wedding ceremony, which is closer to the ancient one, lacks many components. So, matchmaking plays a conditional role, everything is now decided by the young, there are no sorrowful ritual lamentations.
- 151.50 KbMINISTRY OF CULTURE, PRESS AND INFORMATION
UDMURT REPUBLIC
STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
"UDMURT REPUBLICAN COLLEGE OF CULTURE"
COURSE WORK
SUBJECT SOCIO-CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
ON THE TOPIC OF:
« Folk family - household rituals in Russia".
Completed by: student 3tt
Chazova A.N.
Checked by: Demus O.I.
Izhevsk, 2010
Introduction………………………………………………………… ...
CHAPTER 1. Family and household rituals: concept and typologies.
1.1 Concept, origin and meaning of rituals……………………..
1.2.Typology of rituals……………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 2. The most significant family and everyday rituals of the Russian people.
2.1. Maternity rite……………………………………… ……………
2.2. Wedding custom in the history of Rus'.
2.2.1. Acquaintance…………………………………………………… ……..
2.2.2. Matchmaking……………………………………………………………..
2.2.3. Bride………………………………………………………… …
2.2.4. Collusion……………………………………………………………… ….
2.2.5. Hen-party………………………………………………………… ………
2.2.6. Wedding day…………………………………………………….
2.2.7. Wedding………………………………………………………… …..
2.3. Recruitment ceremony………………………………………………………………………
2.4. Funeral rite……………………………………………………..
Conclusion…………………………………………………… ……………..
Bibliography………………………………… ………………………
Introduction.
Folk culture is the centuries-old concentrated experience of the people, materialized in objects of art, labor and everyday life: these are traditions, rituals, customs, beliefs; these are ideological, moral and aesthetic values that determine the face of a nation, its identity, uniqueness, its social and spiritual peculiarity.
However, for many reasons, most of the spiritual heritage and material objects folk culture turned out to be lost. The process of irreversible loss of this national heritage continues to this day. A critical situation is being created in which we can, after some time, deprive the current and subsequent generations of the most valuable heritage of the regional folk artistic culture and thereby completely destroy the spiritual connection of contemporaries with cultural traditions and the creative experience of past generations. It follows from this that the problem of preserving traditional folk artistic culture is becoming important.
The relevance of the chosen topic is that in the current conditions of searching for the origins of the spiritual revival of Russia, it is important to support one’s national culture, to concentrate the character of the people, to educate a worthy personality who can develop and preserve the folk traditions, rituals, and customs of Russia.
Family and household rituals are part of this folk culture. They are also subject to extinction. Already now the younger generation does not know many rituals, they do not know their essence and meaning. But these rituals played an important role in the life of society.
Purpose course work is to deepen knowledge in the subject “Socio-cultural activities”. Also, having chosen this topic, I set a goal: to study in more detail and deepen my knowledge of family and household rituals that exist in Russia.
The object of study of the course work is the revival and development of folk traditions of Russia.
CHAPTER 1. FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD RITUALS: CONCEPT AND TYPOLOGY.
1.1. The concept, origin and meaning of rituals.
Rituals and holidays are a multifaceted social phenomenon that reflects both the life of each person and society as a whole. This special kind human activity, expressing the harmony of man and society or the desire for it.
A ritual is a set of established actions in which religious ideas or everyday traditions are embodied. It is a way of conveying certain ideas and concepts in symbolic form.
The roots of most folk holidays go back to pagan times. Despite a thousand years of effort Orthodox Church After their eradication, many of the ancient rites and rituals have been preserved in folk tradition to this day. The church skillfully adapted some of these rituals to its holidays, and some folk holidays became part or continuation of church holidays.
In the old peasant life (just like in modern life), a person’s life developed cyclically - birth, growing up, wedding, having children, old age, death. In this regard, family and household rituals arose. Their appearance was associated with the population’s need for protective actions from evil spirits. The rituals were also aimed at recovery,
1.2. Typology of rituals.
The emergence of family and household rituals is predetermined by the cycle of human life. They are divided into maternity, wedding, recruiting and funeral.
Maternity rites sought to protect the newborn from hostile mystical powers, and also assumed the well-being of the infant in life. A ritual bath of the newborn was performed, and the baby’s health was charmed with various sentences.
A wedding is a complex ritual, consisting of ritual actions and ritual poetry, expressing the economic, religious, magical and poetic views of the peasants.
Recruitment rituals arose due to the fact that peasants went into military service for 25 years. They were aimed at ensuring that the recruits said goodbye to their parents, whom they might never see again, to their fiancées, to their friends, to their usual way of life.
Funeral rites are aimed at ensuring that the soul of the deceased appears before God in purity and integrity, and also that the deceased does not “disturb” the living.
CHAPTER 2. The most significant family and everyday rituals of the Russian people.
2.1 Maternity ritual.
“In all parts of the house the same feeling that Princess Marya experienced while sitting in her room was poured out and possessed everyone. According to legend, than less people know about the suffering of the mother in labor, the less she suffers. Everyone tried to pretend ignorance, no one talked about it, but in all the people, in addition to the usual sedateness and respect for good manners that reigned in the prince’s house, one could see some kind of general concern, a softness of heart and an awareness of something great, incomprehensible, taking place in at this moment" 1.
The birth of a person is a huge event for a family, anticipated with joy, hope and fear. Long after the birth of the mother, they prayed for a successful outcome of the birth and wanted to find out the gender in advance and at least partly future destiny baby.
The main meaning of maternity rituals was the desire to ensure the safety of the newborn and the woman in labor, to subject them to magical “purification,” to influence their future fate in a favorable way, and finally, to perform a symbolic act of introducing him to the family team.
In Russia, the patron saints of women in labor were considered to be Saint Anastasia the Pattern Maker and Saint Anna, on whose memorial day (December 22) pregnant women were supposed to fast and were forbidden to engage in any work.
By appearance pregnant women tried to determine the sex of the baby. There were such signs and observations: if the first three months of pregnancy are easy, a boy will be born, if the first three months of pregnancy are heavy, a girl will be born; the fetus is on the right side if the mother, sitting, stretches out her leg; if he eats all kinds of food well, a boy will be born; if she willingly listens to songs, puts out her left leg, the fetus is in her left side and has a lot of quirks, she’s a girl. The mother sticks out with her left leg - a boy will be born, with her right - a girl.
If a pregnant woman gets fat or is embarrassed when asked who she is expecting, and her belly does not change its round shape during pregnancy, then a girl will be born. On the contrary, if she is not embarrassed when asked, and her stomach takes a sharp “poke” shape, then a boy will be born.
In the old days, it was also believed that a pregnant woman should avoid everything unpleasant and ugly. It was not recommended to look at animals or freaks, which she often saw or was afraid of.
The Helvetic Chronicle of Sempt tells how a Roman woman, who was in connection with Pope Martin 4, gave birth to a son “hairy, like a wolf cub, with long claws, like those of a predatory beast.” She explained this by saying that dad had many paintings depicting various animals. In France, there was its own version of the effect on the fetus: pregnant women were recommended to visit the French Institute and look at the scientist whose field she wanted to choose for her future child. The Russians recommended looking at the month, not at the stars, and somehow try to ensure that the child is not born on the day of the Archangel Gabriel (April 8), otherwise he will be ugly. And as for conception in Lent... You can laugh at all the superstitions, but looking at flowers, works of art, listening to classics and reading books that create a good mood obviously won’t hurt expectant mothers.
Pregnant women were also not recommended to look at the fire - the child would have a birthmark; be at a cemetery and crossroads; leaving the house after sunset; approaching a house under construction, combing your hair on Fridays; sit on the threshold of a house, on a log and step over it. You can’t eat secretly - the child will be a thief, eat on the go - he will grow up whiny, help himself to hare meat - the child will be timid. To prevent twins from being born, you should not eat double fruits.
To protect against evil spirits they wore amulets - red woolen threads, shreds and bundles of multi-colored yarn, which were tied around the finger, arm, neck, belt.
Upon the onset of labor, the woman said goodbye to her household and remained only with her grandmother-midwife. To alleviate suffering, they untied all the knots on their clothes and unraveled their braids, and unlocked all the locks and drawers in the house. If a woman suffered greatly and for a long time, wedding candles were lit in front of the images, they were taken around the table three times, and the husband was forced to harrow the sand. Sometimes, in order to speed up the delivery of the pregnancy, the family would unexpectedly frighten the woman in labor, shouting under the window “We’re burning! Fire!". If a woman suffered from childbirth for two or three days, they asked the priest to serve a prayer service 2. After the successful completion of the birth, the midwife cut and tied the baby's umbilical cord and washed him. When a newborn was bathed for the first time, silver money was placed in the water to ensure future wealth.
At the birth of a girl, water after the first bath was often poured into the raspberry tree, because Among the Slavs, raspberries symbolized beauty. After bathing the boy, the water poured out onto the crossroads - for good luck. There was a custom to receive a newborn in his father's shirt, so that the father would love him, and put him on a shaggy sheepskin coat, so that he would be rich. The child was first handed over to his father, who himself put him in the cradle and publicly recognized him as his brainchild. Prosperous families set up maternity tables, and peasants prepared special beer. Guests presented gifts to the mother in labor, usually with money, and said: “A roll for the nipple, and a piece of soap.” The place of honor at the festival rightfully belonged to the grandmother - the midwife. For services, the woman in labor gave the midwife some gift: an apron, scarf, soap, etc.
2.3. Recruitment ritual………………………………………………………
2.4. Funeral rites……………………………………………………..
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..
Bibliography…………………………………………………………
We often don’t think about what turns us from a group of people living together into a real unit of society. But here not last role customs that have developed over the years play out. In our article we will talk about what are family traditions, what is their meaning, and also give examples of habits that occur in families different countries and make your list.
Family traditions: what is it?
To define what a family tradition is, let’s first define what it means – “family”. According to the Great Encyclopedic Dictionary- is "based on marriage or consanguinity" small group, whose members are bound by a common life, mutual assistance, moral and legal responsibility.” This means that in a full-fledged unit of society, relatives not only live under the same roof, but also love each other, take care of each member, and spend time together. If some activity or action is repeated repeatedly, passed from one generation to another, then it becomes a custom of this kind.
Family customs are not necessarily something grandiose and large-scale. Even modest weekly rituals that are established in one union or another can be considered a tradition. For example, cleaning on Saturdays, having breakfast together on Sunday mornings, or watching cartoons with the children on Fridays.
Moreover, the habit of wishing each other good morning, kissing when meeting or saying goodbye, calling that you have arrived safely at your destination can also be attributed to the norms accepted in this unit of society.
Types of family traditions
The list of what can be classified as family traditions can be endless. However, they can be conditionally divided into general ones, which are inherent in many people in different variations, and completely unique, specific rituals.
The first group includes such actions as:
Joint celebrations
In most homes in Russia on birthdays, New Year On Easter, a large circle of relatives and close friends gather around a richly set table to congratulate the birthday person or spend the outgoing year.
These days, it is customary to present gifts and souvenirs, write congratulations, sing songs and dance, make toasts followed by drinking alcohol, which of course does not benefit the nation.
Joint meeting of important events in life
For many people, it is customary to discuss daily or at least once a week in a small circle how the day went, what events happened, share their thoughts on this matter, give advice or simply empathize from the heart. Plans for the weekend and the near future are also discussed here. Such close, frank communication is very unifying and allows all members of the family to feel their importance and significance for the rest.
Traveling together
If circumstances permit, many spend their holidays together, if possible going to the sea or to another city. And there are those who prefer annual trips to the dacha in the summer, where outdoor recreation is combined with work responsibilities. Any such trip brings a lot of positivity to each participant, which strengthens the relationship between household members.
Photos for memory
I want to capture pleasant events on photo cards so that, if desired, I can return to the memorable day at any time. Photo shoots, which are now fashionable, can become a good tradition, especially in families with children. After all, every age of a baby has its own charms, and time flies so quickly that you won’t have time to come to your senses. In addition, long joint preparations usually take place for such an event, and the child will perceive the shooting itself as an adventure.
Joint attendance at various events
Cinema, theater, exhibitions, museums, festivals - it's all very interesting and educational. If everyone in the house is committed to developing their personality, then household members will never be bored with each other. So joint visits to cultural or entertainment events- This is a very good and useful custom.
The list of other common family traditions can be very long. After all, the smallest daily habits can also be included here, as well as all religious rituals, national characteristics associated, for example, with marriage or initiation into religion. Russia is a multinational country, and each nation has its own historical customs.
Specific customs include those features that are unique to your social unit. For example, you like to eat only oatmeal for breakfast, or don’t go to bed until dawn on Friday.
In addition, there are those actions that developed on their own, and there are those that were specially introduced. In any case, this is exactly what is repeated in one house with some frequency.
The role of family traditions: what does it mean to observe them?
If we highlight the main positive theses, they will probably sound like this:
- Traditions give a feeling of stability and inviolability of marriage for spouses.
- Develop respect for elders.
- They instill a desire for work and order.
- They rally and unite relatives.
- They allow you to feel like an integral part of something big, strong, what we call a social unit.
What are family traditions for children?
Compliance with established customs is especially important for children, because it gives a feeling of stability, and therefore safety. Children love it when something is repeated many times; it is good for their psyche and makes the child calm and balanced. This is why doctors so strongly recommend following a daily routine.
The following traditions will be especially useful for children:
Reading bedtime stories and singing lullabies to babies
Evening reading not only develops the child’s imagination, but also puts him in a calm mood, appropriate before bed, and the mother’s voice always calms and lulls him to sleep.
Cooperative games
In the age of computers, televisions and an endless amount of entertainment, it is very easy to keep a child busy. However, the warmest memories from childhood will be those when the baby played with his parents. It can be Board games or active recreation in nature, the main thing is that all loved ones take part in the game.
Household duties
It is good when each member, even the smallest one, has some responsibilities around the house. This does not have to be a fixed labor duty. Activities can be changed and each time a new task can be offered. Invite your child to wipe the dust during one cleaning session, and the next time to use a vacuum cleaner. And even kids are happy to handle such an assignment as watering flowers.
Family meals
Kisses and hugs
Psychologists say that to feel happy you need at least eight hugs a day. And children need even more. So hug your kids on any occasion. And a goodnight kiss will be a wonderful end to the day for both the child and the parents.
Preparing for the New Year
For many adults, some of the most magical moments of childhood are new year holidays. You can create a fairy tale with your child, decorate a Christmas tree together with themed songs, make souvenirs as gifts for your family, write letters to Santa Claus. After all, the baby can do what many adults have forgotten how to do - believe in miracles.
All these and many other traditions will allow children to form right attitude to marriage as one of the main elements of your life. Already as adults, they will carry into their young unit of society exactly those foundations and principles that they learned from childhood.
Description of family traditions of different countries
Of course, every society has its own historically established customs. Let's talk in more detail about what is accepted in other states.
In Russia
Since ancient times, traditions have been honored and protected in Russia; they have been an important part of the life of both the common population and the nobles.
One of the main customs was a good knowledge of one’s clan, all one’s ancestors up to the tenth generation. In an aristocratic environment, family trees were necessarily compiled for each surname, which listed all the ancestors with first names, patronymics, last names and titles. Stories from the lives of our ancestors were passed on from mouth to mouth, and with the invention of the camera, photographs were passed on. Until now, many families carefully preserve old photo albums, gradually supplementing them with modern cards.
Respect for elders is one of the pillars of education in Rus'. In our country, unlike Western countries, it is not customary to send parents to live out their lives in boarding houses and nursing homes. Children up to last day take care of their elderly. And after their death, it is customary to remember departed relatives on the day of death and birthday, and to care for their graves.
Another Russian feature that demonstrates respect for one’s family is the assignment of a patronymic to a child. This is a tribute, first of all, to my father. It was also often possible to find a “family” name, that is, often found in this family, when a child is named after one of the relatives.
The transfer of heirlooms by inheritance was also widespread. Moreover, these are not necessarily jewelry that cost a fortune. These can be simple, but dear to the heart things - interior items, cutlery. Often the wedding dress was passed from mother to daughter.
Almost all of the above traditions have been preserved in our society to this day. But many, unfortunately, are practically lost. For example, professional dynasties, when a craft was deeply studied and its secrets were passed on from generation to generation.
A good trend has become a return to roots and age-old traditions. "Russian House of Genealogy" offers assistance in compiling family tree kind. They have more than five hundred genealogists working all over the world, who will certainly find any archival documents, where this or that surname is mentioned. Also, experts not only compile a pedigree, but also teach this difficult craft. A wide selection of designs will allow you not only to create a tree for yourself out of interest, but also to purchase a family tree book as an original and useful gift.
In Great Britain
This is a country that sacredly honors its customs, especially for aristocratic dynasties. Traditions are observed in everything: from the daily rituals of morning oatmeal and evening tea to the concept of how to raise children.
One of the peculiarities of the British is to instill in their children strict control over their emotions. Saving face for a true gentleman is as important today as it was a couple of centuries ago.
In Italy
Italy is a very patriarchal state. Almost 90% of all enterprises there are related, that is, passed on from father to son. In addition, the surname in this state is not limited to a narrow circle of the closest relatives; all relatives are an important part of the large clan.
On holidays, the whole family must gather around a richly covered festive table, joke, laugh, share news.
To America
Despite the fact that Americans are mostly workaholics and very career-oriented, many social units have three or more children. An interesting tradition is to take your baby with you everywhere, even to parties and get-togethers with friends. It is believed that such early integration into society will help the child in adulthood.
Historically, family traditions are an integral part of the life of any society in every state. They are like cement when building a house, they bind all relatives and allow them not to lose common interests. So observe existing customs and create new ones, then there will always be an atmosphere of love and friendship in your home.
Traditions are not only what distinguishes one people from another, but also what can unite the most different people. Family traditions of the Russian people are the most interesting part of history and culture Russian state, which introduces us to the experiences of our ancestors. Let's start with the fact that Russian family traditions have never managed without the science of genealogy: it was a shame not to know the pedigree, and the most offensive nickname was considered “Ivan, who does not remember kinship.” Drawing up a detailed pedigree, your family tree, was an integral part of the traditions of every family. When cameras appeared, people began to compile and then store family albums. This custom has successfully survived to this day - probably most people have old albums with photographs of loved ones who are dear to their hearts, perhaps who have already passed away. By the way, honoring the memory of one’s relatives and remembering those who have left this world are also part of the original Russian traditions, as is constant care for elderly parents. A long-standing Russian tradition can also be called the transfer of things that belonged to distant (and not so distant) ancestors to their descendants. For example, a great-grandmother's box or a great-grandfather's watch - family heirlooms, which are stored long years in a secluded corner of the house. The history of things becomes not only the property of an individual family, but also the history of the people and the entire Motherland as a whole. There is also a wonderful custom of naming a child after one of the family members (there are so-called " family names"). In addition, our unique tradition is the assignment of a patronymic. When a baby is born, he immediately receives part of the clan name according to the “nickname” of his father. The patronymic distinguishes a person from his namesake, sheds light on the relationship (son-father) and expresses respect.
Calling someone by their patronymic means being polite to them. The name can also be given according to church books, calendars, in honor of the saint who is honored on the child’s birthday. But family traditions, examples of which are practically impossible to find nowadays, are ancient professional dynasties (that is, when all family members were engaged in one type of activity). Entire dynasties of hereditary bakers, confectioners, military men, shoemakers, carpenters, priests, and artists are known. And now I would like to analyze family rituals that have become mandatory and have survived to this day practically without changing their traditions. Namely:
1. - traditions of the wedding ceremony
2. - traditions of the rite of birth of a baby into the world
3. - traditions of the funeral rite, so:
1) Wedding traditions
The wedding can be seen and heard from afar. It is difficult to find a more colorful and cheerful ritual in which there would be so much joy and jubilation. This is no coincidence, because the triumph of love is celebrated, the beginning new family. Even these days, when everything most often comes down to just a visit to the registry office, several memorable places and feast, this holiday attracts everyone's attention with its very elegance. And if it contains elements of an ancient folk wedding ceremony, then it completely becomes an action.
Nowadays, among the pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding rituals, only the wedding ones are the most famous. But the interest in traditions is great - and now we hear old songs of greatness and jokes. But how did this sparkling action take place before, with all the rules observed - from agreements and hand-waving to the prince’s table and allotments?
The bride was supposed to cry as soon as matchmakers appeared in the house. By this she demonstrated her love for her father’s house, for her parents. A few days before the marriage, the groom's parents go to the bride's parents for a hand-waving ceremony. And again she laments about how bad it will be for her on the other side. Before the wedding itself there is a bachelorette party. The groom arrives with gifts; everyone except the bride is having fun, not paying much attention to her crying. Marriage day is the most solemn. The bride, who continues to lament, is prepared for the wedding; the groom is also dressed in his best and protected at the same time. Guests arrive at the bride's house, a talkative groom and groom arrive and “buy” a place at the table. After long negotiations, spiced with jokes and jokes, they go to church: the groom separately, the bride separately. After the wedding, the bride stops crying: the job is done. The newlyweds are taken to the groom's house, where the groom's parents are already waiting for them: the father with the icon and the mother with the icon and bread and salt. On the second day - the “princely table” in the groom’s house. The third day is a family day, as well as a meeting of the bride with her neighbors. And finally, the father-in-law calls his son-in-law and relatives to his place, the young woman says goodbye to her parents; diverts (wedding officials) take the newlyweds to their home. At this point, the wedding ceremony is considered completed. Agreements When the matchmaker resolves the matter, i.e. agree with the bride's relatives on what conditions the bride will be given away, with what dowry and withdrawal; they also agree on what time to come to the bride's house for "arrangements." It should be noted that agreements, or drinking, or a word, are always given in the bride’s house. When the brides getting married come to the house, at that time a lot of people - neighbors - come. The arrangements (or drinking) are very short-lived: they drink tea and wine, have a snack, take a scarf and ring from the bride, and then the matchmakers leave. The people and girl friends remain. The bride is brought and seated in the front corner, at the table, where she must cry and lament. During the entire time that the “arranged” match has been made, her relatives do not force her to do anything until the wedding.
After the arrangements, every day the bride sits down at the table and cries, wailing. Almost all the time, the girlfriends sew a trousseau - underwear and dresses. Handshake at the appointed time, three or four days before marriage, there is handshake. The matchmaker or the matchmaker with the groom's father and mother, accompanied by relatives, go or go to the bride's father and mother's house for a feast - for a hand shake. Those who come at the invitation of the owner sit at a table covered with a tablecloth. There is a pie-bend and salt on it on a plate. The matchmaker takes the right hands of the matchmakers (father of the groom and father of the bride) and joins them hand in hand, taking a pie from the table, circles it around the hands of the matchmakers, saying three times: “The job is done, strengthened with bread and salt, forever and ever.” He breaks the cake over his hands, and then gives one half to the groom's father, and the other to the bride's father. After breaking the cake, matchmakers sometimes measure whose half is larger - the right or left (the right is the groom's, and the left is the bride's). There is a sign: if half is more, then he has more strength, happiness, health, longevity and wealth. The broken pie should be kept by the bride and groom until the wedding day, and after the wedding, the newlyweds should eat it first of all, but the groom should eat the bride's half, and the bride should eat the groom's half. After breaking the pie, the matchmakers sit down at the table and the meal begins. During the breaking of the pie, the bride is brought under a scarf and seated on a bench, while her friends stand or sit near her. After the hand-wrap, the groom visits the bride every day. The bride meets the groom, treats him to tea, sits at the table, and the groom brings gifts and snacks, gifts: nuts, gingerbread and candies. All such visits by the groom to the bride are called “visits”, “kisses” and “visits”. This is how the groom’s visits continue until the bachelorette party, in which the celebration surpasses all visits, because this is the last day of the girl’s life. The bachelorette party happens on the last day or evening before the wedding. Friends come to the bride's bachelorette party, even relatives and friends from other villages come. Before the groom and other guests, a matchmaker arrives from the groom with a chest or box containing various gifts for the bride, as well as gifts for friends, children and other spectators who came to watch the bachelorette party. The bride meets the groom dressed in her best dress. Girls sing songs. At the end of the bachelorette party, the groom leaves with his guests, and the people disperse.
The newlyweds, both before the first table after marriage, and the princes, so as not to whet their appetite, are fed separately, which is called “feeding the newlyweds separately.” Guests who have had a good time at the prince’s table often turn to the newlyweds and say: “It’s bitter, very bitter!” They ask: “Can’t it be sweetened?” The newlyweds should stand up, bow, kiss crosswise, and say: “Eat, now it’s sweet!” The guests finish their glass or shot and say: “Now it’s very sweet,” and then they come up to the newlyweds and kiss them. Thus, at the prince’s table all that is heard is “bitter,” and therefore there is no end to the kisses. Guest spouses, not content with “sweetening” the newlyweds, ask the husband for the word “bitter” to his wife, the wife to her husband, and also “sweeten” them - they kiss. A lot of strangers come to the prince’s table to see. For poor owners, when there is one table after marriage, but there is no princely table, all ceremonies and customs take place at the first table after marriage, as at the princely table. Third day: Very few of the new relatives remain on the third day. The third day looks like a family holiday. In the morning, the young woman is forced to cook and bake pancakes, which she serves from the stove to the table. After lunch, in the evening, girls, young women and boys gather to sit with the newlyweds. Young people sing songs and get excited different games and dance. At this evening meeting, the newlywed meets her neighbors and treats them to pancakes, pies, gingerbread cookies and nuts. The so-called withdrawals usually take place a week after the wedding.
The wife's parents are the husband's (son-in-law's) father-in-law and mother-in-law. The wife's brother is her husband's (his son-in-law) brother-in-law. And the wife's sister is a sister-in-law. Therefore, the same person is a son-in-law - father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. A daughter-in-law, who is also a daughter-in-law, is a son’s wife in relation to the son’s parents. Daughter-in-law - from the word son: “son” - “son”. A brother's wife is also called a daughter-in-law. The wives of two brothers are also daughters-in-law to each other. Thus, a woman can be a daughter-in-law in relation to her father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Aunt (aunt, auntie) - sister of father or mother. Uncle is the brother of father or mother. Depending on this, they speak about him, like about the aunt, with the clarification: “paternal uncle”, “maternal uncle”. Often the younger ones call the older ones uncle, regardless of relationship. The stepmother is not the children's natural mother, but the father's second wife. The husband's children from his first marriage are stepsons and stepdaughters to his stepmother. Stepfather - no biological father, maternal father, mother's second husband. The stepfather's children from his first marriage are stepsons and stepdaughters. Brother-in-law, aka Shuryag, Shuryaga is his wife’s brother. Brother-in-law is the husband's brother. A brother-in-law and sister-in-law are for a wife what a brother-in-law and sister-in-law are for a husband. Sister-in-law is the husband's sister. In some places this is also the name given to a brother's wife. The sister-in-law usually points out the young one and commands her. Hence the word sister-in-law itself - from “zlovka”. A sister-in-law is the wife's sister, and her husband is a brother-in-law. Two men married to sisters are also called brothers-in-law. This relationship was considered not very reliable, so they said: “Two brothers are like a bear, two brothers-in-law are like jelly.” Yatrova (aka Yatrovitsa) is the brother-in-law’s wife. But that’s also the name of my brother-in-law’s wife. A brother's wife is also a brother-in-law in relation to her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. And the wives of brothers are also yagprovi among themselves. Kum, Kuma - godfather and mother. They are spiritually related not only to each other, but also to the parents and relatives of their godson. That is, nepotism is not a blood relationship, but a spiritual relationship. There are other degrees of kinship among the Russian people, more distant, about which they say that this is “the seventh (or tenth) water in jelly.” Sometimes in a large family they themselves have a hard time figuring out who is related to whom, and here derivatives of the word their own come to the rescue: in-laws, in-laws, in-laws. Wedding superstitions: When crowns are put on the newlyweds and the priest says: “God’s servant so-and-so is getting married,” then the latter should cross himself and say quietly: “I, God’s servant (name), am getting married, but my illnesses are not getting married.” People believe that if those getting married have some kind of illness and get married with them, then they will never be cured.
When the bride is brought into the father-in-law's house, he and the mother-in-law meet the newlyweds at the gate; The first of them hands the newlywed a bottle of wine or beer, and the last one slowly puts a pie in the newlywed’s bosom and throws hops at her feet. The newlyweds must eat the cake in half before wedding table, at the "personal place". This is done so that they live their whole lives well-fed, in love and harmony, and the hops fall under their feet so that they live happily forever. “Both at the first table and at the prince’s, the newlyweds must intertwine their legs or cross their legs - so that a cat does not run between them, otherwise the young people will live in disagreement, like a cat and a dog.”
2) Traditions of the rite of birth of a baby into the world.
Shortly before giving birth, they especially tried to hide the day and hour of birth. Even the birth prayer was hidden in a hat and only then taken to the priest in the church.
Our ancestors believed: birth, like death, violates the invisible border between the worlds of the dead and the living. Therefore, such a dangerous business had no business happening near human habitation. Among many peoples, the woman in labor retired to the forest or tundra so as not to harm anyone. And the Slavs usually gave birth not in the house, but in another room, most often in a well-heated bathhouse. The family said goodbye to the mother in labor, realizing the danger to which her life was exposed. The woman in labor was placed near the washstand and given a sash tied to the beam of the bed in her hand to help her hold on. During the entire period of childbirth, wedding or baptism candles were lit in front of the holy icons.
In order for the mother’s body to open up better and release the child, the woman’s hair was unbraided, doors and chests were opened in the hut, knots were untied, and locks were opened. Undoubtedly, it helped psychologically.
The expectant mother was usually helped by an elderly woman, a grandmother-midwife, experienced in such matters. An indispensable condition was that she herself had healthy children, preferably boys.
In addition, the husband was often present during the birth. Now this custom is returning to us as an experiment borrowed from abroad. Meanwhile, the Slavs did not see anything unusual in having a strong, reliable, beloved and loving person next to a suffering, frightened woman.
The mother's husband was given special role during childbirth: first of all, he had to remove the boot from his wife’s right foot and let her drink, then untie the belt, and then press his knee to the back of the woman in labor to speed up the birth.
Our ancestors also had a custom similar to the so-called couvade of the peoples of Oceania: the husband often screamed and moaned instead of the wife. For what?! By doing this, the husband attracted the possible attention of evil forces, distracting them from the woman in labor!
After a successful birth, the grandmother-midwife buried the child's place in the corner of the hut or in the yard.
Immediately after birth, the mother touched the baby’s mouth with her heel and said: “I carried it myself, I brought it myself, I repaired it myself.” This was done so that the child would grow up calm. Immediately after this, the midwife cut the umbilical cord, tied it and sealed the hernia by biting the navel 3 times and spitting 3 times over the left shoulder. If it was a boy, the umbilical cord was cut on an ax or arrow so that he would grow up to be a hunter and a craftsman. If a girl is on a spindle, so that she grows up as a needlewoman. The navel was tied with linen thread woven with the hair of the mother and father. “Tie” - in Old Russian “to tie”; This is where “midwives” and “midwives” come from.
After the hernia was healed, the baby was washed, saying: “Grow - as tall as a beam and thick as a stove!” They usually put an egg or some kind of glass thing in the water for the boy, and only glass for the girl. Sometimes silver was placed in barely heated water, so as not to burn it, for purification and so that the child would grow up rich. To prevent the baby from being jinxed, they washed it the first time in water slightly whitened with milk, then “for wealth” they placed it on an inside out sheepskin coat. While washing the baby, the midwife “straightened his limbs” - straightened the head, which is usually soft as wax. It largely depended on her skill what kind of child the child should be: round-headed, long-faced, or even a freak. After washing the baby, they swaddled him in a long narrow swaddling blanket and a headband. If they were afraid that the baby would be restless, they swaddled him in his father's ports. In order for the baby to grow up beautiful and handsome, they covered him with green material. At first, the baby was left “free,” and he would lie somewhere on a bench until he became restless, screamed, and “begged for unsteadiness.” Zybka is an oval box made of bast, with a bottom made of thin planks, which my father had to make. If the birth took place in a hut, then the baby was handed to the father first, and he laid him in the hut, as if thereby acknowledging his paternity.
The day after the birth, neighbors and acquaintances came to the happy mother with congratulations and brought her various sweets “for her tooth.” After a week, and sometimes already on the third day, the postpartum woman returned to her household duties - but only after performing a cleansing ritual known as “washing of hands.” If a young mother had to go to work in the field, then the care of the newborn was entrusted to the “caretaker” of the household - an old woman, and most often - a little girl-sister.
3) Funeral rite.
The most ancient of family rites is considered to be funeral. To analyze the state of the funeral tradition and the genre of chanting, the Starorussky district was chosen as the place of the most ancient settlement of the Slavs in this territory and Okulovsky, settled by the Novgorodians somewhat later, but located in the central part of the Novgorod region.
Researchers of funeral and memorial rituals of the 19th-20th centuries. More than once they have noted certain discrepancies between the religious and folk interpretation of death, the relationship between the body and soul of the deceased, the road to the afterlife and ideas about it, and the attitude to the cult of ancestors. The Christian interpretation of death as a blessing on the path to the “kingdom of heaven” was opposed by the popular idea of it as a “villain,” a hostile force. Funeral rites Eastern Slavs included several main points: actions before death and during death; washing and dressing the deceased and placing him in the coffin; removal from home; funeral service in the church (if it took place), burial, wake. Thus, with all the regional differences in the funeral and memorial rituals of the Eastern Slavs, three main stages were identified in it: pre-funeral, funeral and memorial, each of which, in addition to the practical one, could have another meaning. Thus, the procedure for washing the deceased, in addition to being hygienic, also had a sacred, magical orientation.
The attitude towards the deceased has always been ambivalent. They were afraid of him and therefore sought to facilitate the deceased’s transition to another world, as well as to protect themselves with the help of various magical actions from possible negative consequences when coming into contact with him.
Signs and predictions that foreshadowed the death of a specific person or someone close were similar among the East Slavic peoples. They were interpreted as the beginning of a new period of time in life cycle man - "magic of the first day." Still harbingers of death loved one They consider the unusual behavior of pets, birds, a broken mirror, the throwing away of a flower to never bloom indoor plant, a bird hitting the window, creaking beams, furniture, etc.
The death of a person was perceived as the relocation of the soul to another space - to the afterlife. It was believed that the souls of an adult and a child are different. Death in Russian folklore tradition was perceived as an enemy. This was also preserved in the texts recorded in the late 70s - mid 80s. In lamentations, death is called a “villain,” a “murderer,” who does not make concessions and does not listen to pleas and requests. The dead sleep, remaining human (the deceased is a calm person), but if the deceased had his eyes open, they were closed and copper coins were placed over the eyelids. It is quite possible that this was also connected with a kind of ransom from death, for it was believed that the deceased was looking out for one of the living people or even animals remaining in the house, wanting to take them with him. In such cases they usually said: “If he looks, he will see someone.” Coins (nickels) were then left in the coffin. It is interesting that ransom in this ritual was manifested in other ways, for example, if the body of a drowned person could not be found for a long time, then there was a custom of throwing silver money into the water to ransom him from the water.
At the funerals of those who did not have time to get married, the funeral rite was in certain respects combined with the wedding rite. Ukrainians buried a girl as a bride, and a guy as a groom. The girl's head was decorated with flowers and ribbons. Both the guy and the girl were put on a metal ring on their right hand, but this was not done in relation to married man and a married woman. Ukrainians of Primorye have such a case a flower was pinned to a guy’s hat or chest. Both the boy and the girl were carried to the cemetery by young guys who had right hand scarves were tied, like at a wedding among the elders. Other elements of the wedding ceremony were also used, in particular, something like a wedding procession was organized with all the characters of the wedding celebration: matchmaker, groomsmen, boyars, etc. In a number of Russian regions, people were buried in specially stored wedding attire and married women. This custom was also found in the Far East.
At the cemetery, the towels were untied and the coffin was lowered onto them into the grave. Then one towel was hung on a cross built on the grave, the others were given to the funeral workers. Leaving a towel - a symbol of the path, the road - served as a protective action. Before the coffin was lowered into the grave, relatives threw a penny there (in former times, silver), this meant that they bought themselves a place next to the deceased, and everyone else threw copper, and said: “Here’s your share - don’t ask for more.” . In essence, this can be considered as a payoff. However, it was believed that the deceased needed the money in order to pay for transportation across a river or lake in the next world. It is known that the image of a river and a crossing in folklore is traditional not only for Russian, but also for world culture.
In the modern funeral rite, the contours of the old, still pagan rite are visible, but it is also noticeable that the magical content of the ritual action has largely been erased. The traditional funeral rite was always accompanied by lamentations (crying). In the Novgorod region, they sometimes say about chanting “cry out loud”, and in the Starorussky region they say “voice”, “stunning”. One can note a clear decline in the tradition of chanting from the 70s to the 90s. In the mid-90s, cries were recorded less and less often. Lamentations do not have a stable text. In them, the improvisational principle and, consequently, the poetic abilities of the mourners themselves play a large role.
In lamentations, death was called a villain, the coffin was called a domina or domina, the road was a long path, a path of no return. Neighbors or relatives washed the dead with plain water and soap, dried them with a towel, and believed that washing would forgive sins. They thanked the washwoman and gave her what they could. The people who washed the deceased dressed him. Clothes were prepared in advance. They were sure to be buried in the clothes that the deceased had bequeathed, fulfilling the will of the deceased. The deceased was given soft shoes, most often slippers. The deceased goes there to live, so he must look good.
Before the deceased was placed in the coffin, he was placed on a bench, and a sheet of homespun linen was spread under him. While the deceased was lying in the house, an icon was placed in the coffin; at the cemetery, it was taken from the coffin and brought home. On the day of the funeral, people were scattered along the road fir branches so that the deceased walks along a clean road (spruce is a clean tree), then the branches are burned. The body was carried out of the house in their arms, feet first. The deceased was carried to the cemetery - carrying was considered more respectful.
The coffin was carried even number Human. The relatives followed the coffin, and then everyone else. The grave was dug on the day of the funeral, but it was not done by relatives. The coffin was lowered into the grave on towels, and then they were left in the pit (grave). The funeral meal depended on fasting. Lenten food was supposed to be prepared during Lent. After the funeral, mourning clothes were worn for forty days: black dress, black scarf. It was believed that the soul of the deceased remained in the house for forty days. They celebrated the ninth, twentieth, fortieth days, six months, a year with funerals.
You and I live in a country that bears the proud name of Russia. Russia in the historical understanding is the life and way of life of the population, relations with other countries, this is the joint residence of many peoples on one territory.
Over hundreds of years, the peoples of Russia have developed common customs, traditions, and a common Russian culture. And at the same time, each nation, like an island in the ocean, lives by its own traditions, national culture, lives by what distinguishes it from other nations. The development of culture contributed to the formation of national self-awareness of the people and a sense of unity. This is the strength of the Russian people, this is what makes Russians Russian. Family and household rituals are predetermined by the cycle of human life. They are divided into maternity, wedding, recruiting and funeral.
Maternity rite. A woman acquired special ritual significance during rituals. For a newborn, this ritual symbolized the beginning of his life’s journey. During the ritual, the newborn acquired the status of a human being, and the woman who gave birth acquired the status of a mother, which allowed her to move to another socio-age group - adult women - women, which prescribed her new type behavior. Maternity rites sought to protect the newborn from hostile mystical forces, and also assumed the well-being of the baby in life. A ritual bath of the newborn was performed, and the baby’s health was charmed with various sentences. Our ancestors sincerely believed that not only a child is a carrier of evil spirits, but also his mother poses a danger to the living, since she serves as a conductor between worlds. Through the body of a woman, a child comes into the earthly world. But along with the child, evil spirits can also enter the earthly world. These rites were called “cleansing”, that is, they cleansed dark force. There were two types of rituals: church and folk. On the day of birth, a midwife comes to the woman in labor. As soon as all the procedures are completed after the baby leaves the mother’s womb, the owner of the house invites a priest who sprinkles holy water on the house, the child’s room, reads prayers of purification for the mother, the child and, separately, for the women who were present at the birth. After reading the prayers, the mother and father of the child must give their child a name (necessarily on the same day). Then a day is set when the baby will be baptized. This is where the role of the priest ends for the time being. This completes the first stage of cleansing. Only after this could all the residents of the house breathe easy and not worry about their future. Next comes the second stage of cleansing the baby and mother. It consists of washing the mother and child in a bathhouse. We always started with the child. Before washing the baby's body, the midwife poured plenty of water on the stones so that the steam filled the entire steam room. It was believed that the newborn baby was hard as a rock and needed to be kneaded. This massage improved blood circulation, helped joints gain flexibility and skin elasticity. When stretching, the midwife took the child's right arm and pulled it towards the left leg and, conversely, the left arm towards the right leg. The fact is that our ancestors believed that in dark world everything is upside down, where there is right there is left, where there is up there is down. Consequently, the newborn, as having come from that world, is also upside down. The midwife “turned” the child as it should be in earthly life. A woman who gave birth, according to legend, was considered born again. The rite of purification is followed by the church rite of baptism. An unbaptized child caused fear in people; they were forbidden to kiss him, talk to him, or put things on him (the child was always in diapers). In some villages in Russia, the mother was even forbidden to call him by name. The baby was considered a sexless being and was not included in the family into which he was born. Parents carefully chose godparents for their child, as they were considered spiritual mentors. Most often, relatives became godparents, since they would not abandon their godson and would always take care of him, educate him, and teach him. The most interesting thing is that children from six years old and old people could become godparents (or godmothers), but preference was given to people of the same age as their parents. It was impossible to refuse the role of godfather; it was considered a blood offense for the parents. Just before the sacrament, the child was in the arms of the midwife, who handed him over godfather. The godmother was preparing the font for the ceremony. Oddly enough, water was poured into the font directly from the well; in no case was it heated or warm water added. It was believed that immersing a child in ice water (even in winter) gave him greater resistance to disease. If during baptism the candles in the hands of relatives smoked and burned poorly, it was believed that the child would get sick often or even die soon, but if the flame was bright, he would have a long life. After the ceremony was completed, the priest handed the baby over to the godparents: if a boy, then to the godmother, if a girl, then to the godfather, who carried the child into the house. After this, the baby became a full member of the family. The day after the baptism, relatives, friends and relatives came to the parents’ house. A feast was arranged, the first toasts were always made to the health of the child, his parents and the midwife who delivered the child. Wedding ceremony. A wedding is a complex ritual, consisting of ritual actions and ritual poetry, expressing the economic, religious, magical and poetic views of the peasants. A wedding is divided into three stages: pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding. Pre-wedding activities include matchmaking, bridesmaids, collusion, and bachelorette parties. For the wedding - the arrival of the wedding train at the bride's house, the ceremony of giving the bride to the groom, departure to the crown, wedding, wedding feast. At the wedding, works of various folklore genres were played: lamentations, songs, sentences, etc. Among the ritual songs, songs of magnificence and corrugations stood out. Great songs glorify the wedding participants: the bride, groom, parents, guests and groomsmen. They include images of appearance, clothing, and wealth. They idealized the world around them and reflected the peasants’ idea of the aesthetic and moral appearance of a person, dreams of a happy, rich life. The main principle of image in these songs is the principle of exaggeration. Great songs give unique portraits of wedding participants. Matchmaking. In villages, matchmakers were involved in connecting young people. First, the rite of discovery took place. The matchmaker came to the house of the future groom to find out if the father wanted to arrange a wedding for his son. The head of the family was called the sorcerer. The matchmaker asked veiled questions and found out the plans of this family regarding their son. The matchmaker was not allowed further than the matitsa - the middle ceiling beam; the second half of the hut was considered the family half of the house. As soon as the matchmaker realized that young guy want to get married, she agreed with his father about the day of matchmaking and talked about the bride. They usually went to woo the bride in the evening, in a roundabout way, so as not to give away the secret future wedding higher powers that can prevent hearts from uniting. The groom's father, groom, his best man, semi-friends and matchmaker or matchmaker came to the bride's house. On the bride's side, the bride's friends and her closest relatives gathered at the table. They talked in half-hints and with jokes about whether the two families wanted to start a family for the young people. If the bride agreed to marry the groom, then she swept the floor with a broom from the door to the stove, and if not, then from the stove to the door, as if sweeping the matchmakers out of the house. This is where the expressions came from: “swept up” - or decided positively, “get out” - or leave. The groom could also agree or not to marry this girl. If he drank three cups of tea, then there would be a wedding. If you drank one cup and turned it upside down on the saucer, it means that the bride did not like you. Matchmaking was not yet the final decision about the wedding. Another pre-wedding custom could be abolished by a future wedding celebration. Bride. The bride's relatives went to the groom's house for the bride's viewing. A bride was a profitable commodity in Rus'. Therefore, they tried to give her as a wife to a rich groom in order to take a large clutch (bride price). It was believed that if there were a lot of cattle in the groom’s house, it meant it was bad. After all, the young wife will have to take care of all the living creatures in her husband’s house. Copper utensils were of great value at the shows. It was a sign of wealth, so it was often borrowed from wealthy neighbors in order to “show off” the bride’s parents. By the way, they had the right to refuse the wedding after the viewing. Handcraft. On this day, the fathers of both families gathered at a common table to finally announce the wedding day and decide how to organize the wedding. The fathers leaned across the table and hit each other on the hands, considering the issue resolved. On the same day, the groom gave a clutch (ransom) for the bride, and the bride’s dowry was shown to the groom’s family. It was supposed to consist of her clothes for 2 years ahead and bedding. Hanging. The bride was dressed in mourning clothes. She could not talk because lamentations were escaping her lips. The bride mourned her last girlhood days. Now she could not leave the house alone, only with those accompanying her, who held her by the elbows, as if weak from tears. There was even such a cruel custom - the bride had to whip herself in front of the groom, fall to the ground, sob and say goodbye to every corner of her home. Hen-party. Usually the bachelorette party was held on the eve of the wedding. The bridesmaids and her relatives gathered at the home of the hero of the occasion. IN last time They wove her braid, braiding it with a braid - a ribbon embroidered with pearls and beads. Then, wailing and crying, the friends unbraided the girl’s braid for the last time, and the bride passed the braid to her younger sister or unmarried friend. At the bachelorette party, the bride’s handmade creations, which she managed to make as a girl, were hung throughout the house. These were towels and napkins embroidered by the bride, shirts and dresses, homespun rugs. All the things she learned to do in her life. In the evening the groom arrived and brought gifts, which the bride had to refuse. All the young people were noisily having fun, only the bride and groom sat drooping, waiting for the unknown of family life. Bath custom. Before the wedding, it was customary for the bride to thoroughly wash herself in the bathhouse. The healer read conspiracies against treason to the bride in the bathhouse. She was hovered and doused with water several times. The last water after the bride was collected in a clean handkerchief and collected in a small container to be added to the groom’s drink at the wedding. It was a conspiracy against betrayal and love. The wedding ceremony is one of the oldest rites of the Eastern Slavs. It belongs to the holiday calendar. The wedding ceremony depended on favorable periods in the folk calendar. Wedding ceremonies were prohibited during fasts (Christmas, Bolshoi, Petrovsky, Assumption) and major Orthodox holidays, etc. during the period from January 7 to January 21. There were no weddings on Tuesday and Thursday. Most often, weddings took place in the fall, with the end of agricultural work; many sought to coincide the wedding date with Intercession Day, because it was believed that Intercession was the patron saint of marriage bonds; after baptism and before Maslenitsa week, the happiest wedding is considered to be the one celebrated on Krasnaya Gorka, after Easter, during St. Thomas Week. Don't get married on a leap year. After the death of relatives, you need to postpone the wedding for 1 year. The bride's wedding dress should be white. This color symbolizes the bride's transition from adolescence to adulthood. Since ancient times, an important attribute of a bride’s wedding clothing has been amulets. Brides had a pin pinned to their clothes, rowan leaves were placed in their shoes, and fruits were placed in their pockets. The bride should have salt blessed for Easter with her. When brides get married, they should wear crosses. Before the wedding they got engaged with rings. The groom - in gold, the bride - in silver, this meant the union of the Moon and the Sun. The rings must be from the same place and not have any patterns. The ring cannot be worn on a glove. You cannot use found rings, get married with a widow’s ring, or melt down your father’s ring. Brides can get married with rings passed down by inheritance. The fall of the ring at the time of marriage speaks of health problems, indicates divorce, or the death of one of the spouses. It is customary that the newlyweds buy the ring, preferably in one place and on the same day. Wedding rings should not be given to friends or sisters to try on, otherwise there will be disputes in the family. Couples rarely married in summer and spring. This was mainly due to the need, such as to hide a premarital pregnancy. It was extremely rare for marriages to occur without the blessing of parents, because they were condemned by the entire community. However, it is worth noting that parents sometimes deliberately pushed their children to such a secret wedding, because it saved them from unnecessary expenses associated with organizing the celebration.
Recruitment ritual. Recruitment rites are rites performed among the peasantry in relation to men called up to serve for 25 years in the Russian army during the period of the decree “On Recruitment. The predecessors of recruits in the history of Russia were the so-called “datochny people”. The order for the number of recruits up to Each rural community was informed by the authorities from above. Who exactly to send as a soldier, the communities decided at a general meeting, choosing from among those who had already reached 20 years of age. For the entire year remaining before conscription, the candidate for recruit was not forced to work, and from the summer they were generally released from all. work so that he could spend more time at conversations and summer games. They pitied the recruits ("non-cruits") and treated them as people whose days of life on earth were already numbered before being sent to a medical examination in the provincial or. county town in the family they guessed by two candles (if he puts out his name - go to the army), by a loaf of bread with a pectoral cross baked in it (if it falls over the threshold - to service), by a pectoral cross, which a rooster could choose among other items in fortune-telling at Christmas time, by beans and cards, at the crow of a rooster on the day of departure for conscription, etc. On the day of departure for the commission, the parents blessed the guy in the house and acted out scenes in which the young man allegedly returned from the commission, exempt from conscription. On the morning of the medical examination, recruit candidates washed themselves in the bathhouse with soap from the ablution of the dead, so that the doctor would evaluate them as sick and infirm.
After the medical examination, the remaining 3 to 7 days before conscription, the recruit walked every day with songs at farewell parties, where, among other things, they were chanted as if they were dead. Sometimes recruits competed in horse races. It was believed that the winner would return alive, and those who fell from the horse would certainly die. In the morning on the eve of departure, the recruit went to say goodbye to the dead at the cemetery, and at sunset he said goodbye to his home, to his father’s field and meadow, to the bathhouse, to the bank of his native river or lake. At home, on the eve of departure, the relatives once again wondered from the loaf of bread on the doorstep whether to serve as a recruit in a nearby city or far from home. On the way, the recruit received a blessing from his father and mother, and if he was called up during a war year, then from the village priest. The recruits took with them a supply of food for several days and a handful native land in a bag. The mothers of the recruits were escorted to the volost center. At the house and at all important intersections, friends fired blank charges from their guns into the air. Rarely any of the recruits returned home alive after 25 years of service.
After 1868, recruiting rituals were first transformed into rituals of seeing off to the Army or to the active front, but now they are reduced to one farewell party and general customs of seeing off on a long journey. Occasionally, conscripts take with them a piece of paper with the apocryphal “Dream of the Blessed Virgin Mary” or “Prayers of God”, other military prayers, which are believed to protect commanders and colleagues from death and rude attitude towards the conscript. Even less often, on the day of sending to the Army, they are given something to drink water for which similar prayers were said by the healer.
Funeral rite. Family rituals– maternity, wedding and funeral – refer to rites of passage. Each of them delimits one stage of a person’s life from another, marking the transition from one age period to another. The rituals took place not only long haul formation, but rethinking and destruction of many elements that were previously significant in them, as a result of changes in a person’s views on the world. The most ancient of family rites is considered to be funeral. The structure of the funeral and memorial ritual is simple and consists of several sequential ritual complexes, namely: 1. Actions associated with the near-death state of a person and at the moment of death, with dressing the deceased and placing him in the coffin; 2. Removal from home, funeral service in church, burial; 3. Funerals, which after the 40th day turned into memorial rites associated with calendar rituals.
Elderly people prepared for death in advance. Women sewed their own death clothes; in some areas it was customary to make coffins or stock up on boards for the coffin long before death. But for a deeply religious person, the main thing was to prepare oneself for this last step in life spiritually, i.e. have time to do the necessary things to save the soul. Giving alms and making contributions to churches and monasteries were considered godly deeds. It was also considered a pious act to forgive debts. The whole family gathered around the dying man, they brought him images (icons), and he blessed each one especially. Often the sick person was given unction. Unction (blessing of oil) is one of the seven sacraments of the Orthodox Church, which was performed on the sick. During the consecration of oil, as well as during repentance, sins were forgiven. After confession, the dying person said goodbye to his family and relatives and gave instructions. It was very important for relatives and others to receive forgiveness from the dying person for the grievances that may have once been caused to him. Fulfilling the orders of the dying person was considered obligatory: “It is impossible to anger the deceased, it will bring misfortune to those remaining on earth.” If a person died quickly and painlessly, they believed that his soul would go to heaven, and if before his death he suffered heavily and for a long time, it means that his sins were so great that he could not escape hell. Relatives, seeing how the dying man was suffering, tried to help the soul leave the body. To do this, they opened the door, window, chimney, broke the ridge on the roof, and lifted the top part of the roof of the house. They placed a cup of water everywhere so that the soul could be washed when it flew away. The dying person was supposed to be laid on the floor, covered with straw. Dying on a stove was considered a great sin. When death occurred, relatives began to lament loudly. It was assumed that the deceased sees and hears everything. The content of the lamentations was arbitrary, everything depended on the eloquence of the mourner. The fight against this custom was waged in Russia for many centuries. In 1551, the custom of mourning the deceased was condemned by a resolution of the Stoglavy Council. But at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Peter I had to once again officially prohibit crying at the funerals of members of the royal house. With the onset of death, everything was aimed at preparing the deceased for the funeral. These actions largely undermined the religious-magical character. The deceased had to be washed. For a long time, as was customary, men were washed by old men, women by old women, but by the middle of the 19th century. Washing was mainly done only by women. In every village there were old women who washed the dead, receiving something from the deceased’s clothing - a sundress, a shirt or a scarf. At the same time, prayers were read. All objects used in washing were destroyed: the straw was burned or lowered into the water, or thrown into a ditch; the comb was thrown away or placed together with the deceased in the coffin, the water pot was broken, thrown away at the first intersection, Soap was either placed in the coffin, or was used later only for magical healing purposes, water was poured into places where people usually did not go, or on a fire in which straw was burned. Preparing clothes for a funeral was a well-known custom. The clothes prepared for burial differed in the method of sewing, cut, material, and color. For a long time, mortal clothing retained its ancient cut and traditional shapes, which had already gone out of fashion. The dead were usually placed in coffins in shrouds made of canvas. After washing and “dressing” the deceased, they placed him on a bench in the front corner, lit a lamp in front of the icons and began to pray. In general, from the moment of death until the funeral (they were buried, as a rule, on the third day), prayers were read over the deceased by specially invited readers. During the entire time the deceased lay under the icons, relatives, including from other villages, as well as fellow villagers came to him to say goodbye. The rich were accompanied to church and to the cemetery by many people. It was customary to go to the funeral of the poor with offerings - canvas, candles, wooden oil, rye or wheat flour, which were given to the relatives of the deceased - to commemorate the soul. They also helped with money - to pay for funeral expenses; participated in the funeral and took specific actions: some dug the grave, others washed the body, others sewed a svan. The poor and rootless were buried and commemorated at the expense of the entire society. Thus, the death of a fellow villager became an event in the life of the entire ancient people and affected not only those closest to them, but also everyone around them. Kutia, honey and oatmeal jelly were obligatory dishes on the funeral table. At the end of lunch, everyone went home. This was the end of the funeral rituals and the beginning of the funeral rites. Commemoration of deceased relatives was celebrated on the 3rd, 9th, 20th, 40th days, on anniversaries and holidays. after death, a cup of water and a pancake or piece of bread. This bread was served to the poor every other day, and the water was poured out the window. So, it lasted 40 days.
The 40th day after death - the magpie, when, according to popular beliefs, the soul visited the house for the last time, stood out with particular complexity of ritual actions and solemnity. In many places, all actions carried out on this day were called farewells or calling out to the soul. On the 40th day, a lot of people were invited and a rich table was served. They always attended church, went to the grave of the deceased, and then had dinner at home. Subsequently, the church declared Trinity Saturday to be one of the parental Saturdays; in popular tradition, it became the main, most common memorial Saturday. It was important to go to the graves of the dead, communicate with them, remember them. Respect for the dead demonstrates respect for the living.