Traditions surround a person throughout his life, although sometimes their meaning and significance are forgotten or even lost. The rituals associated with birth, marriage, death are called family rites.

What are family traditions and rituals

Family household rituals Since the days of paganism, holidays reflect the full family cycle, which includes funerals, weddings, etc. Divorce proceedings were not in the tradition, therefore they did not receive the appropriate ceremonial registration.

All ceremonies associated with family events carried magical properties, the purpose of which was to protect a person from evil forces and attract good luck.

Wedding ceremonies

The traditional time to celebrate weddings is in the fall, after the harvest, or in the winter after the Epiphany. The wedding ceremony and celebration took a long time and consisted of several stages. The creation of a new family was equated with a new cycle of births.

Each stage of the wedding cycle was accompanied by ritual songs appropriate to the moment. Each stage had its own magical meaning, including the theft of the bride and wedding atrocities.

Birth of a child

The sacrament of birth was really a sacrament, and it was believed that the less the people knew about the beginning of childbirth, the easier it would be for the woman in labor to endure the birth pangs.

However, the involvement of the child's father in childbirth was marked by a number of magical actions that tacitly existed in the Kuwada code.

A woman who had passed her childbearing period was called to a midwife. At the time of childbirth, everything in the house was thrown open, untied in order to stimulate the opening of the birth canal. The umbilical cord was cut on the tool, in accordance with the desired future profession of the baby.

Housewarming

Housewarming in the Russian patriarchal village was a rather rare phenomenon, but it had its own traditions of celebration.

With the advent of Christianity, a tradition arose to consecrate new dwellings. But from paganism there remained the offering of gifts for housewarming, as well as the custom to let a cat into the house (you can also use a black rooster).

Ancient traditions in modern family and household holidays

Part of the traditions of celebrating family and household holidays fell into oblivion due to the change in the social structure of society. Traditions were partially banned by the Soviet regime.

But even in modern wedding ceremonies there are elements, the origin of which is difficult to explain without knowing the history of our own people.

Family and household celebrations and ceremonies: structure, functions and artistic elements

Culturology and art history

The concept of the custom of the ritual of the tradition We see that the desire of people to celebrate the key events of their lives in a bright, beautiful, solemn and memorable way is due to the giving of these events the forms of holidays and rituals. are turning points in people's lives, changing their relationship with others, giving them new rights and making new demands. What is the concept of a rite What is its essence Why at all times, starting from the primitive communal system, people celebrated the most outstanding events with solemn ritual actions ...

Family and household holidays and ceremonies: structure, functions and artistic elements.

The concept of custom, rite, ritual, tradition

We see that the desire of people to brightly, beautifully, solemnly and memorably mark the key events of their lives is due to the giving of these events the forms of holidays and rituals. Events such as a wedding, the birth of a child, coming of age, etc. are turning points in people's lives, changing their relationship with others, giving them new rights and making new demands. And the desire of people to celebrate these events festively with solemn, memorable rituals that pass from generation to generation in a certain established, fixed form and express the inner meaning, the content of this event is quite understandable.

Ritualism is an integral part of culture, reflecting the spiritual essence of the people, their attitude to the world in different periods of historical development, a complex and diverse phenomenon that performs the functions of passing on to subsequent generations the experience accumulated in the struggle for existence, a kind of human reaction to living conditions, a specific form of expression of popular aspirations and aspirations.

The historical change in social formations, living conditions, needs and relationships of people has an impact on the development of holidays and rituals. As a result of a change in reality, ritualism goes through a long and difficult path of evolution. Some rituals are dying out, conflicting with the worldview of people, others are being transformed, in which new content is invested in previous forms, and, finally, new rituals are born that meet the needs and requirements of a new era.

What is the concept of "rite"? What is its essence? Why at all times, starting with the primitive communal system, did people celebrate the most outstanding events of their lives with solemn ritual actions?

The term "rite" comes from the verb "to rite", "to dress" - to decorate. The ceremony is a kind of break in everyday life, a bright spot against the background of everyday life. It has an amazing property to influence the emotional world of a person and at the same time to cause in all those present a similar emotional state, which contributes to the affirmation in the mind of the main idea for which it is being performed.

The first elements of ritualism arose long before the appearance of the Christian religion from the needs of people to gather together in solemnly joyful and solemnly sorrowful moments of life and in a certain way to express the feelings that gripped them. This is the social and psychological nature of rituals.

Each rite has its own content, but it always represents a conditional action, the purpose of which is to express concrete ideas and certain social ideas in symbolic form. Rituals reflect the diverse connections and relationships of people in society. "This is a symbolic and aesthetic expression (and manifestation) of the collective ties of society, the collective essence of man, ties that not only connect a person with his contemporaries, but also unite him with his ancestors. The rite is created as an expression of the spirit, habits, traditions, way of life of society", in it reflects the real life of a person, his connections and relations with society, with the people around him.

The rite is one of the ways in which traditions exist.

Tradition is a broader social phenomenon, a special form of consolidation of social relations, expressed in stable and most general actions and norms of social behavior, passed down from generation to generation. The content of traditions is determined by the social relations that gave rise to them, and therefore traditions are the product of certain historical conditions.

Traditions, as firmly established, familiar ideas of people, are born in response to the demands of life and exist as long as they meet the needs of a particular group of people. Tradition is one of the most powerful means of influencing a person. The development of society proceeds from the past to the present, from the present to the future, therefore, in society, on the one hand, there are always traditions in which the experience of past generations is concentrated, on the other, new traditions are born that concentrate the experience of today, corresponding to a new worldview.

Changes in living conditions, needs and relationships of people have an impact on the development of holidays and rituals. As a result of a change in reality, ritualism goes through a long and difficult path of evolution, is modified, changed.

Traditions, customs and rituals have a lot in common: they are all forms of transferring social experience accumulated by society to new generations, and this transfer takes place in a vivid figurative form using conditionally symbolic actions.

Traditions cover a wider range of phenomena than holidays and rituals. They are found in all spheres of public life.

Thus, we will focus on the following definitions of the main concepts used.

Tradition is a social phenomenon that reflects historically established and passed on from generation to generation customs, order, norms of behavior, a special form of social relations, expressed in general actions and preserved by the strength of public opinion.

Custom is a narrower concept than tradition. This is a rule firmly established in a particular social environment that regulates the behavior of people in public life. The execution of the custom is not provided by the state. It is respected due to its repeated repetition and application over a long period of time.

A holiday is a solemn form of commemorating various events in personal or social life, based on the beliefs and customs of the people, a day free from work and everyday everyday worries.

A rite is a social phenomenon, which is a set of conventionally symbolic actions that have become established in the people, expressing a certain magical meaning associated with the celebrated events of personal or social life; it is a kind of collective act that is strictly determined by tradition, as well as the outer side of a person's religious life and beliefs.

Ritual is the procedure for performing a ceremony, a sequence of conditionally symbolic actions expressing the main idea of ​​the holiday, an external manifestation of a person's beliefs.

In everyday life, these concepts tend to expand their scope and are quite often replaced by one another. Nevertheless, their dilution and definition of content from wider to narrower seems to us legitimate, since it allows us to freely operate with them in the course of our reasoning and distinguish one from the other.

Family and household rituals. Wedding

A wedding is the most vivid example of a dramatized rite, one of the main pictures of a great life drama, that drama, the length of which is equal to a human life ... only other villages, but also other volosts.

The inevitability of the ceremony is simply explained: the time has come to get married, and the need for marriage has never been questioned. Therefore, both for young people and for their loved ones - this is just one of life's episodes, however, this episode is special, perhaps the most remarkable. Marriage is the most important link in an unbreakable chain, prepared by all the previous links: childhood, the events of adolescence, the affairs of adolescence, the aging of parents, etc.

This rite originates much earlier, somewhere in a village festivities, perhaps even in childhood, but its action is always definite and figurative. It begins with swindling.

In the old days, in places rich in water, the custom of the Chud tribe on boats to bring their daughters to holiday and fairground villages was preserved. Such brides were called floats. The father, brother or mother, who "melted" the girl, together with the dowry, left her under the overturned boat, while they themselves went to the village to watch the holiday. Local boys-suitors immediately appeared on the shore. One by one, they overturned the boats, examining and choosing brides. ("Could it be a vice in a private person that is revered by the whole people?" - AS Pushkin asks thoughtfully. The Russians did not disdain the customs of neighboring peoples, although they were picky) True, this custom was not widespread in Russian villages ... The acquaintance of the boys and girls took place at the gorries and pillars, at summer and winter festivities.

In the winter, at the beginning of the new year, the parents of the grooms figure out what and how, whether the guy himself will be able to choose his future wife, they consult. A full-fledged groom did not allow options, several candidates, but not all were like that. Many people needed parental help when choosing, often simply because of the guy's shyness.

On the appointed day, having chosen the "route" and having prayed, the matchmakers - parents or close relatives - went to woo. It is difficult not only to describe, but simply to list all the signs, conventions and figurative details of matchmaking. From now on, and until the first wedding morning, everything acquired a special meaning, portended either good luck or misfortune, everything took its definite place. It was necessary to know how, where and after whom to step, what to say, where to put this and that, notice everything that happens in the house and on the road, remember everything, warn, think over.

Even the sweeping of felt boots at the porch, drying of the shoes by the stove damper, the behavior of pets, the creak of floorboards, the noise of the wind acquired a special meaning in the external design of matchmaking. Despite the clarity of the basic rules verified over the centuries, each matchmaking was special, different in form from others, the same expressions, proverbs were spoken in different ways. Some turned out especially figuratively, while others did not. Of course, all this was recorded in the unwritten rural annals. Later, the most uninteresting was forgotten forever, and everything remarkable was passed on to other generations. Traditional expressions in mediocre lips became clichés, rented images. Tradition, however, did not in the least restrain creative imagination; on the contrary, it gave it an initial impetus, unleashing the tongue even of the most tongue-tied matchmaker. However, a tongue-tied matchmaker is like a horseless plowman, or a sexton without a voice, or, for example, a lame postman. Therefore, one of the matchmakers was by all means a talker.

They entered the house without warning, as always. They were baptized, sat down, exchanged greetings. The shrewd owners immediately tuned in to a certain mood, the bride left out of sight. A real verbal duel began. Even with a deliberately decided case, the father and mother of the bride refused at first, they say, it is necessary to wait, the goods we have are illegal, they say, they are still young and there are few properties, etc. The matchmakers acted all the more recklessly, praising the groom and using all their eloquence. How to look people in the eye if it ends in complete failure?

There were cases when, having achieved nothing, the matchmakers at their own peril and risk snatched up another bride, the younger, or even the older, sister who had sat in the girls, or went to another house and even to another village, if the groom was not very picky, and marriage became urgent.

Conventional, traditional tricks and tricks in matchmaking are interspersed with genuine, natural ones associated with certain circumstances of a material and moral nature. But it turned out that the traditional provisions in such cases, the tricks themselves helped the participants in the ceremony. The folk custom spared Self-love, it seemed to help out the poor, and knocked off excess arrogance from the rich, encouraged the timid, and upset the overly cheeky.

The matchmaking rarely ended with a firm promise; nevertheless, matchmakers caught agreement in the shaky voice, in the uncertainty of the reasons for refusal. Sometimes one of the bride's parents zealously refused, while the other made a secret, barely perceptible sign: they say, everything will be okay, do not give up. In the end, having worked hard, everyone parted, and the bride's parents, as if out of grace or out of respect for the groom's family, promised to come and look at the place.

Looking at the place, getting to know the house where the "little beloved" will live is the second wedding operation in a row. The bride's parents tried to come by chance to see everything as it is, but the groom’s relatives did not doze either. In order not to fall face down in the mud, surreptitiously preparing for the meeting. Here, the folk tradition allowed a small forgery: it was allowed to take the "estate" from the neighbors for show, and sometimes neighbors' blankets and fur coats were pulled into the groom's house ... And yet it so happened that those looking at a place by one type of house firmly decided not to give their daughter away, but in order not to offend the groom, they looked for a plausible excuse for refusal.

The bride's parents walked around the whole house, looked into the barns and the courtyard, curious about how much cattle and utensils the groom had, whether the bread was stout, whether there was anything to sleep on and what the bathhouse was. Only after that it became clear whether the matchmaking was successful or the groom was refused. If refused, new matchmakers were equipped ...

In case of success, there was a short break, followed by the third part of the wedding action. In different places it was called by different names: handicraft, conspiracy, screwing up. But the essence remained the same everywhere: at this moment they finally decide to become related, the wedding day is planned, the place where the young people will live, the amount of dowry is determined.

Funeral

As already stated, death from old age was considered a naturally necessary event. In some cases, she was expected and called upon, embarrassed to live. “I’ve lost a foreign age, they have missed me for a long time,” said Yulia Fedosimova from the village of Lobanikhi. Ivan Afanasyevich Neustupov from Druzhinin, sensing the approach of the end, made himself a domina himself. The coffin stood on the upper shed for almost a year. From the outside it seemed a little creepy. But in the popular perception of death there is a combination, strange at first glance: respect for mystery and everyday calmness. To die worthily at a ripe old age meant the same as living a life with dignity. Death was feared only by the weak in spirit, labor died - those who were sick in their prime, people deprived of something by fate, etc.

To die without praying and not winking close people seemed to a normal person the greatest and very last blessing. As in the christening, the Christian rite here is closely accustomed to the ancient custom of forgiveness and burial. Communion, unction and parental blessing were supplemented by requests to forgive all offenses, an oral bequest of personal property (clothing, professional and musical instruments, jewelry).

In a Russian peasant family, the deceased was washed under any circumstances, changed into clean, sometimes very expensive clothes. They put the deceased on the bench, with their heads in the red corner, covered them with a white canvas (shroud), folded their hands on their chest, giving them a white handkerchief in the right one. The funeral took place on the third day, especially the revered dead were carried in their arms to the very cemetery. All this was accompanied by crying and lamentations.

There were professional voices in the North, like professional storytellers. Often they were considered sorcerers and healers. Many of them, possessing a true artistic talent, created their own traditions, complementing and developing the traditional imagery of funeral folk poetry.

The death of a deep old man was not considered a grief; in this case, lamentation and lamentation were rather formal. The hired cry could instantly transform, interrupt the cry with some ordinary remark and scream again. Another thing is when close relatives are lamenting or when death is premature. Here the traditional form took on a personal, emotional, sometimes deeply tragic color.

The funeral always ended with a commemoration, or funeral service, for which special memorial dishes and meals were prepared. All relatives and participants in the funeral took part in the funeral.

It was celebrated by relatives and friends on the ninth day after death and on the fortieth (magpie). We also visited the cemetery on parental Saturday - the day of commemoration of the soldiers who died on the Kulikovo field.

In addition, the graves of relatives were cleaned every spring. The current fashion for fencing was, however, completely alien to our predecessors, the whole cemetery was fenced, and not individual graves.

Seeing off to the army

Alas, very few people managed to buy off the "soldiery", as it is said in the parish. "Recruitment," Alexander Melnitsky, a collector of northern folklore, wrote in 1894, "takes the guys away from peasant work, and sometimes completely wean them off of the village economy."

Throughout the centuries-old history of the state, the army and navy drew their main strength from the peasantry, which, for this reason, won the hatred of Russia's external enemies. Man-bear, lapotnik, Moskal, smerd - all these contemptuous names were born, if not entirely in enemy camps, then, in any case, not on village streets, but, rather, in palaces and chambers, where foreign speech sounded more than Russian. For the same reasons, the external enemies of the state hated the entire system of life, the entire Russian peasant way of life, which allowed Russia to have a large and efficient army.

Meanwhile, as the same collector of folklore writes, “the soldier’s life, in the eyes of the peasants, is sad,“ unusual ”; there,“ they won’t give a hand, ”they’ll raise their sides, teach them“ to keep pace with the line ”.

However, let us familiarize ourselves with the record of A. Melnitsky in more detail.

The guys who are "in line", long before being drafted, begin to enjoy various privileges ... They are not forced to work, they are not sent to difficult winter jobs, they are given great freedom in everything and turn a blind eye to their actions and pranks.

In the summer before the call "necrut" usually (if he is not one of the rich) goes to work ... There he always buys himself a harmonica and dresses up a festive costume, in which the main role is played by "exhaust" black boots and a cloth "pingjack". Leaving the rest of the earnings for pocket money or, as they say, "for tobacco", "nekrut" returns home in August. From this time on, his walk begins. Almost not a single "fair" or "party" takes place, wherever he appears. As a rule, recruits serve as a center, around which young people gather for partying ... In October, on Sundays and holidays, recruits' festivities with fellow villagers begin. In the evening the guys gather in the hut near some boar or a boar; here sometimes the "necrut" puts out vodka, otherwise they all buy it together and, having raised it, begin their night walks through the villages, which often continue "until the roosters." They start all the dances and games, throw out different "tricks", sit on the lap of all the girls, even the "Slavutnits", treat them with gingerbread and sweets.

The "call" usually takes place in the month of November. A week before the appointed day, the festivities of the recruits are especially intensified, and two or three days later they begin to "visit" their relatives, to whom they go to say goodbye, begin with the closest relatives.

Lament

Lamentation, lamentation, lamentation is one of the most ancient types of folk poetry. In some places of the Russian North-West, it has survived to this day, so a weeping similar to that of Yaroslavna from the 800-year-old "Lay of Igor's Campaign" can still be heard today.

In some places the clerk was called a cry, in others - just a cry. Like storytellers, they often became professionals, but the accolade in one artistic degree or another was available to most Russian women.

Lamenting has always been individual, and any family grief could have caused it: the death of a close relative, missing, any natural disaster.

Since grief, like happiness, is not standard, similar to grief in another house, then the habits cannot be the same. Professional crying should improvise, a relative of the deceased is also individual in crying, she laments for a specific person - for a husband or brother, for a son or daughter, for a parent or grandson. Traditional images that have lost their freshness and strength from frequent, for example, fairytale repetitions, in relation to a certain family, for a certain tragic event acquire an amazing, sometimes eerie emotionality.

Crying out unbearable, in ordinary conditions unimaginable and even unacceptable grief was almost a physiological need in the people's life. Having burst into tears, the man was half overcome by irreparable trouble. Hearing lamentations, the world, the people around them share the grief, and take on the brunt of the loss. Grief seems to unfold over people. In crying, in addition, sobbing and tears seem to be ordered, their physiology recedes into the background, suffering gains spirituality due to imagery.


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Nime is a collective help, arranged by fellow villagers when performing labor-intensive and troublesome work. There are many such moments in the life of a peasant when collective efforts are required for the timely completion of certain chores. It was necessary to take out the timber, build a house, squeeze the already crumbling crop in time - everywhere the custom of nime came to the rescue. Nime is usually performed during the day. During a long summer day, the participants manage to cope with an entire enclosure. In the evening, all the participants in the name gather at the owner's house. The owners of the house, in gratitude, treated all their fellow villagers. The hard work ended with a festive feast.

NAME is traditional - the rite of giving a newborn a personal name. The Chuvash attached great importance to the name, believing that the fate of a person largely depends on it. The Chuvash anthroponymy recorded several thousand traditions. names. The newborn was supposed to be named as early as possible, for, according to beliefs, Esrel could forestall and take his soul. There were several versions of I .: 1) the midwife grandmother whispered different names in his ear when bathing the baby; when the child will give a voice, such was accepted; 2) the father, who was told the gender of the newborn, went out into the street, and he chose the name of the first person he met; 3) in families where children often died, the midwife carried the baby into the yard in a nashovka, let the dog lick it; then his parents "bought him out" through the window, named © ™ ppi (Sorinka), Tuppy (Naydenysh), etc .; 4) in agreement with older relatives, the parents chose the name of the child before his birth. At the same time, for boys, a name was preferred, consonant with the names of deceased ancestors; it was believed that this promotes procreation. The name of the baby in all variants of I. was confirmed and consolidated during the maternity rite of acha yashki (literally, infant soup).

With the Christianization of the Chuvash, I. took place at baptism, but continued. time was used and the pagan name given in the traditional. ritual actions.

MATERNITY RITES - customs and rituals associated with childbirth, which, according to the traditional ideas of the Chuvash, protected the life of an infant, protecting him from diseases. The birth was taken by a midwife, who was the first to introduce the child to the family and society; her help was accompanied by conspiracies and actions, to which the magician was attributed. functions. The services of midwives in some cases were used up to mid. 20th century She accepted the baby on her hem with the uttering of an invitation and a blessing. It was believed that the soul at the moment of birth is brought by the guardian angel Pirĕshti, and the deity of death Esrel is here on guard with the aim of kidnapping her. So that the soul does not leave the body, the midwife rubbed the umbilical cord towards the baby's belly, then cut it, for the boy - on the handle or the handle of the kochedin, for the girl - on the bottom of the spinning wheel or the handle of the sickle, tied it with linen thread; while she uttered conspiracies. The navel was considered a conductor between the soul and the body, they tried to preserve it, believing that it would help the newborn (it was usually hidden at the bottom of the chest). The birth of a child “in a shirt,” which was also kept was considered a success. The midwife with slander lowered a silver coin, metallic. an object, a pinch of salt and bathed the baby; The placenta was placed in an old bast shoe, then it was hidden: a boy - under the lower crown of a hut or stable, a girl - a barn. These and other R. o. and ritual. actions expressed hope for the future economy, the diligence of the newborn. Then the midwife helped the woman in labor to wash, doing both hygienic and supposedly magic. cleansing. If the child was born prematurely, weak, they performed the rite of letting in the soul. After the birth of the child, sacrifices were made to the spirits.



Before putting the baby in the cradle, the grandmother or another older relative would bring him to the stove and bless him, smeared his tongue with a mixture of cream. butter and honey, so that his speech is soft and sweet. In the shake as a talisman they put some. cutting tool (knife, scissors).

The ceremony of acha ptti (literally porridge for a child) was performed with the participation of the father, grandfather (or father's brother) and close relatives. The grandfather, with a loaf of bread and a round of chakat cheese in his hand, prayed to the gods and spirits, turned to the ancestors, asking for the welfare and health of the baby and his mother. From ser. 19th century this ceremony began to be performed by the grandmother. The baptized lit a candle in front of the icons and prayed to the Mother of God, not forgetting to remember their ancestors. Bread, cheese, scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs, milk porridge or soup were served on the table. A piece of bread, cheese, a spoonful of porridge was taken out into the yard and sacrificed with prayer. In gratitude, the mother brought the midwife a piece of canvas and soap. The guests presented the woman in labor with cuts of canvas, and coins were placed for the baby.

The child received the name on the same day or after a certain time. The Chuvash had several variants of the naming rite, which, with the adoption of Christianity, was gradually supplanted by the Orthodox. baptism. In the beginning. 21 c. such an element of R.O. is preserved as the feast of acha yashka (literally, child's soup). Ritual dishes are served on the table, along with others. The guests present the baby and the mother.

A wedding is a very important moment in a person's life. This is a ritual, an important event and a holiday. She is the beginning of a new family life for two people. Of course, the ceremonies and customs characteristic of the pre-wedding period, as well as the wedding itself, were not always the same. Gradually going from time immemorial, these rituals and customs were transformed, some of them disappeared altogether. That is, they are not represented in modern culture or have survived as echoes of those distant times.

Marriage is a universal ritual. All peoples - African tribes, Eskimos, American Indians - have it, regardless of their geographic location and the degree of development of society. All these peoples can trace many similarities in marriage rituals and traditions, despite the fact that their settlement territories are thousands of kilometers from each other.

Russian culture has an extensive layer of wedding customs and rituals, which received their diversity due to the wide area of ​​settlement of Russians, therefore, due to the numerous regional variations among the Slavic tribes. The wedding is surrounded by many customs, symbols, ritual actions - the bride's veil, sprinkling of hops, grain, wedding rings on the newlyweds ... But a modern man hardly knows what is the meaning behind these customs and symbols. Knowledge of the history of the ritual of marriage helps to better understand the culture of your people and delve deeper into ritual actions, to perform them meaningfully.

The Russian wedding ceremony is one of the most important family rites. A wedding ceremony consists of many elements, among them: ritual songs, worship, obligatory ritual actions of the bride, boyfriends and other participants.

The Russian wedding ceremony is very different in different regions. So, in the north of Russia, the "musical" part consists almost entirely of orations, and in the south - almost entirely of funny songs, the role of orations there is more formal. At the same time, the rite is always not an arbitrary set of songs and ritual actions, but a system, very well-organized.

The time of the formation of the wedding ceremony is considered to be the XIII-XIV century. At the same time, in some regional traditions in the structure and in some details of the rite, pre-Christian origins are felt, there are elements of magic.

With all the variability of the rite, its general structure remains unchanged, including the following main components: Matchmaking - Bridesmaid - Handicraft - Removal - Bachelorette / Bachelor party - Ransom - This is followed by the sacrament of the wedding - Festivities - Wedding feast

The ceremonies originally symbolized the transition of a girl from the clan of her father to the clan of her husband. This entails the transition to the protection of the masculine spirits. Such a transition was akin to death in one's own and being born in a different family. For example, lamentation is the same as lamentation for the dead. At a bachelorette party, a trip to the bathhouse is the washing of the dead. The bride is often taken to church by the arms, thereby symbolizing the lack of strength, lifelessness. The young woman leaves the church by herself. The groom brings the bride into the house in his arms in order to deceive the brownie, force him to accept the girl as a newborn family member who did not enter the house, but ended up in the house. When they wooed the bride, they would put on a red sarafan and say: "You have goods - we have a merchant."

Matchmaking The matchmakers were usually the groom's relatives - father, brother, etc., less often - the mother, although the matchmaker could not be a relative. The matchmaking was preceded by a certain agreement between the parents of the bride and groom.

Often the matchmaker did not speak directly about the purpose of his arrival, but pronounced some ritual text. The bride's parents answered him in the same manner. This was done in order to protect the ceremony from the actions of evil spirits. The bride's parents had to refuse for the first time, even if they are happy with the wedding. The matchmaker had to persuade them.

After the matchmaking, the parents gave the matchmaker an answer. The girl's consent was not required (if asked, it was a formality), sometimes even matchmaking could take place in the absence of the girl.

Bride A few days after the matchmaking, the bride's parents (or relatives, if the bride is an orphan) came to the groom's house to look at his household. This part of the wedding was more "utilitarian" than all the others, and did not involve special ceremonies. They demanded guarantees of the prosperity of the future wife from the groom. Therefore, her parents examined the farm very carefully. The main requirements for the economy were an abundance of cattle and bread, clothes, dishes. Often, after inspecting the household, the bride's parents refused the groom.

If, after inspecting the groom's household, the bride's parents did not refuse him, the day was set for the public announcement of the decision on the wedding. In different traditions, this rite was called differently ("engagement", "hand-to-hand", "zaruchin", "zaporuki" - from the words "hit the hands", "conspiracy", "binge", "sing" - from the word "sing "," Marriage "," vaults "and many other names), but in any tradition, the wedding itself began from that day, and the girl and the boyfriend become the" bride and groom ". After the public announcement, only exceptional circumstances could upset the wedding (such as the escape of the bride).

Usually the "conspiracy" takes place about two weeks after the matchmaking at the bride's house. Relatives and friends of the family, villagers usually gathered for it, since the day of the "conspiracy" was determined after examining the groom's household, and a few days before the "conspiracy" itself, this news spread throughout the village. The "conspiracy" was supposed to be a treat for the guests.

Promises to marry were often backed up by makings and pledges. Refusal of betrothal was considered a dishonorable deed, intended to incur both heavenly and earthly punishment on the guilty person, in the form of collection of expenses, gifts, payment for dishonor, and sometimes criminal punishment.

Announcement of the engagement usually took place at the table. The girl's father announced the engagement to the guests. After his speech, the young people went out to the guests. The parents were the first to bless the couple, then the guests brought their congratulations, after which the feast continued.

After the engagement, the parents of the bride and groom agreed on the wedding day, who would be the boyfriend, etc. The groom made his first gift to the bride - often a ring as a symbol of strong love. The bride, accepting him, gave her consent to become his wife.

The church view in ancient Russia adapted to the popular: it sanctified with a church blessing the betrothal, which was often performed long before marriage, and recognized its indissolubility; but the church saw the decisive moment in the conclusion of marriage in the wedding, for the strengthening of which in her life she fought hard.

Disposal The next period in some traditions was called a "week" (although it did not necessarily last exactly a week, sometimes up to two weeks). At this time the dowry was being prepared. In northern traditions, the bride was constantly lamenting. In the south, every evening the groom and his friends came to the bride's house (this was called "gatherings", "vechorki", etc.), sang and danced.

The bride, with the help of her friends, had to prepare a large amount of dowry for the wedding. Basically, the dowry included things made by the bride with her own hands earlier.

The dowry usually included a bed (feather bed, pillow, blanket) and gifts to the groom and relatives: shirts, scarves, belts, patterned towels.

On the eve and in the morning of the wedding day, the bride had to perform a number of ritual actions. Their set is not fixed (for example, in some regions the bride had to visit the cemetery), but there are obligatory rituals inherent in most regional traditions.

The bride's going to the bathhouse is an indispensable attribute of most regional traditions. This ceremony could take place both on the eve of the wedding day, and on the wedding day itself in the morning. Usually the bride went to the bathhouse not alone, with her friends or with her parents. Going to the bathhouse was accompanied by both special orations and songs, and a number of ritual actions, some of which were given magical significance. So, in the Vologda region, a healer went to the bathhouse with the bride, who collected her sweat in a special bottle, and at the wedding feast it was poured into the groom's beer.

hen-party

A bachelorette party is the meeting of the bride and girlfriends before the wedding. This was their last meeting before the wedding, so a ritual farewell between the bride and her friends took place.

At the bachelorette party, the second key moment of the entire wedding ceremony (after the "hanging") took place - the unweaving of the girl's braid. The bridesmaids unraveled the braid. The unweaving of the braids symbolizes the end of the girl's former life. In many traditions, unweaving of braids is accompanied by a "farewell to red beauty." "Red beauty" - a ribbon or ribbons woven into a girl's braid.

The bachelorette party is accompanied by lamentation and special songs. Often the bride's lamentation is played simultaneously with the song sung by the bridesmaids. At the same time, there is an opposition of the lament to the song - the lament sounds very dramatic, while it is accompanied by a cheerful song of the girlfriends.

First wedding day

On the first day of the wedding, the following usually happens: the arrival of the groom, departure to the crown, the transfer of the dowry, the arrival of the newlyweds at the groom's house, blessing, wedding feast.

Redemption wedding

In some traditions, on the morning of the wedding day, the boyfriend should visit the bride's house and check if she is ready for the groom's arrival. By the time the bridegroom arrives, the bride should already be in wedding clothes and sit in the red corner.

The groom with his boyfriend, friends and relatives makes up the wedding train. While the train is moving to the bride's house, its participants (the residents) sang special "Poezzhansk" songs.

The groom's arrival was accompanied by one or more ransoms. In most regional traditions, this is the purchase of the entrance to the house. A gate, a door, etc. can be redeemed. Both the groom himself and the boyfriend can redeem.

Wedding

Before going to church, the bride's parents blessed the young with an icon and bread. Before the wedding, a girl's braid was unraveled for the bride, and after the young were married, she was braided two "woman's" braids and carefully covered her hair with a female headdress (warrior). Sometimes this happened already at the wedding feast, but among the Old Believers, two braids were braided and the warrior was worn either between betrothal and wedding, or even before betrothal.

After the wedding, the groom takes the bride to his home. Here they are to be blessed by their parents. There is also a combination of Christian and pagan elements. In many traditions, the bride and groom were put on a fur coat. The skin of an animal serves as a talisman. Bread in one form or another is required in the rite of blessing. Usually, during the blessing, he is next to the icon. In some traditions, both the groom and the bride are supposed to bite off the bread. This bread was also credited with magical effects. In some regions, it was then fed to a cow so that she gave more offspring.

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Wedding feast

After the wedding, the bride never laments. From this moment, the joyful and cheerful part of the ceremony begins. Then the young go to the bride's house for gifts.

Then the groom brings the bride to his house. There should already be a generous meal for the guests. The wedding feast begins.

Artistic traditions

Artistic creation

family and household holidays and ceremonies "

teacher

Kucher N.A.

Kursk - 2007


Lesson plan:

1. The concept of ritualism.

2. The meaning of the rituals.

3. Classification of rituals.

4. Family and household rituals (childbirth, baptism, wedding and funeral rituals).

1. The desire of people to brightly, solemnly and colorfully mark the key events of their lives is due to the tradition of these events in the form of holidays and rituals.

What is a rite?

A rite is a set of conventionally symbolic actions that have become established among the people, expressing a certain magical meaning associated with the celebrated events of life.

Custom is traditionally established rules of social behavior. This is what is customary ("usually") to do in a given situation, in a particular people.

Ritual - a sequence of actions during the ritual.

A ceremony is the same as a ritual, but it is typical for especially significant solemn occasions.

Tradition is a social phenomenon passed down from generation to generation, covering the spheres of life, family, morality, and religion.

2. At present, the rite is playing an increasing role in the spiritual life of people. They are necessary for a modern person, tk.

· Create conditions for intra-family and inter-family communication, acquaintance, joint pastime;

· Create an atmosphere of fun, joy, relaxedness;

· Give social significance to events in a person's personal life;

· Contribute to the formation of personality;

· Raise a person;

· Give an opportunity to realize oneself;

· Form a worldview;

· Help relieve psychological stress, organize leisure;

· Promote positive emotions, etc.

3. Rites can be divided into certain types. These include:

· Civil ceremonies (initiation into students, seeing off into the army ...)

Labor (initiation into the profession, seeing off retirement, anniversary ...)

· Family and household (birth, baptism ...)

· Calendar (Easter, Christmas ...)

4. Family and household holidays and ceremonies are associated with the cycle of human life; reflect a person's life from birth to death, traditional life and family traditions.

Many scholars believe that once the agricultural and family and household rituals were a single whole, having one common task - the achievement of well-being in the family, a good harvest. It is no coincidence that a great similarity is observed in calendar and wedding songs of an incantatory nature.

At the same time, confinement to the most striking events in a person's personal life, and not constantly repeating dates due to the change of seasons, and, accordingly, other functions and different content make it possible to single out family and household holidays and rituals into a separate group.