One of the first customs of the Ukrainian wedding - the appearance of the groom's relatives (father, brothers, uncle) in the bride's house - matchmaking. They should definitely be the first to start talking to the girl's parents about the wedding. The main purpose of the visit is to secure the consent of the girl and her family for the marriage. According to an ancient folk custom, matchmakers came to the girl's house with fresh bread. It was brought to the bride's table, just before the start of the conversation about the upcoming wedding. If the bride accepted the offer, then she had to cut the bread. After that, the bread was put on a towel and given to the matchmakers. If the girl refused the groom, then the matchmakers received a symbol of refusal - a pumpkin.
The next step after obtaining the consent of the girl was the bride. At the bride, the bride demonstrated all her skills, showing what a good hostess she is. It was important to demonstrate exactly your skills in cooking. After the wedding, an engagement followed, which symbolized the last stage of the agreements between the bride and groom. The hands of the newlyweds were tightly tied with a towel, and the bride had to give dresses, shirts, etc. to the matchmakers.
Shirt redemption is another longstanding tradition. The bridegroom prepared a shirt for the wedding, and on the eve of the holiday or on the morning of the wedding day, boyfriends or any girls or boys sent by the young went to the groom's house. There friendship had to redeem the shirt.
On the eve of the holiday itself, a bachelorette party is celebrated, where friends wash the bride, and she, in turn, cries and grieves. After that, the bride begins to weave the ribbons into the branches of the trees.
On the day of the wedding, the first rite is the ransom of the bride. The groom is put to the test and they try to get the largest possible ransom. Having redeemed the future wife, the groom took her in his arms, and they walked or drove to church.
Another beautiful ancient tradition is receiving the blessings of parents. The newlyweds bow to their parents and thank them. Once upon a time, a wedding without a blessing could not happen.
Marriage is a beautiful and sacred wedding tradition. By marrying in a church, newlyweds receive God's help to overcome all obstacles and problems in married life. Souls unite into one whole forever.
After the wedding was over, the newlyweds were showered with coins and grain, wishing them a happy and prosperous life. By the important day they baked wedding bread - a loaf. According to tradition, the newlyweds must break off a piece of loaf. Whoever has the largest piece will be the head of the family. Also, there is salt on the loaf: the newlyweds must put bread there and feed each other, so that in their life together they do not swear and do not salt each other.
One of the most touching customs was the undoing of the bride's braid. This symbolized that from now on she becomes a wife.
The Ukrainian people have a huge number of customs and traditions. Many of them have become history, some are unique to certain regions, and many are still relevant. My dear reader, did you like my article? Would you like to learn more about the peculiarities of the holidays of the Ukrainian people?