week 8
14.03-20.03
Wedding traditions research
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A wedding is the most important event in life, it is the day when a new family is created. The traditional Russian rite was formed by the 16th century and remained the norm for all social strata of society until the end of the 17th century. It was a solemn and exceptionally festive action aimed at gradually carefully introducing the young couple into the new status of married people, into a different age category, into a new life and family.
| Meaning In the old days, the wedding was most often celebrated very noisily, the guests were the inhabitants of the entire village, and the celebration lasted several days. That is why then they said not to “celebrate” or “celebrate”, but to “play” a wedding. The wedding was like a real theatrical spectacle, each action of which was filled with a certain meaning, and deviation from the accepted order was considered a bad omen. |
| #1 Youth festivities (party) Youth festivities and games, during which young people could "show themselves" and look at each other to choose a suitable pair. The participation of young people in such gatherings was obligatory, refusal was condemned by public opinion. |
“The festivities were opened with a solemn procession along the main street of smartly dressed girls, performing drawn-out songs and ditties, then round dances followed. A striking sight during the festivities were the old dances and the city dances that replaced them in the last third of the 19th century."
| #1 Matchmaking Matchmakers came to the bride's parents and agreed on the upcoming marriage. If the parties made a joint decision, then later the groom's parents came to the bride's house, who brought with them a collusive gingerbread - a kind of parting word to the future daughter-in-law. |
Collusive gingerbread
The only surviving example of an old gingerbread that played an important role in wedding ceremonies. From matchmaking to the very day of the wedding, gingerbread was present at all stages of the wedding. A significant role was assigned to them at bachelorette parties, when the groom brought a special gingerbread baked to order - a wedding gingerbread - as a gift to the bride.
It is believed that the bride shared the gingerbread among the guests: she gave the figurines of people to her friends, the “stars” and “Christmas trees” went to young people, the gingerbread to relatives, and the mirror remained and was kept by her.
Site
The only surviving example of an old gingerbread that played an important role in wedding ceremonies. From matchmaking to the very day of the wedding, gingerbread was present at all stages of the wedding. A significant role was assigned to them at bachelorette parties, when the groom brought a special gingerbread baked to order - a wedding gingerbread - as a gift to the bride.
It is believed that the bride shared the gingerbread among the guests: she gave the figurines of people to her friends, the “stars” and “Christmas trees” went to young people, the gingerbread to relatives, and the mirror remained and was kept by her.
Site
Collusive gingerbread. Russia, Yaroslavl Province, Rostov, 1890s Fake. 1920s Russian Ethnographic Museum
and the bridegroom or matchmakers were given a scarf of the bride, her sundress or a piece of fabric as a pledge.
State Historical Museum
State Historical Museum
When both sides came to an agreement, it was customary to end the deal with a handshake. The fathers of the bride and groom shook hands, wrapping their palms in cloaks, scarves or putting on mittens so that the future spouses would live “not naked”, but prosperously. From that moment on, the girl and the guy were officially considered the bride and groom.
State Historical Museum
State Historical Museum
| #3 Dowry preparation During the pre-wedding week, an important step was the preparation of the dowry. The girl left for her new home with clothes, shoes, hats, jewelry, and also with several pieces of canvas to sew clothes for her husband and children. An indispensable component of the dowry was bedding (felt or feather bed, blanket, pillows, sheets), as well as numerous towels, tablecloths, napkins, fly, scarves. |
- Dowry box
- Towel
- Spinning wheel
It was the last day when the bride, along with her friends, completed her parting with her former life. During the bachelorette party, the bride was saying goodbye to the “girlish beauty”, symbolizing her will, beauty, innocence, virginity, her whole girlish life. The "beauty" of the girl was called a braid ribbon that fastened the girl's braid, a headband. "Beauty" was also symbolized by a wedding tree - a Christmas tree, pine, birch branches, or burdock - which the bridesmaids decorated with ribbons, flowers, shreds, pieces of paper, candles.
| #4 Hen-party The main rite of the entire bachelorette party was parting with her most important symbol - the girl's scythe. During this ceremony, the bridesmaids braided her braid for the last time, testifying to innocence and purity. The wedding braid was woven in a complicated way, using small strands, tangling the hair, sewing it up with threads, tying it with ropes, tying it into knots and sticking pins to make it more difficult to unravel. The groom's side had to buy the braid from the bride's relatives, most often from her younger brother and friends, after which the braid was untwisted. Relatives of the bride, her friends, guests, as well as the groom's matchmaker could take part in the unweaving. The bride was supposed to resist unraveling: she tangled the ribbon braid in her fingers, twisted the end of the braid around her hand, tightly squeezing it in her fist. The redemption of the braid and its opening meant the removal of all obstacles to marriage and the acquisition of the groom's full power over the bride. The bride's loose hair symbolized her readiness for marriage. |
- headdress "spangle", which was worn on a bachelorette party tied over a scarf
- The final parting with girlish headdresses took place after the wedding or after the wedding night, the young woman was put on the “warrior” women's headdress, which almost completely covered her hair.
Девичник https://shm.ru/rwed/
| #5 Ransom Then what happened today is called "ransom". The bridesmaids do not let the groom into the bride's house until he gives them gifts, completes certain tasks (competitions, games), when the groom hands over the money, the entrance is free. |
| #7 Wedding The wedding, which was one of the seven church sacraments, united a man and a woman into an indissoluble divine union, perceived as an acceptance of responsibility before God and people: going down the aisle meant "going to the judgment of God." This rite gave legal force to the marriage. It consisted of the betrothal, during which the bride and groom agreed to the marriage and exchanged rings, and the actual wedding, when marriage crowns were placed on the spouses, which was interpreted as the imposition of the Glory of God and the indulgence of God's Grace. |
The wedding clothes of the bride and groom were supplemented with numerous amulets to protect against damage and the evil eye: the body was girded with a piece of a fishing net or a twisted charmed woolen thread with numerous knots tied on it, the edges of the clothes were stabbed with sewing needles with broken ears (“a needle with an eye “drags after itself” , and without an eye, no witchcraft will be able to cling to"), poppy seeds and money were poured into shoes.
The wedding train was considered an important procession - it accompanied the young to the wedding and to the groom's house.
Sledges and carts were covered with elegant carpets and decorated with ribbons and towels that developed during a fast ride. The front harness was studded with bells, shamblers, vertebrae and bells. Elegant exit arcs were also decorated with ribbons and towels. The horses were specially cleaned and washed, braiding the mane at night into braids so that it became wavy and especially lush. Ribbons, flowers and wreaths were woven into the mane and tails of horses.
Sledges and carts were covered with elegant carpets and decorated with ribbons and towels that developed during a fast ride. The front harness was studded with bells, shamblers, vertebrae and bells. Elegant exit arcs were also decorated with ribbons and towels. The horses were specially cleaned and washed, braiding the mane at night into braids so that it became wavy and especially lush. Ribbons, flowers and wreaths were woven into the mane and tails of horses.
Sleighs are visiting (holiday).
После объявления новобрачных супругами деревце «переправляли» в другой мир одним из двух способов: уничтожали, часто сжигали (т. е. посылали на «тот свет»), либо оставляли родителям.
Важную роль в свадебном обряде играло изготовление обрядового хлеба, происходившее, как правило, накануне венчания или утром в день свадьбы. Пекли его в доме жениха или в доме невесты, а в некоторых случаях одновременно в обоих домах. Хлеб символизировал богатую и счастливую жизнь, достаток и благополучие.
Хлеб выпекали круглым и большого размера, который часто был украшен различными символами: колосья пшеницы символизировали изобилие, достаток; листья или гроздь калины — любовь, прибавление в семье. Часто мастерицы украшали хлеб солнцем и месяцем, двумя кольцами или парой лебедей, что было символом верности в любви.
Баня невесты была еще одним важным предсвадебным обрядом, проходившем накануне дня венчания или утром перед венцом. Как правило, баню топили подруги невесты или ее родственницы. Они же торжественным шествием с песнями и причитаниями сопровождали невесту в баню, ведя ее под руки как на праздничном гулянии. С древности водное омовение было важным обрядом при переходе человека из одного состояния в другое. Во время ритуальной бани невеста смывала с себя «девичью красоту», расставаясь с девичеством и волей, «примывая бабью красу».
Важную роль в свадебном обряде играло изготовление обрядового хлеба, происходившее, как правило, накануне венчания или утром в день свадьбы. Пекли его в доме жениха или в доме невесты, а в некоторых случаях одновременно в обоих домах. Хлеб символизировал богатую и счастливую жизнь, достаток и благополучие.
Хлеб выпекали круглым и большого размера, который часто был украшен различными символами: колосья пшеницы символизировали изобилие, достаток; листья или гроздь калины — любовь, прибавление в семье. Часто мастерицы украшали хлеб солнцем и месяцем, двумя кольцами или парой лебедей, что было символом верности в любви.
Баня невесты была еще одним важным предсвадебным обрядом, проходившем накануне дня венчания или утром перед венцом. Как правило, баню топили подруги невесты или ее родственницы. Они же торжественным шествием с песнями и причитаниями сопровождали невесту в баню, ведя ее под руки как на праздничном гулянии. С древности водное омовение было важным обрядом при переходе человека из одного состояния в другое. Во время ритуальной бани невеста смывала с себя «девичью красоту», расставаясь с девичеством и волей, «примывая бабью красу».
My visual test
Back to my sketchbook Heaven
- Collage
- Textile
- Pattern
- A little surrealism - a combination of the female body and images - symbolsм
My emotions and my experience?
- What emotions does the bride-girl have before the important event in her life?
- Does the self-awareness of the bride-girl in the centuries of our ancestors and now coincide?
I did not have a full-fledged family and ideas about what a family should be like. On the maternal side, there were no conversations and initiations into a woman or an understanding of what a woman is, what is her role and value in the family, what is the role and value of a man in the family. All these moments were blurred in my mind.
I had a frank fear and misunderstanding of what was waiting for me in general. There was no sense of tradition and connection.
Maybe that's why, in part, I decided to turn to traditions and make up for some unworthy moments.
Tutorial with Laetitia
Your new idea is clear and understandable, more formalized.
The direction of the visual language and the collage is excellent. BUT:
The direction of the visual language and the collage is excellent. BUT:
- You need to make a plot
- Maybe start with a costume?
- Costume, textiles as a map of history
- What do you want to show? What is your vision for a wedding? Beauty, costumes are a spectacle? Idealization?