Traditions and customs of the Georgian wedding

Georgia is a beautiful country where cordial and disinterested people live, a country of traditions, unearthly beauty and good mood.

Georgians, like no one else, respect and value the traditions and rituals of their country, their people. Many of them have existed for more than a decade and are passed on from generation to generation.

Celebrations are held on clear rules. Such a holiday is a traditional Georgian wedding. It can rightly be called one of the most exciting events, as well as an example of centuries-old and extraordinary wedding traditions.

This Georgian wedding ceremony, Gaumardzhos, necessarily takes place according to certain canons and rules that require precise organization.

Earlier there was a custom when the groom could steal his bride. Do not be surprised, this is possible in the modern world. The tradition has not disappeared, however, it is most often practiced in remote mountain villages.

We all heard about the hospitality of the Georgians. And they decided to invite all relatives from both sides to the wedding. Nobody refused an invitation. Everyone wants to share their joy and happiness with young people and are afraid of offending their loved ones by refusing not to go. Observing this tradition, the Georgian wedding continues to collect an incredible number of people.

The first marriage night of the newlyweds ended with the fact that the mother-in-law put a sheet from the bed on public display to prove that the daughter-in-law retained virginity before the wedding. If suddenly it was not so, she was expelled from the house in disgrace.

None of those present at the wedding could see how the bride eats, so it is customary to put only sweet things on the young table.

It was decided to celebrate in the house of one of the young.

Wedding Georgian custom consists of several stages, and lasts for several days.

The main stages:

• machankloba - matchmaking;
• nishnoba - the rite of betrothal;
• triumph.

I would like to consider in detail all these moments in order to at least a little understand the culture of the country, imbued with the veneration of traditions and admire the people.

Earlier in Georgia it was decided to betray their children, who had not even yet emerged from infancy. So did parents who wanted to become related to some family. In most cases, this was done by force. Very often the first meeting place for the bride and groom was their own wedding.

In the modern world, of course, everyone chooses their own destiny, but nothing happens without parental consent.

This also applies to matchmaking. In this we are very similar. To make an offer, ask for hands and hearts, the groom and his relatives go to the house to the future spouse, where her parents meet him. Usually everything happens at a gorgeous table, accompanied by a feast. Relatives of the groom "sing praises to him", pointing to his good and positive aspects. After the bride has to give her consent or refuse.

If the bride says yes, the celebration continues and gradually moves to the groom's house.

When the matchmaking stage is over, the boy and girl officially receive the status of bride and groom. Next comes the second stage - the betrothal. This rite is customary in the house where the bride lives with her family.

At the table, the young sit next to each other. It all starts with a toast that says the groom's father. He should bring happiness and admiration that two families will merge into one.

Appointed wedding day. Be sure to discuss all the moments of the upcoming celebration - the venue, financial moments. The question of how to organize everything is of great importance, since many people walk at the wedding. There is also a tradition that requires - this is decided by the husband’s side.

It is at the stage of engagement that another very important ritual takes place, which is already many years old. He implies that the family of the bridegroom will give gifts to the bridegroom.

Mandatory gifts:

• gold jewelry (often they are transmitted from ancestors);
• new clothes;
• expensive wine or brandy;
• sweets;
• flowers;
• the groom gives his beloved a wedding ring (and the bride is the chosen one).

The most important is the wedding ceremony, which takes place in the church before the start of the celebration, celebration. Having received the blessing, the newly-wedded spouses must pass under the arch, which the groom's comrades formed from daggers. The arch is a talisman for a new family that serves as their protection.

After, in the registry office, there is an official part and the young get a marriage certificate. At the end of the formalities of his wife goes to a new home - her husband.

And here it does not do without interesting Georgian traditions.

Here they are:

• the touch of a new housewife to the boiler, the fireplace - the symbol of the hearth;
• Relatives of the groom before the arrival of the daughter in the house, set a pot with oil and she must pass 3 times around him;
• a tree is a symbol of life, therefore it is customary to give gifts from a tree for housewarming;
• while the wife goes around all the rooms in the house, the husband sits on the roof of his house and must release a white dove;
• to attract health and wealth, when a girl goes around the house, she is sprinkled with raisins, rice and wheat;
• for the sweetness of the speeches, it is accepted that the bride smears her lips with honey.

When choosing festive clothing on this occasion, traditions and customs are necessarily taken into account.

The dress for the bride is bought by the groom. It consists of two components. A shirt with a collar - a symbol of purity and innocence - is the bottom. Next - an elegant dress, white or black with wide slits on the sleeves.

The groom's wedding dress is a snow-white shirt with a stand-up collar, a raincoat of light or dark color. The raincoat is sheathed in gold satin. By tradition, the groom wore a belt, but did not take a weapon. Legs were shod in leather boots.

Kotsili - this is the way a feast sounds from the mouth of a Georgian. Given the large number of invited guests, the tables are full of delicious dishes. Most often you can meet traditional Georgian dishes at the Georgian wedding feast:

• all kinds of cheeses;
• fruits vegetables;
• soups - the main dish at the wedding;
• kababi, ajapsandal;
• satsivi, kusmachi;
• tolma, chikhirtma;
• the presence of a large number of greens;
• sweets.

On the tables there is a large amount of alcohol. Georgians prefer wine or brandy of good aging, which was stored for such a case for many years.

An obligatory element, without which no event takes place, especially a Georgian wedding, is toast. Each of them is dedicated to the young, filled with deep meaning and very valuable.

Toastmaster, too, necessarily there. He will not miss any of the relatives during the congratulations, and, most likely, he himself is a relative of one of the families. Master of ceremonies pours wine into a huge horn. The guest, who has been given the floor, must say a toast and dry the horn completely.

It should be noted that everyone’s favorite "bitter" at the Georgian wedding will not sound. This is due to the fact that they have not taken to kiss people.

At the end of the feast the youngsters cut the birthday cake. The most respected and honored guest at the celebration receives the first piece.

The walk can continue until dawn. Newlyweds leave earlier, because they have more important things to do.

The next day, the guests converge again and continue the celebration at the holiday table. And so it lasts for several days.

An unforgettable and amazing sight is Georgian dances. Without them, the wedding of the Georgians simply does not appear. Invite only the best dancers. It is impossible to look away from the brave dzhigits and beautiful sophisticated girls.

The bride is only dancing with her husband or his relatives. The dance of the young is always very romantic and full of warm and tender feelings. The moment comes when the bride dances her solo dance. This is what can fascinate all the guests at the holiday table.

No feast goes by without songs. It should be noted that UNESCO recognized Georgian songs as a unique phenomenon in world culture. At the wedding, the singers are exclusively men.

Very often these are whole ensembles, numbering up to 15 or more people. Their polyphony sounds amazing and clings to the very heart.

Guests do not stint on gifts. It is customary to give expensive and good things. Anonymity is not welcome, you need to sign your gift. In Georgian families there are so-called generic books. It is in such a book of the wedding field that all wedding gifts are recorded. The most generous guests receive the status of honored guests.

On the Georgian wedding - traditions, dances, songs and toasts, see the following video.