No event seems to be more interesting and more romantic than a Russian wedding. This ritual for many centuries, and he managed to acquire various signs and superstitions that are relevant to this day. Even a modern wedding can not do without many of them. For example, one of the main and main traditions is shouting “bitterly” to newlyweds, after which they should kiss. What is the reason for this feature and what does it mean?
Different interpretations of tradition
The origins of this interesting action must be sought in the past. And there are several options for explaining why the weddings shout "Bitter."
Winter fun
Earlier, weddings were often celebrated in winter, when you could take a break from crops and other harvesting activities. Legend has it that the cry "Bitter" came from one winter joy called "Slippery Hill", the essence of which was this: before taking their daughter, their parents made a snowy mountain in the yard and filled it with water until it froze.
After that, the bride herself became the top with her friends, and the groom had to climb this hill to kiss her chosen one.
All this game ritual was accompanied by cheerful shouts "Gorka". After the kiss, the bride and groom were to roll down together.
Protection from the evil eye
Our ancestors had a lot of superstitions, which could not but reflect on the wedding celebration. It was believed that the cries of "Bitter" could protect the couple from all evil. The fact is that evil spirits could disturb the happy union of the newlyweds, so it was necessary to outwit these dark forces.
The voices of "Bitter" hinted that nothing good was happening, there was nothing interesting for evil spirits. So the guests defended the young from the evil eye and evil.
Treats on a tray
Previously, the bride during a wedding celebration bypassed male guests, holding a tray. There were cups of vodka on it. Anyone who drank a little drink had to say “Bitter”, thus confirming that the vodka was really bitter and sweeten it with gold coins thrown on the tray. Hence the tradition to exclaim “Bitterly”, which has been preserved to this day.
There is another common version of this legend: the bride herself had to sweeten the bitter drink by kissing each male guest. Such a ritual was doomed to sink into oblivion, because what groom will be delighted with the kisses of his newly made wife with other men, even if in a comic form.
Another version related to treats is also taking place. The guests shouted to the “Bitter” couple, hinting that they should sweeten the wedding wine with a kiss.
Only the bride had to kiss not with the guests, but with the groom himself.
Bitter event
There is one more reliable, but not entirely joyful explanation of this tradition. In ancient times, a wedding for a bride was not always a voluntary and happy affair. Therefore, during the wedding, the girl herself and her parents exclaimed “bitterly”, thus making it clear that it is not easy for them.
There is an interpretation that this cry came from the guests and also symbolized the regret that the young people would no longer be able to participate in youth entertainment, because such a privilege was available only to free people.
Despite universal joy and fun, the wedding was quite a “bitter” ritual.because the bride went away from her relatives to a strange family, the newlyweds said goodbye to their former foundations and habits, most of which should have been forgiven. A cry "Bitterly" was taken to throw out all these sad emotions, so that in marriage life was easy, cloudless and happy. It was also a kind of superstition.
Account for years
After the guests say "Bitter", the newlyweds kiss under the general account. Previously, a similar calculation determined how many years the bride and groom will live in a marriage. In our time, this tradition is joking, but in ancient times the newlyweds tried to stretch their kiss, sometimes even to the number “one hundred”.
This choral score was like a fateful omen, so the bride and groom and guests took him seriously.
Now it is difficult to imagine that the newlyweds will be kissing publicly for such a long time, it will be tiring not only for them, but also for guests. Therefore, usually the modern action is terminated on the score "ten".
Traditions of other nations
The ritual of shouting “Bitter” at the wedding was borrowed from Russians and other peoples: Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Belarusians, Moldovans, that is, other Slavic groups. As for remote countries, in Italy, for example, they shout “Bacio”, which means “kiss,” while the exclamations are accompanied by the sound of previously prepared bells. The same at weddings performed and Koreans. The Spaniards exclaim "Que ce besen", which means "Let them kiss." Some English-speaking countries have a tradition to knock with a fork on a glass, thus encouraging the newlyweds to kiss.
Many peoples, by virtue of their culture or religion, do not demonstrate their feelings at weddings in public. For example, among Armenians or Gypsies, the bride and groom cannot be kissed before everyone’s eyes, because such behavior is considered simply unacceptable.
Is there an alternative?
The wedding over time, despite the return of tribute to traditions, has undergone and continues to undergo changes. Newlyweds each time bring something new to this event. Some conduct the ceremony in European traditions, completely departing from Russian customs. Now for planning a wedding there are many opportunities and you can do this celebration in any style, the bride and the groom without even having to be in traditional dresses.
Even the innocent cries of “Bitter” are not liked by all newlyweds. To get away from this ritual, you can come up with alternative versions of calls for the kiss of lovers. Only they need to be discussed in advance with the guests so that during the celebration itself there will be no awkward situations.
- You can follow the example of the Italians, handing out bells to guests. And each time, instead of “Bitter”, a pleasant and friendly chime will be carried through the banquet hall. The bells can thus be decorated, for example, to engrave the initials of the newlyweds and their date on the wedding. After the celebration, these original gizmos can be left to guests as souvenirs.
- The bells can be replaced with bamboo sticks. Guests will knock them on the table when they come to see the groom kiss the bride. The sound will turn out to be muffled (not as loud as that of a bell), and such an unusual tapping will surely please the guest.
- To bring a note of humor to a wedding celebration, there is the following alternative: instead of exclaiming “Bitter”, you can write this word on some tablet. And from time to time some guest will raise it so that the newlyweds will see a hint. And for the bridegroom and the bride, you can make a sign so that they hide behind her during the kiss. In this case, you can decorate it with some funny inscription for an even more interesting effect.
- If the newly spouses simply do not like the word "bitter", then who prevents simply replace it with another word? Fantasy is not limited, the main thing is to discuss this important moment of the ceremony in advance with the moderator and guests.
To follow long traditions or not is a personal choice of everyone. But still, the kiss of lovers during the most important event of their life together is one of the brightest and most romantic sights.
What else can replace the cries of "Bitter", see the following video.
