Wedding is an important event in the life of two lovers who have decided to connect their lives with each other. To make the holiday a success, many still try to observe the traditions that appeared centuries ago. If you also believe in omens and honor the precepts of ancestors, you should pay attention to everything, including some attributes. And such important components as a wedding loaf and a bench hammer under it, and it is completely impossible to miss and forget.
Origins of tradition
Most folk traditions with great difficulty to study folklorists and ethnographers, because all this was passed from person to person and rarely recorded before the XVIII century. Many traditions were the so-called unwritten rules, and it was implied that they had to be carried out, and it was not necessary to know the original meaning. Therefore, many such traditions are overgrown with speculation and fantasy.
Among the Slavs, bread was associated with fecundity and vital forces. This was the main food along with cereals, vegetables and meat, there were sayings about bread (for example, “Bread - to the whole head”). So it is not surprising that such an important event as a wedding could not do without this attribute. At the same time, the sun god was very honored by the Slavs, so the ceremonial bread got its round shape.
What is rushnik?
The bench hammer (or “handbrake”) also belongs to the common Slavic, ancient and extensive traditions. This is a long, narrow towel designed for wiping hands and face after washing. Initially, it differed from the "towel", which was a large woven cloth, but now the differences remained only in the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages. They also survived in many respects because these peoples still observe the traditions related to the towel.
The ancient Slavs form rushnika steadfastly associated with the road, therefore, it became a symbol of the path as well as the connection. In children's fairy tales and now you can find mentions of how the main character receives a towel as a gift, which then turns into a road or a river.
Another sacred purpose of the towel is to tie the bride and groom to the marriage. There was a custom when the matchmaker, handing them a loaf, tied his hands with a loaf towel, thereby showing the continuity of the bonds.
Traditional patterns
This attribute is not only a wedding. Rushnik is usually used on almost all holidays, and in each case there are special rules for its use, as well as certain patterns. The bride herself had to embroider them, as well as the bedclothes, and much more — this was part of the dowry.
A loaf when serving to the bride and groom is always located strictly in the middle of the towel. Therefore, the central part of the canvas remains empty and is not embroidered. But the edges of the hospitable towel are decorated with all the pomp - of all the wedding towels it should be the most elegant.
Since the wedding loaf is associated with the sun god, the embroidery depicted solar patterns, birds, flowers and leaves. This is all that was associated with the spring and the beginning of life. The custom is connected not only with the creation of a family, but also with a one-year cycle - the wedding of the Slavs traditionally coped in the fall, after the growing season. And all the rites were designed to survive the winter and speed up the arrival of spring.
The length and width of the bench must be divided by seven, and embroidery to occupy half of the total length, settling at the edges. The central part of the canvas remains completely white - it was believed that it is associated with the heavenly and divine, associating the newlyweds with them.
The main patterns in the towels most often are birds.It is impossible to embroider cuckoos and nightingales - these are symbols of lonely people. And all the other birds must be portrayed in pairs, with wings down, and look at each other. If they are turned in different directions, it promises discord in the family, and raised wings - a sign of fighting stance, which will be out of place where it is time to show humility and accept fate.
Most often for embroidery choose the following birds:
- roosters - symbols of wealth and prosperity;
- Swallows and peacocks - promise family happiness;
- pigeons - symbolize loyalty and harmony.
Oak is often depicted as a symbol of wisdom, leaves of viburnum, hops or grapes - as a symbol of youth, fertility and wealth. Also popular is the pattern in which viburnum intertwines with acorns - a sign of marital fidelity and a strong family.
Another symbol of the combination of female and male is the combination of the sun and eight-pointed stars. The sun, as the supreme deity, seemed to the ancient Slavs the personification of male power, and the moon and stars - the feminine. Usually this composition is complemented by spirals, waves or snakes, which depict water. This element, according to legend, is a link between a man and a woman.
Rules and signs
Choosing a ready-made towel, or engaging in its independent production, it is worth remembering a number of rules that are part of the wedding ritual. The first and basic rule - the length and width of the bench should be divided by seven. This is a sacred number for all Christians.
In no case do not take the towel that was already used at the wedding. This is considered a very bad sign, so it is better to take care of your own, new canvas. Moreover, it is not necessary to hire wedding attributes. It is also important that the canvas is solid, and not sewn from different parts, otherwise the relationship of the groom with the bride will be weak and will quickly fall apart.
If you do not want to spend time on trifles and decide to get by with the purchase option, make sure that the towel does not smell like paint or other products of the textile industry. It is best to have it made from linen or cotton fabric. Sometimes preference is given to silk, but this is a departure from tradition.
It is quite acceptable that the patterns were printed, embroidered with threads (this is the most traditional version) or with beads. There are many masters in Belarus and Ukraine who can be embroidered to order with your wishes. But it is better to contact them in advance, especially during the wedding season, since the process is not quick, and there may be a lot of orders.
The best option is to do it yourself., since anciently it was the bride who embroidered the towel, and sometimes relatives helped her. Remember that you can only embroider a wedding towel in a good mood - this is how you give it a positive energy. Do not sit with your back to the window - a bad omen, so you close yourself and the product from the world.
About what wedding rushniki happen, look in video below.
