How is the home given at the wedding?

A wedding is one of the most exciting events in the life of every person. And that is why so many superstitions and rites are involved with it: the rules of the bride's toilet, and her ransom, and comic competitions for biting the pie to determine the head of the family, and much, much more. One of the interesting attributes of the marriage is "Domashniy ozg", which is lit at the wedding as a symbol of the beginning of a new life for the young. What kind of tradition is this? We will understand together.

Historical reference

Let's start with symbols, perhaps. Fire from time immemorial was attributed to miraculous properties. He cleared (remember jumping over the bonfire to Ivan Kupala), and led people to a new goal (here you can refer to Gogol's Danko, who tore his heart from the chest and lit up the path to them), and warmed them. Fire is life, it was so fixed in the memory of people from time immemorial. This is now a flame - a thing that is accessible to indecency and therefore not very appreciated, and several centuries ago it was not so easy to obtain fire. That is why his, the symbol of the house, safe, warm and reliable, was passed on to the wedding. The rite "Home" at the wedding meant continuity of generations, the beginning of the independent life of young people. As from the slightest spark a hot flame can flare up, so this tradition gave rise to something new.

In Slavic countries, by the way, this tradition is not very common. Even more paradoxical is the attitude toward it in America: Protestantism completely denies such an act, while the Catholic Church refers to the rite "Home" at the wedding favorably, although it does not recommend lighting a new family's fire in the temple of God. To explain this attitude of religion to a long tradition can be that its roots lie in paganism, otherwise Christianity.

Option one, common

It's time to figure out what is different from other traditions of "Home" at the wedding, how the new family life is lit. To perform this ritual, you will only need candles. Decorated or not, homemade or purchased - it's up to the newlyweds. There are several options for this action.

The first, more archaic, requires only two burning candles. Mothers of the bride and groom, as traditionally women are considered to be the keepers of the hearth and, accordingly, of fire, they bring the newly lit candle to the newlyweds, which symbolizes the unity of the two families. The newlyweds, in turn, set fire to her own candle, which is sometimes done smaller in size to show that the parent hearth is already established, impressive, while the new one is just beginning to emerge.

Of course, without the generous wishes, the ceremony "Home hearth" at the wedding is impossible. Words for parents at this ceremony usually do not prepare in advance: mother-in-law and mother-in-law want a newly married couple a strong family, a reliable house and, sometimes in a playful manner, equally ardent relationships.

Option two, traditional

Another version of the rite "Domashniy ochag" at the wedding is more traditional. A prerequisite for him - the face of the bride must be hidden by a veil, in addition, until the end of the action the groom should not open his or her narrowed. Three candles are already used here: two thin ones - for mothers, and one thick - for newlyweds.

It is believed that each woman gives the bride to a piece of her house, that is, the flame of her hearth will unite with the flame of the hearth of another family. As soon as the candle of the new candle has flashed, the parents' flame goes out. And this new candle the couple should keep throughout their entire family life.

In order to give the act even more sacred and authentic, candles for the ritual "Home hearth" at the wedding with their own hands can be done. The memories associated with the marriage will become even warmer from the candle stove, which laid the foundation for the family hearth.

Accompaniment

Of course, it's just that you will not start such a ceremony - there should be some kind of introductory part at any celebration. Therefore, it is necessary to include the action in the script in advance, having previously negotiated it with the presenter - he must find the appropriate words for congratulations. Of course, the best in this situation will play specially selected on the topic "Home" for the wedding poems.

The greatest plus of this tradition is that any verse can come here - both about candles that symbolize the sacrament of marriage, and about the love of the young. There are also simple rhymed wishes of happiness - everything depends on the toastmaster and on how responsibly he will react to the task to make this day really unforgettable for a couple.

Remember that even such a beautiful act as the rite "Home hearth" at the wedding of the leader's words can turn from a sacred into a foolish farce.

Photo

What kind of marriage can do without photos? To capture such an important moment of life is simply necessary, that's why you can not do without a photographer. On the other hand, all the beauty of the rite "Home hearth" at the wedding can not be transferred to the photo - the trembling flame of the candle, the majesty of the gait of mothers carrying fire to the new family play too much. But, on the other hand, no one canceled the thematic photoshoots either in the hall where the wedding is to be celebrated, or in advance it is possible to equip a focal point, symbolic or realistic, in which young people can either put the candle or light a real flame from it.

And the theme of the family hearth can be beaten with the help of special candlesticks, made in the form of small houses. Inside put a candle that will light and warm the house from the inside, like a real fireplace. Beautiful, original and unusual - and what else is needed?

In addition to the options

By the way, besides the two well-known variations of the rite of the home, there are other varieties. One of them is that young women are served a wedding loaf with two candles, they say, from the older generation to the younger one, bread and fire. In this case, already festively decorated pie stands on the table of the newlyweds during the whole celebration, and then it can be used for another wedding tradition: who will be able to bite a bit more, he will be the head of the family. Candles, of course, persist.

Another little-known option is that the main actor is not the mother, and a small child in the costume of an angel who, from his candle, lights the candle of the newlyweds. Of course, this gives the ceremony an innocence, but at the same time it contradicts the traditions of Christianity, which have already been mentioned a little above.

Fire and water!

In conclusion, I would like to mention another interesting use of candles participating in the rite "Domashniy Ochag". Here, however, even need a toastmaster with a good sense of humor.

Everyone knows that every family must go together, and fire, and water. As the water can perform even glasses of champagne, put on the floor, through which you have to step over to the young. For greater entertainment, of course, you can take care of some capacity, filled with water with rose petals. And the fire will symbolize these very candles (stepping over them, the bride should better watch the hem of the dress).

That's it, with humor, the newlyweds and will go together fire and water.

Postscript

Traditions help us to preserve our cultural and national identity. It is likely that the rite "Home hearth" can also be considered one of the bricks on which the originality of our people is built. And let today this action is not more than one more act of drawing attention to marriage, an attempt to make a festive celebration more cozy, before it had a truly sacred significance. They say that if the parents of the young are happy in their marriage, then their children, having received the candles, will receive the same happiness. And if something is not going well in a young family, it's enough just to light the hearth candle - and it will bring comfort to the patrimonial nest.