The question of wedding and sex is very important in any culture, and Slavs had a very specific opinion about it. It's very interesting for me to discover some cultural facts of my nation and others as well, because our past is background for our future.
My friends, this time I'd like to share some intresting facts about ancient traditions of my country.
The first wedding night in Russia was arranged in a special way and had a lot of differences from the similar tradition of other nations. The peoples of Africa, Europe and India had the right of the first night to intimate contact of the bride with a stranger. Often it was an elder of the tribe, a noble gentleman, or even just the first one to meet. In Rus, the right to deprive a girl of virginity traditionally belonged ONLY to her future husband.
The wedding ceremony in Rus was a complex sacrament, combining Christian and pagan traditions. The time of the wedding was always carefully chosen.
Slavs had their first wedding night during the wedding, so it was very important to schedule a wedding for the date allowed by the church. According to Orthodox laws, you can not have sexual relations in fasting and on church holidays, so no weddings were scheduled for this time.
It always happened on the territory of the groom, as the girl after the wedding moved to live with him. For the newlyweds relatives prepared a high bed on a strong wooden base. The mother or sister of the groom could also make the bed.
Many ritual objects were put on the bed to protect the newlyweds. Such talismans included small rye sheaves, flour sacks, mattresses. Above, the bed was covered with a snow-white embroidered blanket. Under the bed several logs, a skillet, a poker, a juniper branch were laid. These items were supposed to save a couple from all evil spirits. Logs symbolized the future offspring.
In the bedroom the newlyweds were shown off by a whole crowd of guests: friends, matchmakers, relatives and in general anyone who wanted to participate in a noisy and cheerful act.
When the bride and groom were left alone at last, at first they ate bread and chicken. This food was supposed to give the couple fertility. After eating, the girl had to take off the guy's boots. Thus, she showed humility to her future husband and showed a willingness to obey him. She also had to ask her husband for permission to lie down with him. And only then they had sex.
Not so simple, right?)
The most important thing in all this ritual was the demonstration of a bride's shirt with blood stains. If the bride kept her virginity before the wedding, she was considered honest. Otherwise, she brought shame not only to herself, but also to her parents.
The whole ritual needed to be strictly observed, otherwise the new family was threatened with infertility and poverty.
As we can see, nowadays everything is different. Today Russia has full freedom in sex relationships before marriage, unfirtunately, often it happens very early, at the age of 13-16. By the way Slavs considered a girl of this age absolutely ready for adult life and family.
Modern Russia has nothing from these past traditions of wedding and first night. Now the first wedding night is not full of sacral sex and love but of money and profit because just married count money which was presented as wedding gift for them-)) Or they just sleep because they were too tired after crazy wedding day)
There are only small hints that remind us of what we had in the far past: for example, the bed for just married is prepared by mothers often, or brides have some talismans for lucky family life... Though I will tell about these traditions and beliefs in the next part, if you are interested.
Was it interesting for you, my friends?
Do you know your nation's traditions of first wedding night?