Torment? A smell? - Wedding

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

It is known that with the death of the Soviet Union, many religions were born and revived, including the one that got out of the coma, in which it was for almost a century, and Orthodoxy. Nowadays, quite a few couples decide to cement their marriage with the blessing of the church, but this is fraught with not only pleasure, but also difficulties. I decided to tell you more about this so that the newlyweds who decide to take such a step are ready for all the problems.

I would like to note in advance that I am not trying to propagandize Orthodoxy - there are those among my friends who preach Islam, and the majority, perhaps, do not preach anything at all - it just so happened that this year mostly Orthodox Christians got married friends and I managed to observe the ceremonies inside and out, as well as participate in them.

Of course, this procedure has pluses , there are even quite a few of them. The wedding is beautiful, really beautiful, for those who are somewhat unaccustomed to going to church (and most often even those who are married do not bother themselves with numerous services) it may even be exotic. Next to the ceremony in the registry office, which has gotten on your teeth, when quite often you want to exclaim something like the registrar about the registrar:"

Now about potential cons … It is advisable to choose a church that is not very large, but well-to-do. If you decide to get married in the central citadel of the city, then it is quite possible to face a kilometer queue, and then the ceremony will be repeated by the registry office, which is unpleasant. Then - you need to negotiate in advance (initially it is better to contact the grandmothers in the church shop - they will tell you who is involved in all organizational issues), while carefully asking what is required (candles, towels, rings, scarves, icons, it is advisable to prepare a week in advance), more it’s very nice to go to some outsider’s proper wedding together with the groom and witnesses, so that they can imagine what will be required of them. If the witness is a militant atheist, serious problems can be faced.

Do not forget that before the wedding, the bride and groom, according to the rules, must confess and defend the service - at least for a day. It is very desirable that the witnesses are somewhat taller than the bride and groom - they will have to hold crowns over their heads, and they are not that heavy - just sometimes it takes about twenty minutes, and then even just holding an outstretched arm the muscles will get tired. If the bride has a long train or a very fluffy skirt, it is better to stab it somehow in advance, because around the lectern the priest leads the bride and groom very quickly, and the witnesses must keep up with them and (preferably) not fall.

In the church, the bride stands without a bouquet (her hands are busy with a candle), so it is better to give it to someone in advance, otherwise there may be a hitch at the ceremony. Witnesses and the groom should know that for each "Lord, have mercy!", "Peace be with you" and the sign of the cross of the turned priest, they are also baptized, and do not stand in a pillar, contemplating the iconostasis, as is often the case.

It is advisable to warn the priest in advance that you are in a hurry, and therefore the congratulatory speech should not be very long - you came across a very verbose clergyman who, after the wedding for another forty minutes, read a lecture on the topic of adultery in such terms that all psychologists (and they were accidentally present four) the jaw dropped on account of his illiteracy. It will be much better if he just congratulates the husband and wife and that’s the end of it.

You need to be careful with the guests - among them there are believers and unbelievers to varying degrees, and it is advisable to put the latter away, since their bored skeptical faces will not cheer anyone up, especially the priest. As well as girls in trousers without kerchiefs on their heads (I, for example, constantly wear black and trousers, and people like me, it is recommended to shove flowers closer to the steps near the exit to keep flowers). Some may well be allergic to incense (including the bride), so it is better to provide companions who are prone to fainting with special strong-smelling substances. It is recommended to put (at the wedding ceremony) the parents, grandparents, aunts and other elderly relatives closer to the wedding ceremony, who, even if they are not familiar with the ceremony, create a general good-looking impression. Militant programmers, friends of the groom, eccentric girlfriends, it is generally advisable to politely send right away to a restaurant or buy bouquets for parents - they will both benefit and will not spoil the mood of anyone, especially for themselves.

During the wedding, it is advisable not to talk, not to allow beggars and other semi-otherworldly inhabitants of the church and the surrounding area, who are quite capable of clinging to anyone, including the main participants, with wishes for happiness or some of their good (bad) omens and advice. Their sometimes obscene appearance (or smell) is not needed by anyone either on film or in memories, and therefore it is better to send them immediately from the church with a request to come back later.

And, finally, the most important thing - you need to seriously think about: is it necessary? Unlike a divorce, the debunking procedure (there is one) takes about a year because only the Patriarch himself can undo a decision once made and it is clear what turn to him. Moreover, if the newlyweds themselves believe in the middle, their embarrassment and ineptitude will be obvious and strange, especially for themselves.

Religion is very serious for those who truly believe. And, in my opinion, the wedding should be a serious, thoughtful and long-term step, preferably carried out in the company of only really close and believing people. To make a show out of it (especially if you have no idea what the priest says, how to hold your hand at the sign of the cross and with what words at least one prayer begins) is an ugly mockery of other people's shrines and a senseless waste of money. Yes, it is beautiful, yes it is, perhaps, stylish and much more pleasant than just signing in the registry office, but the wedding is too serious a step to turn it into a comedy.

However, if you and your future husband are Orthodox Christians who believe in God (even if they don’t go to church too often), a wedding is quite capable of decorating and diversifying the wedding, giving it additional seriousness and historical flavor. So the ceremony may well become one of the golden family memories, and what could be more beautiful?