the religious wedding of the Lipovian Russians

Preparing the bride and groom

The religious wedding, like the wedding party, takes place on Sunday. Every thing starts early in
the morning, where the bride's friends come to her to braid her hair, using a red ribbon, for the
last time. They sing and cry while they braid her hair.

The groom, together with the godparents, arrives at the bride's home to buy her, a symbolic
moment that is full of fun. After the bargaining is over, and the bride's brother or sister, as well as
the best friend, give the bride in exchange for the money and then a glass of wine is drunk by
evryone but the bride and groom.

The bride says goodbye to everyone, asks for forgiveness from everyone, dresses in the church
cloths and with the matania in hand, together with the groom, her godparents, her parents and
priests, bow and go to the church, to perform the religious wedding.

The road to the church

The religious wedding is one of the secret ceremonys, as a result, not many people participate.

On the way to church, the priests and some man from the choir sing church songs, the bride's
mother carries a cake, and the bride's father carries the bride's icon, which will later be carried by
the bride and groom after the religious ceremony.

It is important that the bride and groom have an empty stomach. They will neither drink water
nor eat anything, because they will receive holy wine, considered as a Eucharist. Also,
headkerchiefs, wedding rings, wine and the rest of the necessary items for the bride's hair are
taken to church.

The wedding service

The religious wedding for Lipovans can only take place 3 times and is in the Slavonic language.
If one of the grooms is getting married the second time, the crown is no longer placed on his
head, but on his shoulder.

First of all, it is the "chicica" that makes the difference between a young lady and a married
woman. So there is a break during the ceremony, time where the godmother unties the bride's tail
and braids it into two smaller tails, gathers them in the shape of a circle, over which she puts the
"chicica" and a "zbornic"( another specific object).
At the religious wedding, during the ceremony, the bride and groom stand on a headkerchief, and
the priest joins their hands, putting a towel over them, and the wedding rings are put on in a
specific way, because the bride receives the groom's wedding ring and the groom recives the
bride's wedding ring, and only at the end, they i can make the exchange.

One last thing to specify is the glass from which the priest gives the wine to the bride and groom.
After each of the newlyweds drinks 3 times, the priest breaks the glass.

After the ceremony

After the ceremony is over, the priest delivers a small preach for the newlyweds, wishes them all
the best, hands them the document certifying that the religious wedding took place, gives them
the wedding candles and the icon of the bride, and they, along with of the godparents, leave and
go to the groom's house.

The mother of the groom waits for the bride and groom with a cake on which salt is put, and the
father welcomes them with the icon of the groom. The bride and groom, once arrived, bow to the
icon, kiss it and kiss their father, mother, and then kiss the cake and the salt.