Russian Wedding Traditions

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If you plan to marry your Russian Bride in her home town, and she has a big family, you might want to read this blog carefully to make sure you are fully prepared for this event. One of the most important rituals in the Russian culture is the wedding.

There were a lot of Slavic tribes in ancient times, and they all had different wedding rituals. Some tribes considered marriage to be something sacred, while others simply kidnapped their brides. Some of those wedding ceremonies are still very popular.

There are several stages of the traditional Russian wedding ceremony.  Ransom for the bride is one of them. The groom comes to the bride's home with his relatives and close friends. The bride’s side of the family is not willing to give the bride to the groom that easy. They may first try to sell the bride’s shoes for a certain price, for example. Whatever they come up with depends on their creativity and sense of humor.

As soon as the groom gets his beautiful Russian Bride, they go to the department of public services registration, where the civil ceremony is conducted. The ceremony lasts about 20 minutes. The couples say the marriage oath, exchange rings, and sign the book of registry. On the way out of the registration hall the relatives and friends salute the couple and sprinkle them with rice.

After the registration the couple usually drives around the city, with one of the main places to stop by being the eternity fire, where the newlyweds usually leave flowers and make pictures.

According to the Russian Traditions, the groom has to bring the bride to his parents’ place. The groom’s mother usually meets the couple with bread and salt. This ritual is called the bread ceremony.

Prior to the groom carrying the bride into the house, they have to figure out who will have more authority in the family. There are lots of ways to find that out. One of them involves a plate, which the couple has to step on and break. Whoever breaks it first is the head of the family. This is more of a way for the bride to let the groom feel important, and Russian ladies always let their husbands win this contest.

Then all the guests and relatives go to the party which is typically held in a restaurant. The groom should constantly keep an eye on the bride, who could be stolen by his friends and the groom will have to pay the ransom.

Celebration usually goes for two days. The second day of the Russian wedding celebration is usually even more fun than the first day. Never miss the second day of the traditional Russian wedding if you want to witness how Russian people can play games, and participate in all kinds of different performances, after celebrating all night long.

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