The first wedding night in Rus' was important event preparation for which was carried out no less carefully than for the celebration itself. For the first time, young people could feel like full-fledged lovers, and both the bride and the groom were excitedly waiting for this event. From the first night together, further relationships, trust and attraction of the young to each other depended. On the wedding portal site, you will learn about how the wedding night went in Rus' and whether there are echoes of the past in spending the night of love among modern newlyweds.

The first wedding night in Rus' had its own characteristics, which may seem very strange and unusual to modern newlyweds. However, in those days, young people unquestioningly followed the traditions, believing that this would protect their marriage.

Features of the first night of love of the newlyweds:

Modern Russian wedding night

The customs and traditions of the first wedding night in Rus' have long been a thing of the past, but the night of love itself is still relevant among newlyweds. The portal for young people Wedding.ws believes that the bride and groom should pay serious attention to preparing for this intimate ceremony, as well as find out what a honeymoon is, so that only pleasant memories from the first nights together remain in their memory.

The wedding night of Russian newlyweds - what to look for?

The modern ceremony of the wedding night has nothing to do with the traditions in Rus', however, in some families, the innocence of the bride is still considered a very important component of a successful marriage. However, if in ancient times a bride who lost her virginity before marriage could dishonor the whole family, today intimate relationships before marriage are considered quite natural. If you want to be faithful to the traditions, you can follow all the old rules of marriage, but it is much more important to keep sincere and strong feelings for each other.

The first wedding night of the Russian autocrats was subject to a set of rules. Absolutely everything was regulated: from the clothes that the newlyweds put on to perform the sacrament, to the arrangement of amulets from the evil eye and icons to bless the union of husband and wife.

Some of the autocrats unconditionally fulfilled the prescribed traditions, while others, like Peter the Great, considered them a relic of the past and openly laughed at them.

Faktrum tells about the wedding customs of Russian tsars and emperors.

Klavdy Vasilievich Lebedev "Boyar wedding", 1883

To begin with, it should be noted that the traditions according to which the first wedding night of the Russian rulers was to be held were constantly changing. Culture developed, old beliefs left, new ones appeared, and as a result, each new king did everything in his own way. But, nevertheless, there were details that remained unchanged.

In the pre-Petrine era, relations between the newlyweds were regulated by a special document called the “Wedding Rite”. According to him, for example, it was customary to arrange the first wedding night in a cold and damp room - so that the young would more readily throw themselves into each other's arms. Horses and mares were tied outside the windows so that their neighing would provoke the king and queen and arouse a love desire.

The arrangement of the bed for the newlyweds was described in great detail. For example, rye sheaves in the amount of 27 pieces were placed in the base. They were supposed to symbolize wealth in the house and served as a talisman that would provide the queen with an easy birth.

A dense carpet was laid on top, on which up to ten featherbeds were laid. On top of them - a silk sheet, pillows and warm fur blankets made of sable or marten.

To protect against evil forces and the evil eye, an arrow was pierced into the floor at each corner of the wedding bed, and icons were hung on the walls. Also, a tub of wheat or rye grain was placed by the bed.

Mikhail Zichy "Wedding of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna"

Fortunately for the Russian tsars, the "Wedding Order" did not go into the most secret, limiting itself to the phrase: "In bed, the bride and groom do whatever they want." But the preparation was detailed. To begin with, the groom got rid of his festive attire, and the bride did the same with the help of matchmakers and girlfriends. Then the wife, wearing a special outfit for the wedding night, consisting of a quilted jacket and a high fur hat, went to the king, who was already waiting for her on the wedding bed.

After some time, the king called the bed keeper on duty at the door to call the “near lady”, whose duties included examining the sheet, confirming the king’s masculine strength and the innocence of his now officially wife.

Then, after the ritual bath, the young people remained in the bedchamber and waited for a fish or chicken pie to be brought to them, because during the wedding, traditions forbade them to touch any food.

Hundreds of years later, after Peter I became tsar, these traditions began to be eradicated. According to the emperor, the “Wedding Rite”, along with other customs, was a barbaric relic of the past, which should be got rid of. And the king himself helped this, sometimes throwing funny weddings, at which he ridiculed the weddings of the past. A fact is known when Peter forced a couple to retire in winter in an unheated hut, ridiculing the tradition of arranging a marriage bed in a cold hay.

G.K. Groot "Peter III with Catherine II and son"

Since then, the newlyweds have not been touched and have not painted their every step, just leaving them alone with each other at night and hoping that they will figure everything out on their own. However, old traditions were quickly replaced by new ones. For example, clothes for the first night began to be inherited - heavy, brocade, embroidered with silver.

It also became a tradition to instruct the young emperors in advance in order to avoid all sorts of mishaps. It was solved each time in its own way. For example, Catherine II simply ordered one of the ladies of the court to “educate” her grandson, the future Emperor Alexander I. The far-sighted empress was afraid of repeating her wedding night with Peter III, when the tsar never touched the bride.

Relatives and doctors told other kings about the intricacies of intersexual relations. So, for example, Alexander II was instructed by the life physician Velyaminov, who left detailed memories of this in his diary, and palace doctor Nikolai Zdekauer spoke with Alexander III on delicate topics.

The first wedding night in Rus' was arranged in a special way and had a lot of differences from the similar tradition of other nations. Among the peoples of Africa, Europe and India, the right of the first night meant the intimate contact of the bride with an outside man. Often it was the elder of the tribe, a noble gentleman, or even just the first person he met.

In Rus', the right to deprive a girl of her virginity traditionally belonged to her future husband. According to church canons, a married marriage is sacred and any attempt on someone else's marriage bed is a great sin. Later, the feudal lords often neglected this law and enjoyed the right of the wedding night, but the church did not welcome this.

Time spending

The wedding ceremony in Rus' was a complex sacrament that combined Christian and pagan traditions. The timing of the wedding has always been carefully chosen. For many peoples of the world, the first intercourse of newlyweds could occur on the third or fourth day, or even later (some Muslim countries, India, etc.).

For Russians, the first wedding night took place during the wedding celebration, so it was very important to schedule the wedding on the date allowed by the church. According to Orthodox laws, one cannot have sexual relations during fasting and on church holidays, therefore weddings were not scheduled for this time.

wedding night ritual

For the Russian people, the wedding night was called the basement for a long time. This is due to the fact that the bed of the young was always arranged in a cool place: in the basement of the hut (pictured), closet, barn or bathhouse.

This always happened on the territory of the groom, since the girl after the wedding went to live with him. For the newlyweds, a high bed was prepared on a strong wooden base. He was covered with bedding from the girl's dowry. The preparation of the bed for the bride and groom was done by female bed-makers from among the matchmakers. Also, the mother or sister of the groom could prepare the bed.

Many ritual objects were laid on the bed, which were supposed to protect the newlyweds from damage and provide them with a comfortable existence in the future. Such amulets included small rye sheaves, bags of flour, mattresses, and feather beds. From above the bed was covered with a snow-white embroidered bedspread. Several logs, a frying pan, a poker, and a juniper branch were placed under the bed of the bed. These items were supposed to protect the couple from all evil spirits. Logs symbolized future offspring, so they had to be put more.

Seeing off the newlyweds

A whole crowd of guests accompanied the newlyweds to the “bedchamber” prepared in this way: friends, matchmakers, relatives, and in general anyone who wanted to take part in a noisy and cheerful action. The farewell was accompanied by songs, obscene jokes and advice. Druzhka beat with a whip on the box, driving out evil spirits. Then he had to pay a ransom to the bed-maids.

Alone

After all these rituals, the newlyweds were finally left alone. The door was locked, and a cage guard was left near it. He also had to protect the newlyweds from evil spells and various evil spirits. But the guests often remained at the door and simply spying on the young.

Left alone, the bride and groom first treated themselves to bread and chicken. This food was supposed to give the couple fertility. After eating, the girl was obliged to remove the boots from the guy's feet. Thus, she demonstrated humility in front of her future husband and showed her readiness to obey him in everything. Also, the girl had to ask her husband for permission to lie with him. Then there must have been sexual intercourse. A friend came to inquire about this several times. As soon as the girl lost her virginity, the marriage was considered physically confirmed, which was loudly announced to all guests. The young could again be taken to the feast and delighted with songs of the most obscene content, or the guests themselves came to the cellar to the newlyweds and remained there with them until dawn.

Innocence as the main attribute

The most important moment in this whole ritual was the demonstration of the bride's shirt with blood stains. If the bride kept her virginity before marriage, she was considered honest. Otherwise, she brought shame not only on herself, but also on her parents. A collar was hung around the neck of the matchmaker and the parents of the dishonest newlywed. Father was brought a glass of wine with a hole in the bottom. The girl could even be returned to her father's house.

The loss of virginity on the wedding night was symbolically celebrated by hanging towels embroidered with red thread and breaking pots. After that, the girl became “young”, and the guy became “young”. After the wedding night, the young woman was dressed in the clothes of a married woman and put on her appropriate headdress. The whole ritual had to be strictly observed, otherwise the new family was threatened with infertility and poverty.

The first wedding night in Rus' was arranged in a special way and had many differences from the similar tradition of other nations. Among the peoples of Africa, Europe and India, the right of the first night meant the intimate contact of the bride with an outside man. Often it was the elder of the tribe, a noble gentleman, or even just the first person he met.

In Rus', the right to deprive a girl of her virginity traditionally belonged to her future husband.

According to church canons, a married marriage is sacred and any attempt on someone else's marriage bed is a great sin. Later, the feudal lords often neglected this law and enjoyed the right of the wedding night, but the church did not welcome this.

Time spending

The wedding ceremony in Rus' was a very complex sacrament that combined Christian and pagan traditions. The timing of the wedding has always been very carefully chosen. For many peoples of the world, the first intercourse of newlyweds could occur on the third or fourth day, or even later (some Muslim countries, India, etc.).

For Russians, the first wedding night took place during the wedding celebration, so it was very important to schedule the wedding on the date allowed by the church. According to Orthodox laws, one cannot have sexual relations during fasting and on church holidays, therefore weddings were not scheduled for this time. The date of the celebration was carefully chosen, in accordance with the church calendar.

wedding night ritual

For the Russian people, the wedding night was called the basement for a long time. This is due to the fact that the bed of the young was always arranged in a cool place: in the basement of the hut, closet, barn or bathhouse. This always happened on the territory of the groom, since the girl after the wedding went to live with him.

For the newlyweds, a high bed was prepared on a strong wooden base. He was covered with bedding, which was taken from the girl's dowry. The preparation of the bed for the bride and groom was done by female bed-makers from among the matchmakers. Also, the mother or sister of the groom could prepare the bed.

Many ritual objects were laid on the bed, which were supposed to protect the newlyweds from damage and provide them with a comfortable existence in the future. Such amulets included small rye sheaves, bags of flour, mattresses, and feather beds. From above the bed was covered with a snow-white embroidered bedspread.

Several logs, a frying pan, a poker, and a juniper branch were placed under the bed of the bed. These items were supposed to protect the couple from all evil spirits. Logs symbolized future offspring, so they had to be put more.

Seeing off the newlyweds

A whole crowd of guests accompanied the newlyweds to the “bedchamber” prepared in this way: friends, matchmakers, relatives, and in general anyone who wanted to take part in a noisy and cheerful action. The farewell was accompanied by songs, obscene jokes and advice.. Druzhka beat with a whip on the box, driving out evil spirits. Then he had to pay a ransom to the bed-maids.

Alone

After all these rituals, the newlyweds were finally left alone. The door was locked, and a cage guard was left near it. He also had to protect the newlyweds from evil spells and various evil spirits. But the guests often remained at the door and simply spying on the young.

Left alone, the bride and groom first treated themselves to bread and chicken. This food was supposed to give the couple fertility. After eating, the girl was obliged to remove the boots from the guy's feet. Thus, she demonstrated humility in front of her future husband and showed her readiness to obey him in everything. Also girl I had to ask my husband for permission to lie with him.

Then there must be a sexual intercourse. A friend came to inquire about this several times. As soon as the girl lost her virginity, the marriage was considered physically confirmed, which was loudly announced to all guests. The young could again be taken to the feast and delighted with songs of the most obscene content, or the guests themselves came to the cellar to the newlyweds and remained there with them until dawn.

The finale of any wedding celebration is the wedding night. Nowadays, the first night of the newlyweds has become a convention that has no value. Now it is considered the norm when newlyweds have sex far before the wedding.

But once the wedding night was accompanied by a whole ritual, different for every nation. We offer a look at the pages of history and remember the customs of the wedding night.

HOW WAS THE FIRST WEDDING NIGHT IN EUROPE

In the Middle Ages, there was a tradition in European countries according to which the bride had to spend the night not with her husband, but with the feudal lord. Historians give different arguments about the emergence of such a custom. Some argued that the deprivation of virginity is a dangerous procedure, subject only to deities, and the feudal lord took full responsibility for what was happening and protected the spouses from the wrath of the gods.

Others complained about the satisfaction of their sexual needs and the desire to be above everyone else, because the feudal lord could easily refuse ugly brides, and with beautiful girls this rule has always been followed. True, in late XVI centuries in Switzerland abandoned this custom, and in Germany it was replaced by a ransom.

SEX ON THE FIRST WEDDING NIGHT IN AFRICA

In some tribes of Africa, on the wedding night, it was customary to knock out the girl's two front teeth. It symbolized marriage - something like a wedding ring. Married women were not ashamed of their toothless smile and showed it to everyone, while unmarried women covered their mouths.

In Samoa, the first wedding night had to pass in the circle of sleeping relatives of the bride. Only newlyweds should make love silently so that no one wakes up. Otherwise, a serious scolding from relatives awaited the man. That is why many Samoan men lubricate their bodies with oil before their wedding night: it is easier to break free and the beatings are not so painful.

Sex on the wedding night in North Africa involved intercourse between the bride and guests at the wedding. Each guest had to give the bride a special gift.

There were tribes in which it was customary to deprive girls of virginity at a very young age - before the onset of menstruation. It had to be done by a complete stranger. Most often it turned out to be a traveler passing through the village. If at the time of the onset of menstruation a girl remained a virgin, this was considered a real shame, she could never get married.

In the Bakhtu tribe, which is located in Central Africa, instead of having sex on their wedding night, the newlyweds had to fight until dawn, and then disperse to their parents' houses and sleep off. A strange custom, of course, but every nation has its own cockroaches in the head. The next night, the newlyweds fought again. And so it continued until they pour out all the hatred on each other for years to come. Sometimes these fights ended in death.

Some African peoples had a tradition to carry out the act of defloration with the help of special tools. Such a mini-operation was carried out by the oldest women.

Sometimes this procedure was replaced with a natural one, but it was not the husband who had to deflower the girl, but the father or elder brother of the groom, as well as the priest or elder.

In the Arunto tribe, the friends of the future husband had to deprive the girl of her virginity. The man chose two or three friends, they kidnapped the bride and each of them had sex with her. When a girl loses her innocence, anyone could come to her house in the flesh until the wedding itself and have sex with her in order to take a sample from a newly-made woman.

HOW THE FIRST WEDDING NIGHT HAPPENS TO THE MUSLIM

The first wedding night for Muslims has not changed much since ancient times. Most Muslims still have the custom to show the groom's relatives the sheet on which the newlyweds had sex. Blood stains testified to the innocence of the bride, if they were not there, the girl was considered vicious, it was a shame for the whole family. Currently, this rule is observed only in some regions.

Before the wedding night, Muslims must observe a number of customs:

• The first wedding night for Muslims takes place only after the bride transports all the necessary things to her husband's house. Dowry for a girl begins to be collected from an early age, she must have at least 40 blankets and pillows. Bedding must be decorated and hand-sewn (some items may not be purchased)
• Before embarking on intimacy, a man should put his hand on his wife's head, praise her, say a few kind words and end the speech with the phrase "In the Name of Allah." Then, the newlyweds read two ritual prayers, after which the man reads another prayer, in which he asks to bless Allah on life together and in the event of a divorce, help them maintain friendly relations.
• A man must give his wife a lot of sweets and delicious drinks. Honey and milk were considered obligatory products on the table. The husband should be soft and gentle when communicating with his wife, win her over, talk. Indecent sexual relations are prohibited by the Quran. A woman should not push a man away, because this could lead to sad consequences. Also, the newly-made wife should not be indifferent and cold.
• In the morning, after the wedding night, the spouses perform a ritual of washing and start eating. Often they set the table and invite relatives.

HOW THE FIRST WEDDING NIGHT IS GOING ON FOR THE CHECHEN

For Chechens, the first wedding night takes place on the third day of the wedding. To perform the ritual, the man put on a special suit, which was previously presented to him by the bride's relatives. At this time, the woman should be ready in the bedroom, where her married friends bring her.

Before intimacy, a man should open the Koran and pray to Allah, then close the book with a thick cloth and proceed to deprive his wife of innocence. If the spouses did not know each other before the wedding, sexual intercourse is not a prerequisite on the wedding night, they must first get to know each other.

There should be no one in the room where the newlyweds sleep, not even animals.

THE FIRST WEDDING NIGHT OF THE MUSLIMS IN DAGESTAN

For Dagestanis, the first wedding night is held in a special way: it is turned into a rite of martial arts. A man will be worthy of a woman only if he wins. The bride is being prepared for a duel since childhood, and on the wedding night they shaved their heads, lubricated exposed skin with grease, put on clothes with many knots, pulled overalls with a cord that should preserve virginity.

Nobody was allowed to enter the room where the battle took place, it was only possible to eavesdrop and peep. According to ancient customs, the guy was obliged to defeat the girl, and the fight continued until the victory.

If the fight went on for too long, the bride was persuaded to surrender, they specifically did not let her drink and eat, but they did everything for the groom.

The faster a man unties all the knots in his overalls, the faster he can take possession of his wife. The battle took place without weapons, and it was not forbidden to inflict bodily harm.

HOW THE FIRST WEDDING NIGHT GOES WITH GYPSIES

Gypsies, of course, are not the purest nation, but they have been observing their traditions from time immemorial. The first wedding night among the gypsies is called the "Takeaway of honor" and is considered the most important ceremony at the wedding. The bride must keep her virginity before marriage, otherwise, she will dishonor her family. The newlyweds, along with three respected ladies from both families, go to a separate room where they check the bride's innocence.

The sex of the newlyweds takes place without witnesses, but the groom is obliged to take out the veil with traces of virgin blood.

According to another version, three ladies deprive the girl of innocence, with the help of a sheet wound around her finger, so that the newlyweds could not falsify the virginity of the bride. There is another version of the first wedding night among the gypsies - the bride and groom must have the first sexual intercourse on the banquet table in the presence of guests. When the girl's innocence is proved, the ladies put a sheet with traces on a tray, shower it with red ribbons and take it out to the guests. Red ribbons are distributed to the groom's relatives for a fee. After the ceremony, the bride is dressed in a red dress, her braids are braided and the veil is removed.

FIRST WEDDING NIGHT IN Rus'

At times Ancient Rus' premarital relations were not forbidden - it was a ubiquitous phenomenon. Some young people managed to live with each other and get married, and sometimes they had children. In some settlements, a "trial marriage" was common, in our civil. Young people lived together, shared life, gave birth to their first child, and only then they could get married, if they didn’t change their minds.

Some traditions of Rus' were similar to barbarian ones. At the wedding, every man could touch and grope the bride the way it should have happened during the wedding night. The bride could even be stripped down to her undershirt at the wedding to show off all the juice. When the wedding was coming to an end, the young people retired to a separate room, and the guests eavesdropped and peeped under the door so that the newlyweds were busy with each other, and not with sleep.

Sex was supposed to last until the morning, which was facilitated by the guests - they yelled ditties with sexual overtones and spurred the young in every possible way. In the morning, the bride and groom provided evidence of the deprivation of innocence. If the groom did not succeed, he could repeat the attempt two more times, if even then he did not cope with his duty, the groom was replaced by a more experienced man. In some villages, it was customary to spend the wedding night with the groom's older brothers, who came to the aid of the inexperienced groom in case of emergency.

As we can see, the wedding night in many countries involved the deprivation of a girl's virginity, if the girl was vicious before the wedding, her family was disgraced, and the negligent bride could be returned to her parents. True, now any gynecologist will say that during the first sexual intercourse there may not be blood, just like pain, since the hymen is different for everyone.