Russian Orthodox Church Wedding Rite - a rite of black magic. Wedding
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, who is the priest of the secret and pure marriage, and the giver of the law of the body, the guardian of incorruption, the builder of the good things of life. Even now, the Master, who in the beginning created man and placed him as the king of creation, and said: it is not good for man to be the only one on earth, let us create for him an assistant for him; and from his ribs thou didst make one woman, even as Adam saw him, saying: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; This woman will be called, for this life was taken from her husband. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh; and what God has united, let not man separate. Even now, Lord our God, send down Thy Heavenly grace upon these Thy servants, named and named; and grant that this servant will obey her husband in everything, and that this servant of Yours may be the head of the wife, so that they may live according to Your will. Bless me, O Lord our God, as you blessed Abraham and Sarah; I bless you, O Lord our God, as you blessed Isaac and Rebekah; I bless you, O Lord our God, as you blessed Jacob and all the patriarchs; I bless you, O Lord our God, as you blessed Joseph and Asenath; I bless you, O Lord our God, as you blessed Moses and Zipporah; I bless you, O Lord our God, as you blessed Joachim and Anna; I bless you, O Lord our God, as you blessed Zechariah and Elizabeth. Preserve me, O Lord our God, as you preserved Noah in the ark; I will preserve, O Lord our God, as you preserved Jonah in the belly of the whale; I have preserved, O Lord our God, as thou didst preserve the three holy youths from the fire, sending them dew from heaven; and may that joy come to her, whose name is Blessed Helen, when she finds the Honest Cross. Remember, O Lord our God, as you remembered Enoch, Shem, Elijah; remember, O Lord our God, as You remembered Thy holy forty martyrs, Who sent down crowns to them from heaven; remember, O God, the parents who raised them; Before the prayers of the parents, the foundations of the houses are established. Remember, O Lord our God, Thy servants who were ignorant, who came down into this joy. Remember, O Lord our God, Thy servant, named, and Thy handmaid, named, and bless me. Give them the fruit of the womb, good children, like-mindedness of souls and bodies; exalt me like the cedars of Lebanon, like the blessed vine. Grant them the seed of the class, so that all self-sufficiency they have, they will abound for every good deed and pleasing to You; and let the sons of their sons see that there is a new planting of olive trees around their table; and having pleased You, they will shine like lights in the heavens, in You, our Lord. With Thee is glory, power, honor and worship, Thy beginningless Father, and Thy life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
The wedding ceremony in the Orthodox Church belongs to the Sacraments of the Church, during which, with the mutual promise of those getting down the aisle to remain faithful to each other in any situation, God himself blesses the couple to be one throughout their lives with Christ.
Wedding rules require that the future spouses who have made the decision be baptized according to the laws of Orthodoxy and understand the importance of this rite.
The spiritual essence of a wedding
Jesus in the Bible said that people cannot destroy a union blessed by God. (Matthew 19:4-8).
The wedding ceremony in the Orthodox Church is an action performed by priests as intermediaries between God and people, during which two souls merge into one.
Genesis 1:27 says that God created man, notice, not two people, but one - the Lord created male and female.
The sacrament of a couple coming down the aisle consists of calling on the help of the Holy Trinity to give a blessing for their future family life.
During the blessing ceremony, the couple comes under the spiritual protection of the Church, becoming a part of It.
The head of the family is the husband, and to him is Jesus.
The married couple is a prototype of the relationship between Jesus and the Church, where Christ is the groom, and the Church is the bride, awaiting the arrival of His betrothed.
In a small church-family, services also take place in the form of general prayers and reading the Word of God, and the spouses make their own sacrifices for obedience, patience, submission and other Christian sacrifices.
About family life in Orthodoxy:
Children born to an Orthodox couple are given a special blessing at birth.
Starting a common life, even if Christians are not true doers of the Word of God and rarely attend temple services, they can come to God through the Sacrament of uniting two into one.
Only by standing under the crown of God's blessing can one feel the power of His grace.
Sometimes a couple is in love with each other only on a physical level, but this is not enough to build a happy life together.
After the rite of spiritual union, a special connection appears, giving a strong impetus for a long-lasting marriage.
Receiving blessings in the temple, the couple trusts themselves to the protection of the Church, letting Jesus Christ into their life as the Lord of the house.
After the perfect ceremony, God takes marriage into His hands and carries it through life, but subject to the observance of Christian laws by family members and chastity.
Wedding
What is the spiritual process of preparing for a wedding?
The wedding rules in the Orthodox Church state that one should prepare for an important event in spiritual life. Govenye is a Christian feat of the future family before the Holy Church.
The bride or witness must take care of snow-white festive scarves in advance for this action.
In the absence of guarantors, the crowns are placed on the heads of those getting married, so the young woman prudently makes a hairstyle that will not interfere with the reclining of the crown.
Is it possible for an Orthodox Christian who does not strictly adhere to church canons to get married?
Some people have turned the ceremony of marriage in a temple into a fashionable attribute of a wedding, treating it without any reverence.
Not understanding the spiritual value of the blessing of a future common life, people deprive themselves of the spiritual joy of being under the protection of the Almighty.
Some young people refuse blessings in the temple due to a cooling of faith.
The Creator opens his doors to all Orthodox Christians who want to receive the sanctification of their marriage. No one knows at what time the Holy Spirit will touch the heart of a sinner; perhaps it will happen during the wedding. There is no need to limit God in giving mercy.
Mandatory fasting and communion will help the bride and groom approach the throne of God with reverence.
Prayers for the family:
- Prayers of Blessed Ksenia of Petersburg for family well-being
How to behave in church during the Sacrament
People who rarely attend church services sometimes behave disrespectfully towards sacred objects due to their church illiteracy.
A wedding in a temple is a sacred rite during which it is forbidden to talk, laugh, whisper, much less talk on a mobile phone.
Even the most important people are required to turn off all communications before entering the temple.
Being in the middle of the temple, you should carefully monitor your movement along it so as not to accidentally turn your back on the holy images, especially the iconostasis.
During the ceremony, which takes place after the completion of the Liturgy, the Church gives all its attention to two individuals - the bride and groom, blessing them for a happy life, while a prayer may be performed for the parents or people who raised the bride and groom.
With reverence and all attention, the young couple fervently prays for the Sacrament to bless their future life for many years, until death separates the spouses.
Should a bride cover her head during a wedding?
A snow-white dress and an airy veil are a traditional look for a bride, but new fashion trends have made their own adjustments.
Does a bride need to cover her head during a wedding, what is the point of a small piece of tulle?
The history of covering the head in the temple goes back to the beginning of Christianity, when women of easy virtue who shaved their hair were required to cover themselves with a veil during services.
Over time, head covering shows a woman's status. It is indecent for a married lady to appear in society without a scarf, hat or hood. The Queen of England will never appear in public without covering her hair.
In Orthodoxy, the veil is a symbol of purity and innocence.
Advice! Long hair is a covering for a woman, so each bride chooses her own outfit for the wedding.
What is engagement before wedding?
Betrothal is an event that takes place after the Liturgy. It marks an act emphasizing that the Sacrament of blessing is performed in the presence of the Holy Trinity, before the Holy Face of God, by His good pleasure.
The priest informs the couple of the importance of the event, emphasizing that the sacrament of blessing must be approached with reverent anticipation, with special reverence.
In the face of the Almighty, the groom must understand that he is accepting his wife from the hands of the Savior himself.
The wedding couple stands in front of the entrance to the temple, and the priest, who at this time carries out the mission of the Almighty himself, awaits them at the altar.
The bride and groom, like the ancestors Adam and Eve, stand before the Face of God, ready to begin their common life in purification and holiness.
Just as the pious Tobias drove away demons who opposed church marriage, so the priest blesses the newlyweds with the words “In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” lighting church candles and giving them to the future husband and wife.
For every blessing pronounced by the clergy, the marrying couple is baptized three times.
The sign of the cross and lit candles symbolize the triumph of the Holy Spirit, whose invisible presence is present during the ceremony.
The light of a candle means that the couple promises one another to keep their flaming love, which does not fade over the years, in purity.
As required by the rules, the betrothal ceremony begins with the praise of the Almighty with the exclamation “Blessed is our God.”
The deacon says the usual prayers and supplications for the young couple on behalf of everyone in the church.
In prayer, the deacon prays to the Creator for the salvation of people who become engaged to the Holy Trinity.
Important! Marriage is a blessed act whose purpose is the continuation of the human race through the birth of children.
In the first prayer according to the Word of God, the Lord hears all the requests of the married couple regarding their salvation.
In reverent silence, a prayer for salvation is secretly read. Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom of His bride, the Church, who is betrothed to Him.
After this, the clergyman puts rings on the groom, then on the bride, and betroths them in the name of the Holy Trinity.
“The servant of God (name of the groom) is engaged to the servant of God (name of the bride) in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
“The servant of God (name of the bride) is betrothed to the servant of God (name of the groom) in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Great is the spiritual meaning of the rings, which before the betrothal lay on the right side of the throne, as if before the face of the Savior Jesus Christ, they were sanctified, having received the power of His grace for unity. Just as rings lie side by side, so the engaged will be together all their lives.
Those getting married receive God's blessing through consecrated rings. After getting engaged, the couple exchanges rings three times.
The ring from the groom on the bride’s hand is a symbol of his love and willingness to be a patron in the family. Just as Jesus loves His Church, so a husband is committed to treating his wife.
The bride puts a ring on the hand of the chosen one, promising him love, devotion, humility, and readiness to accept his help. The engagement ends with a request to the Creator to bless, approve the engagement, signify the rings, and send a Guardian Angel for the new family.
Wedding accessories
Sacrament of the Church - wedding
After the betrothal, with lit candles as a symbol of the Sacrament, the newlyweds move to the middle of the temple, following the priest. The priest offers incense to the Creator with the help of a censer, showing that in this way sincere fulfillment of the commandments of the Lord will be pleasing to the Creator.
The singers sing a psalm.
Psalm 127
Song of Ascension.
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in His ways!
You will eat from the labor of your hands: blessed are you, and good to you!
Your wife is like a fruitful vine in your house; Your sons are like olive branches around your table:
so will the man who fears the Lord be blessed!
The Lord will bless you from Zion, and you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;
You will see your sons' sons. Peace on Israel!
Between the lectern with the Gospel, cross and crowns laid out on it and the wedding couple, a cloth or towel is spread.
Before standing on the platform, the bride and groom once again confirm their decision to accept the wedding of their own free will, without any coercion. At the same time, emphasizing that none of them is bound by the promise of marriage with third parties.
The priest appeals to those present at the Sacrament to report facts that impede this union.
For in the future, all obstacles to marriage should be forgotten if they were not voiced before the blessing ceremony.
After this, the getting married couple stands on a towel laid under their feet. There is a sign that whoever stands on the board first will be the head of the house. Everyone present watches these actions with bated breath.
The priest speaks to the groom, asking whether, out of good will, sincere desire, he wants to marry the girl standing in front of him.
After a positive answer, the young man is obliged to confirm that he is not engaged to any other girl and is not bound by any promises to her.
The same questions are asked of the bride, clarifying whether she is going down the aisle under duress and is not promised to another man.
A mutually positive decision is not yet a union sanctified by God. For now, this decision may be the basis for concluding an official marriage in government bodies.
The sacrament of consecration of the new family before the Creator is performed over the officially registered newlyweds, the wedding ceremony begins, litanies are sounded, petitions for well-being, both spiritual and physical, for the newly born family.
The first prayer is filled with a request to Jesus Christ to bless the newlyweds with love for each other, long life, children and the purity of the marital bed. The priest asks for a blessing for the abundance in the house to be greater than the dew in the field, so that there will be everything in it, from grain to oil, allowing it to be shared with people in need.
“Bless this marriage: and give to Your servants a peaceful life, long life, love for each other in a union of peace, a long-lived seed, an unfading crown of glory; make them worthy to see the children of their children, keep their bed unblamed. And grant them from the dew of heaven from above, and from the fatness of the earth; Fill their houses with wheat, wine and oil, and every good thing, so that they share the excess with those in need, and grant to those who are now with us everything necessary for salvation.”
In the second prayer, an appeal to the Holy Trinity should be granted:
- children are like grains on an ear;
- abundance, like grapes on a vine;
- long life to see grandchildren.
“Give them the fruit of the womb, good children, like-mindedness in their souls, exalt them like the cedars of Lebanon, like a vine with beautiful branches, give them a spiked seed, so that, having contentment in everything, they may abound for every good deed that is pleasing to You. And may they see sons from their sons, like the young shoots of an olive tree, around their trunk, and having pleased You, may they shine like lights in the sky in You, our Lord.”
For the third time, a request is made to the Triune God to bless the young as heirs of Adam and Eve, created in the image and likeness of God, to create from them one spiritual flesh and to bless the womb of the wife, bestowing much fruit.
In reverence for the Great Creator, the union of a new couple in Heaven is sanctified and sealed by the Almighty himself.
The time has come for the main wedding ceremony - putting on the crown.
The priest takes the crown, baptizes the young man three times, giving him the image of Jesus Christ, located in front of the crown, to kiss and saying that the servant of God (name) is being married to the servant of God (name) in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The same act is performed on the bride, only for the kissing she is offered to kiss the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Wedding
Covered with the blessing of crowns, the couple awaits God's blessing as they stand before the face of the Almighty.
The most exciting and solemn moment of the entire Sacrament comes, when the priest, in the name of God, crowns the newlyweds, proclaiming blessings three times.
All those present must sincerely and reverently repeat the words of the priest within themselves, asking the Creator to bless the new family.
The priest seals God's blessing, proclaiming the birth of a new small church. Now it is a cell of a single Church, an indestructible church union. (Matthew 19:6)
At the conclusion of the wedding, the letter of the Apostle Paul to Christians in Ephesus is read, in which he says that a husband and wife are like Jesus and the Church. The husband is obliged to take care of his wife as if he were his own body; the wife’s task is to be submissive to her husband who loves her. (Eph. 5:20-33)
In his first letter to the Church of Corinth, the apostle left recommendations for the couple on behavior in the family to achieve complete harmony. (1 Cor.7:4).
The prayer “Our Father” is read, which the Savior left as a model of appeal to the Creator.
After this, the young couple drinks wine from a common cup, which brings joy, like the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine.
The priest connects the right hands of the bride and groom with the help of an stole and covers it with his palm. This action symbolizes the transfer of the wife by the Church, uniting the couple in the name of Jesus Christ.
Taking the young people by the right hands, the priest walks around the lectern three times, performing troparia. Walking in a circle is a prophecy of eternal, never-ending earthly life for a new generation.
After removing the crowns and kissing the icons, the priest reads a few more prayers, after which the newlyweds kiss each other.
In what cases is a church marriage unacceptable?
According to church canons, not every marriage can be blessed in church. There are several contraindications for weddings.
- Some of the young people have already received the rite of the Sacrament three times. The Church does not solemnize fourth and subsequent marriages permitted by civil law.
- The couple or one of the members of the future family considers themselves atheists.
- Unbaptized people cannot walk down the aisle, but they can be baptized as adults, immediately before the ceremony.
- People who have not officially broken ties in a previous marriage, both according to civil and Christian laws, cannot receive a blessing for further family life.
- Blood relatives of the bride and groom cannot create a Christian family.
On what days does the wedding not take place?
The canonical rules clearly define the days when blessing ceremonies are not performed:
- throughout all the days of fasting, and there are four of them;
- seven days after Easter;
- 20 days from Christmas to Epiphany;
- on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays;
- before the great temple holidays;
- for the day and on the feast itself of the Beheading of John the Baptist and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.
What to do with wedding accessories after the wedding
What to do with candles, scarves and towels that were used during the wedding?
Candles are not just a light, but the embodiment of faith in the fulfillment of requests to the Creator. According to tradition, wedding candles should be wrapped in the handkerchiefs used to hold them and hidden behind icons or in another pious place.
Wedding candles are lit for a short time whenever difficulties visit the house, be it quarrels, illness, financial problems.
As a rule, towels are used to decorate icons with which the newlyweds were blessed in the temple.
In some families, there is a tradition of passing scarves and towels for weddings from generation to generation as a family amulet. Towels can be left at the temple for couples who cannot afford this accessory.
Advice! All traditions remain only traditions, the main thing for a family is love, mutual respect and support for each other.
Watch the wedding video
(25 votes: 4.2 out of 5)Then the Epistle to the Ephesians of the Holy Apostle Paul (), where the marriage union is likened to the union of Christ and the Church, for which the Savior who loved her gave Himself, is read. The love of a husband for his wife is a similarity to the love of Christ for the Church, and the lovingly humble submission of a wife to her husband is a similarity to the relationship of the Church to Christ. This is mutual love to the point of selflessness, a willingness to sacrifice oneself in the image of Christ, who gave Himself to be crucified for sinful people, and in the image His true followers, who through suffering and martyrdom confirmed their loyalty and love for the Lord.
The last saying of the apostle: let the wife fear her husband - calls not for the fear of the weak before the strong, not for the fear of a slave in relation to the master, but for the fear of saddening a loving person, of disrupting the unity of souls and bodies. The same fear of losing love, and therefore the presence of God in family life, should be experienced by the husband, whose head is Christ. In another letter, the Apostle Paul says: The wife has no authority over her own body, but the husband does; Likewise, the husband has no power over his body, but the wife does. Do not deviate from each other, unless by agreement, for a while, to exercise in fasting and prayer, and then be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you with your intemperance ().
Husband and wife are members of the Church and, being parts of the fullness of the Church, are equal to each other, obeying the Lord Jesus Christ.
After the Apostle, the Gospel of John is read (). It proclaims God's blessing of the marital union and its sanctification. The miracle of the Savior turning water into wine prefigured the action of the grace of the sacrament, by which earthly marital love is elevated to heavenly love, uniting souls in the Lord. The saint speaks about the moral change necessary for this: “Marriage is honorable and the bed is undefiled, for Christ blessed them in Cana at the wedding, eating food in the flesh and turning water into wine, revealing this first miracle, so that you, the soul, would change” (Great canon, in Russian translation, troparion 4, canto 9).
After reading the Gospel, a short petition for the newlyweds and a priest’s prayer are said on behalf of the Church, in which we pray to the Lord that He will preserve those who were married in peace and unanimity, that their marriage will be honest, that their bed will be undefiled, that their cohabitation will be immaculate, that He will make them worthy to live until old age, while fulfilling His commandments from a pure heart.
The priest proclaims: “And grant us, O Master, with boldness and without condemnation to dare to call on You, Heavenly God the Father, and say…”. And the newlyweds, together with everyone present, sing the prayer “Our Father,” the foundation and crown of all prayers, commanded to us by the Savior Himself.
In the mouths of those getting married, she expresses her determination to serve the Lord with her small church, so that through them on earth His will would be fulfilled and reign in their family life. As a sign of submission and devotion to the Lord, they bow their heads under the crowns.
After the Lord’s Prayer, the priest glorifies the Kingdom, the power and glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and, having taught peace, commands us to bow our heads before God, as before the King and Master, and at the same time before our Father. Then a cup of red wine, or rather a cup of communion, is brought, and the priest blesses it for the mutual communion of husband and wife. Wine at a wedding is served as a sign of joy and fun, reminiscent of the miraculous transformation of water into wine performed by Jesus Christ in Cana of Galilee.
The priest gives the young couple three times to drink wine from a common cup - first to the husband, as the head of the family, then to the wife. Usually they take three small sips of wine: first the husband, then the wife.
Having presented the common cup, the priest connects the right hand of the husband with the right hand of the wife, covers their hands with the stole and places his hand on top of it. This means that through the hand of the priest the husband receives a wife from the Church itself, uniting them in Christ forever. The priest leads the newlyweds around the lectern three times.
During the first circumambulation, the troparion “Isaiah, rejoice...” is sung, in which the sacrament of the incarnation of the Son of God Emmanuel from the Unartificed Mary is glorified.
During the second circumambulation, the troparion “To the Holy Martyr” is sung. Crowned with crowns, as conquerors of earthly passions, they show the image of the spiritual marriage of a believing soul with the Lord.
Finally, in the third troparion, which is sung during the last circumambulation of the lectern, Christ is glorified as the joy and glory of the newlyweds, their hope in all circumstances of life: “Glory to Thee, Christ God, the praise of the apostles, the joy of the martyrs, and their preaching. Trinity Consubstantial."
This circular walk signifies the eternal procession that began on this day for this couple. Their marriage will be an eternal procession hand in hand, a continuation and manifestation of the sacrament performed today. Remembering the common cross laid upon them today, “bearing each other’s burdens,” they will always be filled with the gracious joy of this day. At the end of the solemn procession, the priest removes the crowns from the spouses, greeting them with words filled with patriarchal simplicity and therefore especially solemn:
“Be magnified, O woman, like Abraham, and be blessed like Isaac, and be multiplied like Jacob, walk in peace, and do the righteousness of the commandments of God.”
“And you, bride, have been magnified like Sarah, and you have rejoiced like Rebecca, and you have multiplied like Rachel, rejoicing over your husband, keeping the limits of the law; therefore God has been so pleased.”
Then, in the two subsequent prayers, the priest asks the Lord, who blessed the marriage in Cana of Galilee, to accept the crowns of the newlyweds undefiled and immaculate in His Kingdom. In the second prayer, read by the priest, with the newlyweds bowing their heads, these petitions are sealed with the name of the Most Holy Trinity and the priestly blessing. At the end of it, the newlyweds testify to their holy and pure love for each other with a chaste kiss.
Further, according to custom, the newlyweds are led to the royal doors, where the groom kisses the icon of the Savior, and the bride kisses the image of the Mother of God; then they change places and are applied accordingly: the groom - to the icon of the Mother of God, and the bride - to the icon of the Savior. Here the priest gives them a cross to kiss and hands them two icons: the groom - the image of the Savior, the bride - the image of the Most Holy Theotokos.
What should a wedding meal be like?
The Sacrament of Marriage is celebrated solemnly and joyfully. From the multitude of people: loved ones, relatives and acquaintances, from the shine of candles, from church singing, one somehow involuntarily feels festive and happy in the soul.
After the wedding, the newlyweds, parents, witnesses, and guests continue the celebration at the table.
But how indecently some of the invitees sometimes behave. People often get drunk here, make shameless speeches, sing immodest songs, and dance wildly. Such behavior would be shameful even for a pagan, “ignorant of God and His Christ,” and not just for us Christians. The Holy Church warns against such behavior. In the 53rd canon of the Council of Laodicea it is said: “It is not appropriate for those attending marriages (that is, even relatives of the bride and groom and guests) to jump or dance, but to modestly sup and dine, as is appropriate for Christians.” The wedding feast should be modest and quiet, should be free from all intemperance and indecency. Such a quiet and modest feast will be blessed by the Lord Himself, who sanctified the marriage in Cana of Galilee with His presence and performance of the first miracle.
What can hinder a Christian marriage?
Often, those preparing for a wedding first register a civil marriage at the registry office. The Orthodox Church considers civil marriage to be devoid of grace, but recognizes it as a fact and does not consider it illegal, fornicating cohabitation. Nevertheless, the conditions for marriage under civil law and according to church canons differ. However, not every civil marriage can be consecrated in the church.
The Church does not allow marriage more than three times. According to civil law, a fourth and fifth marriage is allowed, which the Church does not bless.
A marriage is not blessed if one of the spouses (and especially both) declares himself an atheist and says that he came to the wedding only at the insistence of his spouse or parents.
A wedding is not permitted if at least one of the spouses is not baptized and does not intend to be baptized before the wedding.
A wedding is impossible if one of the future spouses is actually married to another person. First, you need to dissolve the civil marriage, and if the marriage was church, be sure to take the bishop’s permission to dissolve it and his blessing to enter into a new marriage.
Another obstacle to marriage is the blood relationship of the bride and groom and the spiritual relationship acquired through succession at baptism.
When there is no wedding
According to the canonical rules, it is not allowed to perform a wedding during all four fasts, during cheese week, Easter week, and during the period from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany (Christmastide). According to pious custom, it is not customary to celebrate marriages on Saturday, as well as on the eve of the twelve, great and temple holidays, so that the pre-holiday evening does not pass in noisy fun and entertainment. In addition, in the Russian Orthodox Church, marriages are not celebrated on Tuesdays and Thursdays (on the eve of fast days - Wednesday and Friday), on the eve and on the days of the Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29/September 11) and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14/27). Exceptions to these rules can be made due to need only by the ruling bishop.
Cm. .
Original taken from ladstas
"The servant of God is getting married(Name) with the servant of God(Name) for the glory of Israel!"- words from the “Russian” wedding ceremony...
Today, thanks to the media, weddings in a Christian church have become fashionable. For a long time I slowly interviewed my friends who had undergone a wedding ceremony in a church on the subject: “Do they remember what was said to them there?” It turned out that most of them were simply either in a semi-trance, or, on the contrary, completely in the clouds, not paying attention to what was happening there... However, we still managed to find a number of couples, among whom it was the women who remembered what was said to them.
|
Unfortunately, I got married. But I'm already debunked. And I got married thoughtlessly, either as a tribute to fashion, or succumbing to the persuasion of the groom. The coded words did not benefit my Slavic nature... Then I began to come across curious texts about what actually happens during the recitative reading of wedding prayers...
"RUSSIAN" WEDDING RITE
For a long time I slowly interviewed my friends who had undergone a wedding ceremony in a church on the subject: “Do they remember what was said to them there?” It turned out that most of them were simply either in a semi-trance, or, on the contrary, completely in the clouds, not paying attention to what was happening there. However, we still managed to find a number of couples, among which (oddly enough) it was the women who remembered what was said to them.
The first thing to note is that these couples are not familiar with the Bible. Or rather, they know about its existence, that there are ten commandments, that there was Christ, that he died for all of us, but then was resurrected and ascended to heaven already alive. It’s true that no one has said what he’s doing there in the stratosphere.
But we still remembered some words that the priest says to the bride:
"...be prolific like Sarah"
“But Sarai, Abram’s wife, did not bear him any child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar.
And Sarai said to Abram, Behold, the Lord hath shut up my womb, that I should not bear; Go in to my maid; perhaps I will have children by her.
This is said about the same Sarah whom Abraham put under the Egyptian pharaoh (if you believe those fables), although she was already over 60 at that time, and, apparently, the pharaoh was a noble gerontophile. By the way, according to versions, he did not lie to the pharaoh when he said that she was his relative. It just didn’t stop her from being his wife as well. Incest is not a sin for saints. Even in Sodom, which they chose to live in. Apparently not by chance.
And she gave birth when Abraham was already 100 years old, and she herself was a little younger - 90. Her only child.
When clarifying the question of the texts, those “getting married” according to the canon (rank) should correct the brides I interviewed that literally it still looks something like this:
“And you, bride, be exalted like Sarah, rejoice like Rebecca, multiply in offspring like Rachel.”* (“And you, the bride, are exalted like Sarah, and you rejoice like Rebecca, and you are multiplied like Rachel. Rejoicing over your husband, keeping the limits of the law, God is so well pleased” - confirmation of the literalness can be found on any Christian resource.)
Let's add now about other characters besides Sarah:
“Rachel remained barren and was jealous of Leah’s fertility. Desperate, she, like Sarah before, gave her maid Bilkha as a concubine to her husband; Rachel considered Dana and Naftali, born to Bilkha, to be her own sons.”
Rachel herself later died during the birth of Benjamin, her second son.
Here are your wishes for the newlyweds - a kind of programming: be exalted like Sarah - who was placed under every right person, be cheerful, like Rebekah, whose one son betrayed the other, multiply like Rachel, who died in her second birth - yes, this is an awesome wish for happiness to the newlyweds .
Russian Christianity is nonsense. It’s the same as Russian non-Russianness. In Russian Christianity, only the people themselves differ from Russian - everything else is a completely different environment.
And for those who are thinking about getting married, maybe they should think about whether they want to be like Sarah and Abraham. Or should we still take some more worthy examples to follow?
To what extent the church wedding ceremony is permeated and imbued with imaginary “values”, It is difficult for not only atheists, but even ordinary believers to imagine. Here is the detailed text(if you can stand it and finish reading).
1. Marriage.
Engagement. The priest, being in front of those getting married, “with great voice”, i.e. publicly pronounces the first prayer according to the rite of betrothal: “God..., who blessed (once) Isaac and Rebekah and their seed, now bless your servants (the names of the young ones follow).” It must be said that the young, slender, beautiful, healthy Slavic bride and groom are immediately showered with prayers and, against their will, are compared with Isaac and Revveka.
The second, a short prayer, places another couple for the young – the Christian Church and the Virgin Mary.
The third prayer again appeals to the Jewish god: “God, who helped the patriarch Abraham, who helped his son (youth) Isaac find a faithful wife Rebekah and who finally betrothed them, now betroth this couple... More than to you, God, not to who to contact - after all, you gave power to Joseph in Egypt, you glorified Daniel in Babylon, revealed the truth to Tamar, armed Moses in the Red Sea, you always strengthened the Jews.” And really, who else should we turn to—we, the poor Russians! The priest puts wedding rings on the newlyweds' fingers.
2. Wedding.
This part of the ritual begins with verses (of course, from the text of the Old Testament), the last two of which read: “The Lord will bless you from Zion and you will see beautiful Jerusalem all the days of your life.” “And ye shall see sons of the children of Israel: let there be peace to Israel.” In the litany that follows, one of the petitions calls for the new marriage to be as the marriage once was in the Jewish (evangelical) family at Cana of Galilee. Then again the prayer is said loudly: God..., who once blessed Abraham and opened the bed - Sarah's dream, and thereby created the father of all nations - Isaac, and then gave Isaac to Rebekah, and she, with your blessing, gave birth to glorious sons of the Jews, including Jacob (the future Israel), then he married Jacob with Rachel, who (together with the other wives of Jacob) produced 12 sons, the glorious founders of the 12 tribes of Israel, then he mated Joseph (the son of Jacob) with Asenath and sent them the glorious children Ephraim and Manasseh, then he blessed Zechariah and Elizabeth and gave them a son, John (the Baptist); finally, the great God, from the root of Jesse according to the flesh, gave birth to the Ever-Virgin, and from her gave Jesus to the world, and he, in turn, showed in Cana of Galilee to all nations what they should be like. weddings..., now bless these slaves who are now standing in the church.
Immediately the following prayer is read and again another portion of Jewish prayers is poured out on the heads of the Russians: Bless, God, these young people, as you once blessed Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and his 12 sons, Joseph and Asenath, Moses and Sapphora, Joachim and Anna (parents of the Virgin Mary), Zechariah and Elizabeth... Preserve them, as you once preserved Noah in the ark, Jonah in the belly of a whale, three Jewish youths in the Babylonian oven... Remember them, as you once remembered Enoch, Shem , Elijah and all the other prominent Jews... Then an excerpt is read from the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians and a place from the Gospel of John, from which it becomes clear that the whole moral teaching of the marriage in Cana of Galilee consists only in the fact that when there was suddenly not enough at the wedding wine, they asked Jesus, who was present, to get alcohol, and he, like Satan in Goethe’s “Faust,” turned water into wine, thus marking the beginning of his miracles.
The priest removes the crowns from the heads of the young couple one by one, saying to the groom: “Be exalted, O bridegroom, like Abraham, be blessed, like Isaac, multiply like Jacob...”, and to the bride: “And you, O bride, be exalted, like Sarah, rejoice.” , like Rebecca, multiply like Rachel...” In conclusion, the priest mentions the marriage in Cana of Galilee two more times and the wedding ceremony is completed.
At the wedding " second marriages", i.e. married for the second time, the biblical harlot Rahab, an anonymous publican, is added to the Jews mentioned above.
- < Ритуал крещения
- Sexuality >
