XIV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2022

Up until the nineteenth century in England, the decision to marry was made by the parents of young people. They also organized the wedding. At the same time, the bride and groom often did not even know each other at the moment when the decision was made about their marriage. Sometimes the marriage agreement was concluded at a time when the future newlyweds were no more than seven years old. At the age of three to seven, children were even engaged. In the future, the "spouses", having reached a certain age, began to live together.

However, in the 17th century, a judge decided that marriages concluded between people where at least one of whom is under 7 years old are invalid. But if both are over seven years old, then the children could become husband and wife – for this, it was enough for the children to call each other husband and wife, hug and kiss. Of course, the children continued to live with their parents until they became adults. But at the same time, the kids were already married.

Often young people in love with each other, without receiving consent from their parents to marry, ran away and secretly got married. It was a protest against the lack of freedom in choosing a future spouse.

In 1653, a civil law was passed, according to which a civil marriage ceremony conducted by a justice of the peace was required for the official status of marriage. At the same time, it was necessary to provide a certificate of a public wedding from the parish church. If one of the newlyweds was less than 21 years old, they needed a certificate from their parents. During the civil ceremony, the exchange of rings was prohibited.

Since 1753, only those marriages that were concluded in the Anglican Church, which has a special registration, have been recognized as legal. Until 1990, it was possible to get married in a church only in the county where one of the future spouses lives. That is, it was impossible to get married secretly on someone else's territory, because the marriage would have been declared invalid.

What is a traditional British wedding in our time.

The British are used to preparing for the wedding in advance: usually the celebration takes place no earlier than a year after the engagement. Therefore, the place for the wedding is booked a year in advance, or even two in advance. As a rule, a traditional English wedding consists of several stages, which most couples try to observe.

The ceremony takes place in a church, in a registration office or an exit ceremony. Especially carefully the newlyweds prepare for the wedding in the church: it is in this case that it is important to observe the order of the ceremony in detail. Young couples almost always hold a "wedding rehearsal" with a priest, where they plan the future procession step by step.

The second stage is always a buffet with champagne and a "wedding breakfast", although, in fact, it is a real dense lunch. The name "Breakfast" is another tribute to tradition: previously, wedding ceremonies were held exclusively in the morning, and the first joint meal of the newlyweds with the guests was breakfast.

After breakfast, guests usually make speeches, then it's time for a festive dinner and a wedding cake cutting ceremony. The dancing begins. Snacks are served closer to midnight — this is the traditional scenario of the wedding program. In addition, there is usually no host at the celebration, but on formal holidays there is often a Master of Ceremony who invites guests to the table and announces the order of toasts.

And that's not all. Guests do not leave the wedding empty-handed. In England, it is customary to give them memorable gifts: small souvenirs with the wedding date, candles, wine or accessories. And now more and more couples are giving their guests perennial plants or small tree seedlings.

If we talk about rituals, it's not for nothing that the British often use the expression "tie the knot" when they talk about marriage. This phraseology originates in Celtic culture. In ancient times, newlyweds tied their hands together as a sign of loyalty and devotion. The tradition is still observed and is especially popular among those who plan to arrange a "pagan" wedding ceremony, for example, at the London Wetland Centre.

Also Valentine's Day, the world-famous patron saint of lovers. In England, they believed that the meeting

a guy and a girl on this day will certainly end with a wedding. Young people on the eve of this holiday put various gifts on the porch of their beloved - jewelry, treats and postcards. By the way, it was in England that not only "valentines" appeared for the first time, but also greeting cards in general. The custom of giving gifts has been sustained for centuries, and today the British pamper their girls with gifts. And in the past, such attentions most often ended with a wedding. Young people chose their wedding date very carefully. In England, there were many superstitions about the day and month of marriage. For example, a wedding during Lent was bound to end in a breakup. The day of the week was also of great importance. So, Wednesday was considered the most successful day for marriage.

Many different rituals and symbols were associated with the wedding itself. They always went to church accompanied by musicians, with songs, fun. Before the start of the ceremony, they carefully watched that the chimes had already struck the time – getting married at the stroke of the clock was considered the worst omen. But the rain during the ceremony foreshadowed a happy life together for the couple

A bench was placed in front of the entrance to the church, over which the bride and groom jumped together - this symbolized overcoming all obstacles and difficulties that they might encounter on the way.

When the bride walked to the altar, a girl in a long beautiful dress walked in front of her, scattering flowers or petals. This flower path symbolized a happy, prosperous married life. This custom, like many others, has come down to our days.

By the way, it was here that the tradition of bringing the bride into the house on her hands originated. The fact is that if the bride stumbled when entering a new family home, it foreshadowed misfortunes and failures in marriage. So the grooms came up with a trick – to take a young wife in his arms.

English wedding dresses.

English women prefer modest wedding dresses. Most British brides prefer dresses in white or cream color. For bridesmaids' dresses, fabric of the same color is bought as for the groom's and groomsmen's vests and ties. Bridesmaids' outfits are paid for by the bride.

Modern brides from England prefer not to leave their wedding dress for their daughter. Therefore, the wedding dress after the wedding is either sold or used in a more interesting and touching way: the baptismal clothes for the firstborn are sewn from the fabric of the wedding dress.

Brides still try to follow the old English tradition: "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and 6 pence in shoes." An old one can be a mother's bracelet, blue - underwear, borrowed - an older sister's garter, etc. Well, it's not difficult to find a new one. Sixpence is put in the shoe. By the way, decorative horseshoes on the wrists are also worn by modern brides.

The guests try to cover their heads when going to the wedding, preferring fashionable flirty hats. Bridesmaids don't cover their heads.

References:

Comparative analysis of Russian and English wedding traditions and ceremonies Cherepanova S.A., Agaeva O.A.

Kertman L.E. Geography, history and culture of England

Great Britain: Culture Across History / Великобритания. История и культура. Учебное пособие / Е.В. Воевода. - М.: Аспект пресс, 2015.

10 British Wedding Traditions Explained https://news.thediamondstore.co.uk/bridal/inspiration/why-wedding-traditions-superstitions-britain-white-dress-rice-honeymoon-bouquet-toss/

Код для цитирования: Скопировать