In recent years, more and more young people are returning to church, preferring not to be limited to dry civil registration of marriage. But, of course, you need to understand that the sacrament is held not for getting beautiful photos from the wedding or being able to show off in a beautiful outfit. The process of the wedding is full of deep meaning, so you should take it very seriously
The basic rules of the wedding ceremony in the church
To begin with, the church is not allowed to marry more than three times. In the Catholic faith, the situation is even stricter. To get permission to remarry, you need, first, a very long wait, and, secondly, not the fact that it will be given.
Witnesses or guarantors, as they were called before, are required for a wedding both in the Orthodox church and in the Catholic church. However, according to the Orthodox rules of weddings, only believers who are baptized in Orthodoxy can be witnesses. The same goes for, in fact, the groom and the bride. If one of them is an atheist or considers himself to be of another faith, then the priest has the right not to bless such a marriage.
Wedding in the Orthodox Church is not held during four main posts, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, before major religious holidays, and also between Christmas and Christmas. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are very rare and require special permission.
Another unspoken rule is connected with the answer to the question, what is the wedding and why it is needed. This is not a fun event. And the church sacrament, during which the main is the prayer of the church. And the future spouses, their parents and guests should pray with the priest, behave decently, in no case stand with their backs to the iconostasis, do not walk around the hall, do not make noise, do not allow pealing of mobile phones. The ceremony lasts about an hour. And its essence, it can affect the whole life of the spouses.
Note: It's better to shoot a wedding video in an Orthodox church with an experienced cameraman who knows the sequence of the ceremony and how the wedding takes place, in order to get a movie where the accents are properly placed. This advice also applies to the photographer's choice, since the light conditions in the temple do not contribute to a good photo from the wedding. A flash is sometimes forbidden to use because of the hypersensitivity of icons and murals.
What do you need for the wedding?
So, let's think about what will be needed for the wedding ceremony.
First of all, you should prepare yourself. As Orthodox Christians, you must confess and take communion. Approximately 3 days before communion, go to lean food. You are going to the sacrament to an empty stomach. Touging in this case is a very important process. It will not be superfluous and last week to attend all services. All the same, the wedding is not just a marriage registration in a secular institution. You give yourself to each other before God and people. Therefore, it is worth taking to the ceremony and preparing for the wedding in the church very seriously. So that the sacrament will not become a wedding formality.
For the wedding in the church according to existing rules, you need to have with you:
- two icons - the Savior for the male side and the Mother of God for the female. These icons are needed for blessing during the sacrament. The ideal option would be if the images are your family inheritance. For lack of these icons can be purchased specifically. It can be an icon the Lord Almighty, the image of the Virgin "Kazan" or "Vladimirskaya". Wedding icons are brought to the church by the parents of the bride or groom. If they are for some reason not going to be present at the wedding, they can be taken with young or witnesses.
- wedding rings. Today, mostly gold products are used. But this is absolutely not necessary. The main thing in them is symbolism, not value. According to the rules on the wedding ceremony there must be different rings for the groom and the bride. For example, gold for men and silver for women. The first symbolizes the sun, the second - the moon. According to another variant, the rings reflect the meaning of the wedding, which the apostle Paul described. The sacrament reflects the unity of Christ and the Church. Unfortunately, in our time, couples often do not pay attention to church regulations and buy identical wedding rings. However, if you decide to follow all the rules, take care of this as well.
- wedding candles. Do not confuse them with wedding and do not buy in advance in secular stores. Candles are purchased in the temple. Sometimes they are decorated, but usually they look rather modest. After the sacrament, the young take the candles home and keep their whole lives.
- white towel during the rite, they lay under the feet of future spouses. He represents a long and happy family path with God's blessing. On the fabric there can be a beautiful embroidery or embossed pattern. But only white. Towel is also kept at home after the wedding. The towel should not be very large, but, at the same time, that the bride and groom do not cling to each other, but stand on it freely.
- do not forget about what documents are needed for the wedding in the church. Take, first of all, passports and marriage certificate. Sometimes a certificate from the registry office is sufficient if the church ceremony takes place before the civil registration.
That's all the attributes that you should take care of when preparing for the wedding.
To the note: the church does not greet too expensive and pretentious rings at the wedding. Some priests may even refuse to consecrate products that seem to them too pompous.
Ceremony of the wedding in the Orthodox Church
Betrothal
The wedding is preceded by the betrothal performed at the end of the Divine Liturgy. Previously, these two rites were divided in time. And betrothal could be carried out even a year before the wedding. Today, two sacraments are perceived as two parts of one.
In advance, the rings are given to the servant of the church and in the process of the liturgy are on the altar in the altar. Then the deacon takes the rings and puts them on a special tray. The priest blesses the bridegroom and the bride three times, handing over the already lit wedding candles to them. According to church regulations, candles are only part of the rite for the first time. That is, you will not need them for the second or third marriage.
To the note: wedding candles and towels in the old Russian wedding tradition should be carefully stored in the family. Sometimes wedding candles are lit for use in conspiracies.
The next step is the Orthodox priest leading the young in the temple for the betrothal. First he takes the ring of the groom and, performing the sign of the cross three times, says: the servant of God (the name) is engaged to the servant of God (name). Then the ring is put on the groom's ring finger. It is interesting that the tradition with an anonymous finger is connected with the erroneous opinion of our distant ancestors about the structure of the human circulatory system. Previously, it was believed that it was from the main artery to the heart.
After the ring is worn on the finger of the future spouse, the turn of the bride comes. The rite is repeated exactly.
Three is a symbolic number in the sacrament. Almost all actions are repeated three times. The bride and groom exchange their rings three times, confirming their readiness to love each other, to be faithful and faithful.
The priest addresses the Lord, asking for the blessing and approval of the betrothal.
So, the betrothal took place. And the couple solemnly passes into the middle of the temple. A priest with a censer always goes before them. This path symbolizes the pious path by which future spouses should go observing God's commandments.
Chin of wedding
The young stand up on the towel, which is piled directly under their feet, in front of the analo. This is a quadrilateral table directly in front of the iconostasis, on which the Gospel, the cross and the crowns are placed in the order in which the priest is comfortable during the ceremony. Those who marry before the whole church and God and people confirm their free will and pure desire to marry without bad intentions and indicate that they are not on that side or have no other promise. They answer the priest's questions in monosyllabic manner.
The next part of the rite is called the rank of the wedding. The priest makes three traditional prayers addressed to the Triune God. Then he takes the crown and after the cross signifies the groom to kiss the image of Christ on the crown. The following words are pronounced:
"The servant of God is crowned (the name of the rivers) to the servant of God (the name of the rivers) in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Similarly, the bride is also blessed. The crowning ceremony ends with the words:
"Lord, our God, crown them with glory and honor!"
They are spoken three times. And all guests and young people should echo this prayer about themselves. Not aloud, but with piety, entreaty, obedience and indispensable joy. In general, I must say that you can not be present at the wedding in a bad mood or with envy in the heart. If you do not feel very well, it's better not to spoil the holiday with your young, gloomy mood.
Crowns are placed on the heads of the married. Realizing that married husband and wife to each other is no different than the king and the queen. Then the crowns, without lowering, hold witnesses over the heads of the bride and groom.
The priest reads the chapters of the Gospel. And afterwards, together with the perpetrators of the celebration and present, the most important Orthodox prayer "Our Father" sings. Undoubtedly, the bride and groom must know it by heart.
Young people are allowed to drink wine from a common cup. It means their community, and wine is joy and fun from the holiday. As the head of the family, the husband makes the first three sips.
Joining the hands of the young, the priest covers them with an epitrachelion - a long ribbon from his vestments - and three times circled around the center of the temple around the analog. The circular procession also has its symbolic meaning. This is an endless path by which the husband and wife will go together in life.
The bride and groom return to the towel, and the priest removes the crowns from them. Then follow the final prayers and welcome words. The couple exchanges modest kisses. At the end, the young people are led to the iconostasis, where the husband should kiss the image of the Savior, and the wife - the image of the Virgin. The wedding ceremony ends with the kissing of the cross and the presentation of a couple of icons of the Savior and the Virgin.
Now parents and guests can congratulate the newlyweds. Of course, parents do this first. The wedding ceremony was held. Guests form a corridor at the exit of their temple, through which a couple passes, holding icons before them.
Wedding in the Catholic Church
The Catholic wedding ceremony differs significantly from the Orthodox. First, the couple must come to the church and announce their desire no less than three months before the wedding, if there are no conditions for an urgent marriage.
Then there are 10 meetings with the priest, during which young people are taught prayers and talk with them about marriage and its understanding in the church sense.
Often happens, that in a steam someone one Catholic, and the second - orthodox. The Catholic Church permits such marriages. But the Orthodox should make a promise and sign a certain paper, which will not prevent the education of children as pious Catholics.
There is no strict ceremony of wedding for Catholics. Its conduct largely depends on the traditions of the particular parish. Usually the process begins as an ordinary liturgy. The priest reads the chapters from the Bible and gives a rather short sermon, in which he expresses in a freestyle to the young, what are the responsibilities of the spouses in the family.
Next, the priest asks three questions about a free desire to enter into marriage, a willingness to love his wife all his life and raise children, guided by the teachings of Christ. After the answers the rector of the church connects the wrists of the bride and groom with a ribbon. Young exchange rings, which the witness gives to the groom. The "Our Father" and Intercessionary Prayer are read. And after the words "I declare you as husband and wife," the newly-born husband kisses his wife.
To note: at the Catholic wedding, the bride and groom can pronounce oaths of loyalty and love to each other, written in advance. Another significant difference from the Orthodox rite - the bridegroom waits at the altar, while the father or another relative or friend of the family leads to his bride. Behind the bride is usually followed by little girls with flowers.
As for the attire for the wedding, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches expect the bride in a beautiful dress, and the groom in a suit. However, these conditions are optional. The main thing is that your appearance is neat and corresponds to the solemnity of the moment. In the Orthodox Church, the bride's head, like any other woman in the temple, should be covered with a scarf or veil. And, of course, we must not forget about the crosses.