Following the traditions during the wedding ceremony, the ceremony of removing the veil is very often performed - one of the most beautiful ancient Slavic rites.
wedding ceremony traditions
It is rooted in ancient customs, and every action of it has a meaning. As you know, all ritual objects mean certain symbols. And veil is no exception.
The symbolic meaning of the rite in the customs of the ancient Slavs
symbolic meaning
Since ancient times, among the Eastern Slavs, a young unmarried girl wore her hair braided, decorated with a wreath of flowers and herbs. The wreath was both an ornament and a kind of hair clip; it was woven into a braid. When a girl got married, the braid was untwisted, and the wreath was taken out of her hair. From that moment on, a woman did not have the right to walk with bare hair in front of strangers, a headdress was put on her head, each nation had its own.
Over time, the wreaths were replaced by the veil, which came into the fashion and culture of the Slavs from the Western peoples. Customs gradually transformed, but the order of the ceremony has been preserved to this day. Its meaning also remained the same: farewell to a free unmarried life, and the transition to a new status - the status of a wife (that is, covering the head with a scarf). The mother-in-law put on a scarf on the head of the newly-made wife, which was the personification of the submissiveness of the daughter-in-law to the new relative, the recognition of her power.
How to perform this rite in our time
In a modern way
Of course, the wedding ceremony will only benefit if the removal of the veil is included in it, but in its modern version. You can choose one of three ways to perform the ceremony. By the way, in addition to the generally accepted one (when the mother-in-law removes the veil), the other two are also quite ancient, but their use was not so widespread. But for some peoples, the rite happened just like that.
The veil is removed by the mother-in-law - here everything happens in almost the same way as it was described in the traditional version. The veil is removed by the mother of the bride - the symbolic meaning changes slightly - in this case, it is as if the girl is transferred from one family to another. If the spouse removes the veil, this is a more personal ceremony, in this case, it should be carried out at the very end of the first day of the wedding celebration, as if embodying the transition of the bride to the status of a wife. In any case, the rite is very touching.
Then - dance with each of your girlfriends. The veil must be kept above their heads. After that, the veil is put on the head of the most beloved girlfriend, with whom you especially want to share happiness and good luck. Or, alternatively, the one that needs marriage most of all (for example, a girl has been dating a guy for a long time, but she can’t wait for a marriage proposal from him).
Some brides do not like the custom of having to wear a scarf, citing the fact that it “does not suit” them. But after all, a scarf in its pure form and is optional. Even a veil is a kind of replacement for an ancient wreath. This means that the scarf can be replaced with a beautiful scarf, cape, beret. The main thing is that the head is covered with a headdress. This is how, without sinning against the truth, you can make your wedding memorable, bright, emotional.
Which are passed down from generation, kept and revered. Of course, the modern world is already adding fashion innovations to the wedding ceremony. But still, the ancient wedding rituals are distinguished by sincerity and touching. One of these beautiful traditions is the ceremony of removing the veil.
History of occurrence
At all times, people got married and played weddings; in past centuries, wedding rituals were of great importance. The ceremony of removing the veil from the bride is rooted in distant centuries. Then married women did not go bareheaded, but always wore a headscarf.
After the wedding ceremony, the wreath and veil were removed from the bride. A scarf was put on her, which symbolized the transition from girlish life to family life.
Ritual of removing the veil at the wedding
The veil symbolizes tenderness and purity, the purity of the bride and is a mandatory attribute at the wedding. At the end of the wedding feast comes the time of the most touching custom. The ceremony of removing the veil from the bride means that the girl has become a married woman. Among the people, there are several options for carrying out this tradition. So, for example, the mother of the groom removes the veil from the bride, and then ties her head with a scarf, which is a symbol of acceptance into a new family. After this ceremony, the mother-in-law becomes a mother for her daughter-in-law, and she, in turn, becomes a daughter for her. The whole tradition of removing wedding jewelry from the head is accompanied by beautiful words, parting words and wishes for a happy family life.
And there is also such an option when the mother of the bride performs this ceremony, but before that she plays a small scene where she offers her daughter to remove the veil, but she refuses. This reflects that a delicate veil is a symbol of youth, joy and carelessness, and a scarf characterizes family life with all the difficulties and hardships. In this scene, the bride refuses to take off her veil three times, but then the mother persuades her daughter, and her head is covered with a scarf. During these actions, a beautiful and sad melody plays, which makes the ceremony even more touching, tender and impressive. In some nations, there are special songs for this tradition. Removing the veil is a symbol of the transition of the bride to the status of a legal wife. the groom and the newlywed (already in a headscarf) personifies their beginning family life. The ceremony of removing the veil is recommended to be carried out already at the end of the wedding festivities, before seeing off the newlyweds. In some villages, this ritual is performed by a young husband, who, taking out the hairpins from his hair, kisses the bride every time.
In addition, there are a number of funny and funny customs where the groom is blindfolded with a veil so that he does not stare at other girls. Also, after the ceremony, the bride dances with the veil removed, surrounded by unmarried girls. In the dance, she tries on each veil and thus wants to quickly find her beloved and get married. Some beliefs say that the wedding veil is a talisman of a happy family life, the guardian of the bride from evil spirits and the evil eye, so it cannot be sold or given away.
There are many touching old rituals that are sometimes forgotten at wedding celebrations. One of these customs is rite of removal of the veil, which is the final stage of the wedding celebration. How does it pass, what is needed in order to make it beautiful and romantic? This question worries every bride, because she so wants the wedding day to be remembered as the brightest action, in memory forever.
What started this custom?
The tradition of removing the veil dates back to ancient times, when a girl who gets married kept her virginity until the very wedding.
Where did the Ukrainian name "cover" come from? Those girls who did not maintain chastity were subjected to public ridicule: their hair was cut off and a piece of dirty linen was thrown over their heads. Such punishment was a powerful incentive to preserve their innocence until the wedding.
If a girl kept her honor, after the wedding and the festive table, the bride would take off her wedding dress, untwist the girl's braids, do a woman's hairstyle and put on the headdress of a married woman.
Often this ceremony was performed by the mother-in-law, who symbolized by this that she was accepting her son's wife into the family. It also symbolized that the mother-in-law believes in the innocence of her daughter-in-law and confirms this with her actions.
How to properly prepare for the ceremony of removing the veil?
Many brides do not want to have such a procedure at their wedding. This is motivated by various reasons: both by the fact that the hairstyle will deteriorate, and by the fact that you don’t want to take off an elegant and light veil, wreath or diadem, the choice of which took a lot of imagination and time. What can be done to make the removal of the veil as pleasant as possible?
- First, absolutely no need to wear a headscarf. Instead of a scarf, the newlyweds wear a patterned lace shawl, an embroidered piece of veil, a thin chiffon or muslin scarf. Therefore, the bride should carefully consider the headdress that she will put on after removing the veil: it is best to choose a white, matte color item, decorated with rhinestones or embroidery;
- Discuss in detail with the wedding organizer or toastmaster how you will beat the conduct of this ceremony. If you want to change something in the traditional way, it must be decided in advance;
- It would be nice to have a rehearsal of removing the veil with the future mother-in-law or groom, mother (depending on the scenario on which the bride chooses), so that they do not get confused at the celebration and do something unforeseen that will ruin the festive hairstyle;
- Be sure to select the music under which you want to perform the ceremony. It is unlikely that both the groom and the bride will like it when the whole hall will sob to the heartbreaking or gloomy, sad melody, during which the act of removing the veil will be performed: after all, the wedding should leave a feeling of a joyful, happy and bright event.
Removing a veil - procedure and actions
There are several scenarios for beating the ceremony of removing the veil, so you can easily improvise:
- One option would be to have the bride and groom sit on chairs in the center of the circle around which the guests are standing. The mother-in-law tries to remove the veil and twice the bride takes her hand away. For the third time, the mother-in-law puts a large banknote, and then dresses her daughter-in-law with a scarf. Moreover, the larger the denomination of the bill, the more warmly the mother-in-law treats her son's wife. Some mothers-in-law even wear jewelry to show how much they love their daughter-in-law and are happy to have her join the family;
- Often, when removing the veil, which is attached with hairpins to the bride's hair, the groom, after each removed hairpin, gently kisses the bride on the cheek, neck, lips, and so on, emphasizing how glad he is that the beloved has become his wife;
- Further, the bride, holding a veil in her hands, dances with her unmarried friends, holding it lightly over the heads of the girls. By this, she expresses her wish for a speedy marriage: it is believed that the veil has magical properties and transfers the energy of the aura to the bride to an unmarried girl;
- In many regions, the ceremony is played up in this way: the bride herself or with the groom goes to the center of the hall, holding an unlit candle in her hands. A mother approaches her with a burning candle in her hands and lights the candle in her daughter's hands. Next, the bride and groom join their hands and dance. And after that, the mother-in-law removes the veil and wreath (tiara, crown) from the bride's head, tying her scarf;
- A scarf, shawl, headscarf and other headdress can also be tied in different ways: at least throw it on a little, tie around the neck, nape, or gracefully throw it over the shoulders: after all, these moments will be captured in photographs, so I want to emphasize the beauty of the bride and her amazing hairstyle;
- Usually, during this ceremony, the lights are turned off, and the bridesmaids and relatives of the bride stand with burning candles in their hands. Previously, when removing a veil and putting on a headscarf, the bridesmaids sang ritual songs, lamenting a cheerful and carefree girl's life. Similarly, the mother sang a song, regretting that her daughter was leaving her father's home, and she herself became a wife, and soon a mother. Of course, now there are no such harsh conditions, and family life is not at all as harsh as a century and a half ago, but a change in marital status still places certain responsibilities on the young wife.
Of course, to adhere to traditions or not is a purely individual decision, therefore, if the bride wants to remain a beautiful queen on her holiday, you can forget about this ceremony. Sometimes it happens that the mother of the groom insists: well, the option to come to a consensus always exists: you can agree to just throw an elegant shawl or an openwork scarf over the wedding dress. Remember, dear brides, the wedding is your holiday, so do everything to make it magical and unforgettable for you.
Ritual removal of the bride's veilMy daughter is getting married soon. And at the wedding there will be a very sad and beautiful ceremony of removing the veil from the bride.
Here is what I found on the Internet about this ritual.
The rite of removal of the bride's veil.
Thanks to the song "Removing the veil", I learned about the wedding ceremony of removing the veil from the bride, i.e. we didn’t have this at our wedding, and I still didn’t even suspect about such a tradition. As far as I understand, she takes her roots from the rite of "untwisting the bride", when at the end of the wedding the girl's braids were untwisted, thereby "transferring" the bride from one rank to another.
Nowadays, brides rarely agree to the “rite of removal of the veil”, either because they are afraid to ruin their hair, or because it is now fashionable to get married without a veil at all, or maybe because this ceremony is very touching, but at the same time sad. Probably because of all this, such a beautiful and romantic rite is slowly forgotten.
If you nevertheless decide to include this action in the wedding evening program, then you should know that the ceremony of removing the veil symbolizes the bride's farewell to the girl's life and the transition to a new role - the role of wife, and soon mother.
In the old days, loose hair, not covered with a scarf, could only be worn by an unmarried young girl. And as soon as she got married, her braids were hidden under a scarf. And never again could she walk with her head uncovered. For a married woman, this was considered indecent.
How to conduct such a ceremony?
I really liked the video from one wedding, where it looked very touching and beautiful, I suggest you take a look.
There are several options for the ceremony of removing the veil from the bride:
The most common is the first option, when the groom's mother, the mother-in-law, removes the veil from the bride, thereby accepting the girl into her house and agreeing that she will become a full-fledged mistress in it.
The second option - the mother of the bride removes the veil. In this case, a whole scene is played out: the mother tries to remove the veil, and the bride breaks out, does not give in, takes her mother's hand three times. In the end, the bride agrees.
The third option - the groom removes the veil, carefully removing the hairpins from the hair, "accompanying" each with a compliment to the bride.
Instead of a removed veil, a beautiful scarf is always put on the bride’s head - the wife’s headdress. In the first case, the mother-in-law must do this (she accepts the bride as the wife of her son), in the second - the groom (thereby the mother passes her daughter into the hands of her lover), in the third also the groom (personally transferring her from the rank of bride to the rank of wife) .
After the veil is removed, all unmarried girls stand in a circle, in the center of which is the bride with a veil in her hands. And while the music is playing, the bride is dancing with all the girls in turn, holding a veil over the head of each of them - after all, all items associated with a successful marriage have magical powers and bring happiness to people.
A few notes:
Since the scarf symbolizes a heavy female lot, and the veil symbolizes celebration and beauty, the ceremony is rather sad, they often cry, so it should be done at the very end of the evening, before the newlyweds leave. If his presenter arranges it correctly, then he is so sentimental that not only the bride and both mothers will cry, but the whole "hall" ...
Scarf - do not take it literally! If we consider traditions, then the head should be covered, and how and with what ... that is. you can beautifully throw on the thinnest muslin scarf, a chiffon cut, an embroidered piece of veil ... Therefore, pay almost no less attention to choosing and buying a "shawl" than choosing a veil, otherwise you will shudder at the mere thought that they will put on a "bright woman's painted" handkerchief.
Do not delay this ceremony so that a little sadness remains in the end, but the overall impression of the wedding was still joyful.
Yes, and by the way, this tradition came to us from Moldova. If your wedding is national, then this ceremony has a place to be, and if not, then you can just forget about it.
And here are the texts that can be used in this rite:
***
OK it's all over Now!
There isn't much left.
The candles on the big table will go out.
And you will step on your way
Leaving childhood somewhere far away.
It's not a lot of pity that you left the nest,
Start carving your life now.
And that only very, very often,
Moms will only come to visit you.
A little more, the last minutes
And a tear will tremble on the cheek.
And you will understand that you will not return again,
Neither childhood, nor childishness to you.
Your veil is like a white fluff
Suddenly it will fly around, like a blossom from white apple trees.
Waving his tender scarf,
Hello for the last time from childhood.
And we all wish you a lot of happiness,
Smiles, joy for many years.
May it never go out in your soul,
Love is like fidelity a hot tear.
Never part with each other
Not in joy, not in sorrow, not in trouble.
As a sign of fidelity, beloved spouses,
Blow out the candles on your table!
***
mother's words
Remember: the house itself is a power.
Everything is there: the law is there, and the rules are their own, and the right.
You must take care of the hearth from now on hourly.
Let it burn like a light in your eyes
To never fade away.
Be able to kindle a big fire, warm your dear souls.
Manage to save warmth in the family,
To never break the comfort.
Well, my daughter, you are leaving for your husband,
After all, there are their own paths from the threshold.
Now you will see life without embellishment,
And choose where to put your foot.
There are kind words, words-rays,
Be generous with a kind word.
And there are words that sound harsh,
Do not raise a word, it is better to remain silent!
Well, my daughter, you are going to your husband.
Let it become your family, love.
But everything that will appear before you
May the sun be playful for you!
You went out into the circle of friends under a veil,
Blinded white dress
As if the color of your affectionate cherry
Showered on you in the spring.
From you the walls of the house brighten,
How good is your wedding dress!
How are you in the dance, as if weightless,
You swim like a white-winged swan.
A day, just one day will serve you
This white dress is yours...
The foam of washings will replace the foam of lace -
Vests, tablecloths, linens…
Just don't be sad about it, remember
As for the onset of gray hair
There will be a flood of winters and lightning,
White gulls and steep waves...
We must lean heart to heart,
Life so that happiness is not poor,
To the conscience of your page
They were clean, no stains.
To come true in both big and small
All your hopes and dreams
So that HE accompanied you all your life,
The white color of your today's veil!
***
Removing the veil (song)
The wedding had fun, the evening was coming
And the ceremony was waiting for the sad young woman.
Who invented it, argue and guess
Candles are lit at midnight, she should take off her veil.
Chorus:
The bride, all in tears, is leaving forever
Her colorful childhood, the veil is removed,
Saying goodbye to youth, always be happy,
Now you are not a bride, the veil is removed - 2p.
Together with her today, I want to be sad
Wedding for the bride, no, do not repeat.
So it won't be called again.
Candles are lit at midnight, take off her veil
Chorus.
***
This evening all the stars twinkled for you, all the smiles belonged to you. Let this gala evening, jokes, laughter, wishes remain in your memory!
Darling, (bride's name)! In a few minutes we will remove your veil - a symbol of youth, and you will enter a new, unknown, difficult, but wonderful life of a young wife and girlfriend. Be true to him, and remember this evening, and carry love through your life as it was today.
Dear children! Be able to make sure that all the days of your life together are as beautiful, happy, full of joy and fun as today. As a bee painstakingly collects honey, so you will be able to gather in your house the rays of happiness of your life, so that it will always be famous for its warmth and comfort.
The song is performed during the ceremony of removing the bride's veil. Text and video clip for the song "Removing the veil" performed by Ruslana Mark.
Beautiful words for the ceremony of removing the veil - it is possible to hear only one single time in your life ... Sometimes, unfortunately, the first marriage continues with the second, and third, and even fourth, but the ceremony of removing the veil can only happen once ...
I suggest that for the ceremony of removing the veil, a short narrative in prose, followed by a beautiful, solemn poem. The choice is yours. It's up to you to decide how to bring this tradition to life...
No earthly music can compare in its sweetness with the beating of a loving heart.
Henry Ward Beecher
Words before removing the veil in prose
“Mommy is the most beloved, dearest person on earth, she gave you life, she surrounded you with tenderness and care. And today mom gives her little blood in marriage ... Now mom will take off your veil.
And this moment will divide your life in half. Behind your shoulders will remain childhood and carefree youth. And ahead - you, like every girl, are waiting for a female fate. What it will become depends on the two of you. Let the groom be a kind, caring husband for his bride. And let the bride become a faithful, tender and caring wife for her husband. Now the mother will come to her daughter, touch her kind, maternal hands and take off the wedding veil...
In front of all the guests, we will place the girl's veil in a magic box with trepidation and close it with a key. We will immediately give this casket to the groom.. You should not open the casket until that happy moment, until your first-born is born. Only after the birth of a baby can you take out a wedding veil and throw a canopy over your baby's bed. Wedding veil - having absorbed the happiness and joy of today - will keep your child from dashing dashing from the evil eye.
After these words, mothers begin to remove the wedding veil...Words for removing the veil with poetry and prose
We will now perform a very beautiful and symbolic ceremony of removing the veil, as a symbol of the bride’s farewell to a carefree life, and the entry into a new, beautiful, mature life, when you need to be responsible not only for yourself, but also for your soulmate and for children.
The custom came to us from our ancestors -
Remove the veil, which is a pledge of youth,
May your house always be a warm bowl,
As soon as you cross the threshold,
Now you are together, you are one!
And therefore it is necessary
Gently remove the veil from the bride,
To give to another bride...
The last time you can touch
To your veil and girlish fate,
Already a wife... and won't come back
Neither childhood, nor childishness for you,
Let mom's hands, which are so carefully clean
They remove a cloud of veil from my daughter ...
or (if both mothers remove the veil):
Let the hands of mothers, which are carefully clean,
A cloud of veil will be removed from the bride ...
(Mommies, or one mother - carefully remove the veil)
To make a girl's dream come true
So that everything comes true, reciprocity smiled -
Try on your veil to your girlfriends,
So that every woman's happiness touches ...
(The bride tries on a veil for each bridesmaid)
Let it be sweet only
And just a little bit of bitterness
Blessing on the way -
Shout out to the lovers
"Bitterly!"
After removing the veil, the groom ties a scarf around the bride's head. Such an action implies that the man himself leads his beloved into a new family life. Now the responsibility of each other for a friend falls on the shoulders of both spouses, which they will bear throughout their life together.
