The wedding ceremony of removing the veil from the bride is one of the most ancient and beautiful traditions. The truth is not all and not everywhere. The greatest distribution of the ritual of lifting the veil is in Ukraine and Belarus, but in Russia it is not so popular.
Why does the bride take off the veil at the wedding?
The tradition of removing the veil from the bride goes back to the distant past. Only in those days the bride was removed not with a veil, but with a wreath, stretched with ribbons, and weaved the scythe. Previously, married women with bare head could not walk, wearing a handkerchief was mandatory for them, so after removing the wreath and unraveling the braid, the head of the newly-made wife was covered with a handkerchief. So there was a ceremony to take off the veil and cover the head of the recent bride (and now a married woman) with a handkerchief. The ceremony of removing the veil symbolizes this transition from the maidenly life to the family life.
Who removes the veil from the bride?
The ceremony of removing the veil from the bride at the wedding in the classical version is conducted by her mother-in-law. Since this ritual symbolizes not only the obtaining of the status of the wife, but also the transition to a new family, the family of the husband. But there are several ways to conduct this ritual.
- As already mentioned above, usually the veil is removed from the bride by the groom's mother, in return putting on a headscarf. In this case, the mother-in-law takes her beloved son to her family, helping her to become a wife.
- Fatu from the bride is removed by her mother. Here is a small sketch - the bride's mother offers several times to take off the veil, and the bride does not agree. Still, the veil is a symbol of joy and celebration, and the handkerchief that is put on in its place symbolizes family life with all its delights. Therefore, the bride refuses (three times) from such a "dubious honor." But, in the end, the mother of the bride manages to persuade her daughter and take off the veil. Instead of a veil, the head of the bride is covered with a handkerchief, the bridegroom does. Thus, the mother seems to transfer her daughter into the hands of her fiancé.
- The third way of carrying out at the wedding of the ceremony of removing the veil from the bride presupposes the work of the groom. He takes off the veil, gently removing the hairpin from his hair, and covers his head with a handkerchief. In this case, the husband personally transfers the beloved from the rank of the bride to the rank of his wife.
What do you do after you take off the veil?
After putting on a scarf, the ceremony does not end. The next step is to collect all the unmarried girls present at the wedding. Girls are lining up around, and the bride stands in his center, holding a veil in her hands. Music begins to play, and while it sounds the task of the bride to dance with all the girls, holding their veil over their heads. It is believed that all the items that are associated with a happy, successful marriage, can bring happiness to people.
Several remarks on the conduct of the ceremony of removing the veil
After removing the veil, the bride's head should be covered with a handkerchief. But he does not have to be some kind of painted and completely incomprehensible. It can be a light, beautiful scarf, an embroidered piece of veil or chiffon. If you are going to hold such a rite, take time to choose a handkerchief, let it be beautiful and go to your wedding party.
The ceremony of removing the veil from the bride, of course, is beautiful and touching, but it is not necessary to delay it - yet the wedding is a joyful event, and during the ritual the ladies' half of the guests often begin to sob, led by the bride. For the same reason, the ritual is recommended at the end of the evening, when it's time to escort the newlyweds.