How are gypsy weddings?

Gypsies are a cheerful people whose life is shrouded in their traditions and rites. Many people are interested in how gypsy weddings are held, since this celebration attracts with its features and colorfulness. Such an event has an interesting history and rules that are binding.

Gypsies often marry their children when they are infants. As a rule, such a tradition is characteristic of friendly families who want to be related. It is completely unnecessary for the bride to know that she is being married, since at this moment she is a child.

During the matchmaking, relatives from the future husband’s side are sent to the house of the future bride’s family and take two key elements with them.

• A bottle of wine, decorated with expensive coins, or a branch on which there are scarves with banknotes.
• Wedding loaf. It is a pie covered with a scarf. Relatives of the future husband should bake it independently.

If all the brought attributes would be placed on the table, this meant that the daughter’s parents were not against such a union. During the event, bride's weddings are held, the redemption amount, which is given to the girl’s father and mother, is discussed. The bride's family also contributes to the state of the young family, which is a dowry. As a rule, it consists of bedding, jewelry and other items.

Relatives on the part of the guy are doing everything possible so that the matchmaking procedure looks magnificent and certain results are achieved:

• demonstration of own solvency;
• the father and mother of the bride must agree to marriage.

The father of the young gypsy never immediately agreed to marriage, saying that he needed time to make such a decision, and the bride was too young. However, in most cases, such phrases already symbolized consent to the wedding. If, as a result, the parents give their consent, the girl herself is called and her desire is asked. The answer was clear in advance, since the daughter does not have the right to refuse her father.

The future father-in-law put a gold coin on the girl’s neck. This symbolized a ban on repeated matchmaking. If the girl was wooed even in infancy, the father of the son still gave a coin so that she would be worn in the future.

Sometimes the matchmaking could last several days. The duration of the event depended on the security of the party of the future wife - until the parents agree to the wedding, all the costs fall on the shoulders of the bride. When consent was heard, all expenses for the holiday should have been paid by the groom.

There were times when parents could marry a girl who was 9-10 years old. After the consent of the bride’s party, the groom’s parents took the girl to their home, and she lived with them until 13-15 years, after which the wedding was scheduled. Such unions were necessary in order for young Roma to grow up in the usual rhythm of the life of the nation.

The ransom of the bride is a procedure that represents the transfer of funds to the side of the bride in gratitude for the consent to marry her daughter. Using this method, the groom expressed his gratitude for the fact that his father-in-law and mother-in-law had raised a beautiful wife for him.

But also the ransom can be carried out by relatives from the future husband. Young guests from her husband come on the day of the celebration to the house where the bride lives, but the girl’s brothers do not give their sister back without a ransom. As usual, long negotiations are held with the transfer of sweets and spirits, after which a staging of “storming” the gate is played out, and the groom takes the bride out of the house.

The theft by mutual consent or in a violent form, as well as non-fictitious theft, are among the customs of the Gypsy people, but they were not considered the prevailing form of marriage. The gypsies themselves disapprove of such actions. The result of such shoots could be different: either the bride and groom managed to escape from the camp, and after a while they were taken back as spouses, or they caught up with the young, and their escape ended tragically.

Now gypsies have changed their traditions a bit. Parents do not communicate with their children in a written form, but only give advice. Future bride and groom can get to know each other better before entering into an alliance. However, the desire for kinship with respected and decent families still exists.

According to traditions, the wedding with the gypsies lasts 3 days. It is distinguished by various rites that have ancient roots. The distinguishing features of marriage among gypsies are that they do not have to attend a registry office for a wedding. For the celebration will only require the approval of the community, and divorce is not provided. Free gypsy people are used to living on the basis of their feelings, not their reason.

Since ancient times, Gypsies were among the nomadic nations, however, when settling in new places, they can take on new traditions.For example, if the family lives near the Slavs, they can resort to a wedding in the church. Until now, modern Gypsies who speak Russian are famous for their religiosity and often marry in an Orthodox church.

And also, before the wedding, chastity must be respected, along with strong moral rules. For this reason, while the wedding is taking place, even newly made spouses (until the second day) are in different places so as not to touch each other. These laws are strictly enforced in every gypsy family and are still valid.

There is a tradition of exchanging brides. During such a custom, the girl’s side gave away her daughter and took the sister of the future spouse as a bride to her son. Such an event was considered beneficial for both families, since there was no need to pay a ransom.

Gypsy wedding is an important event. Since the celebration lasts three days, it takes place in the summer so that guests can sing and perform dances in warm weather. Previously, there was a tradition according to which low tables were set at the wedding venue, carpets were spread directly on the ground. Guests were located on the carpets, so it was difficult to create such an atmosphere in cold weather.

This nation often arranges hen parties, which are also one of the wedding traditions. This event falls on the shoulders of the father and mother of the girl (the wedding itself is organized by the groom's side). A bachelorette party is held the day before the celebration with the presence of only young people. On this day, a young gypsy says goodbye to her friends.

The room or tent in which the young are located should be decorated with scarlet ribbons. This shade of gypsies symbolizes passion and should accompany everyone throughout life. And also in the home should be present a red flag. On the date of the wedding, all rituals begin to be performed at dawn.

In the bride's house, a small table is set for those who come to visit. In the morning, music begins to play live. The bride herself at this moment is engaged in her preparation and is waiting for a wedding attire, located in the home of the future husband. The girl herself has no right to dress up. When the dress is worn, a young gypsy goes to the guests and performs a dance. Then everyone goes to the wedding.

Each man’s clothing should have red ribbons. On the groom’s elegant clothes there are also white and red ribbons, only wider ones. Weddings of gypsy people attract attention with their beauty and colorfulness, fun. The bride herself is dressed in a beautiful wedding dress.

Such a tradition is present only among the gypsies who converted to Orthodoxy, but this does not affect the caste culture, which takes its roots from Indian traditions. For this reason, the blessing of the young with the help of the icon can be carried out only by the highest layer of the camp. Bread is blessed by the lower layers.

It is not common among gypsies among girls to have sex before marriage. At the time when the couple enter into a marriage, after the celebration, they close in the room.Young women go there together with two women who are witnesses of the concluded union and the fact that the girl married a virgin.

A wedding is always accompanied by such a ceremony. To show that the girl is clean, a veil was spread on the wedding bed, on which the young wife lost her virginity. If there was no blood on the sheet, the gypsy family was severely disgraced.

In families where a real gypsy wedding is held, all the rules must be respected, and the bride, who was not clean, leaves her husband’s home in disgrace, and the marriage itself is considered to be dissolved. When the virgin sheet is covered, the girl must change the white dress to red. Hair should be hidden under a scarf, which indicates that the girl is now married. After this, the feast continues.

Such a procedure is carried out between the young, when the veil of virginity is demonstrated. The procedure demonstrates the unity of blood, where an incision is made on the young arm, which they must touch. With this action, the blood on the wounds is mixed. After that, the husband and wife become relatives and must share everything with each other and raise children together.

Weddings usually take place, so many free girls and guys are invited to the celebration. In most cases, such events end successfully, and new alliances are subsequently concluded. A wedding among gypsies is a closed rite, so only your own are on it, strangers rarely appear. However, there are exceptions, but disrespectful conversations about guests are not allowed.

At the table, young people should be located nearby, and the rest of the men with women are at separate tables. The treats are laid out on special copper tables with low legs, and the guests themselves, as mentioned earlier, are located on the carpets. During the celebration, parents give parting words to their children and wish them success in family life.

A key place in the whole celebration is given to marriage information. In the evening of the first solemn day, the matchmakers or adult representatives of the camp approached the young, in whose hands was salt and a loaf. They spoke a gypsy speech: “So that you do not become unpleasant to each other, just as bread and salt do not become disagreeable with each other. As you can’t tear yourself away from bread, just as you don’t tear yourself apart. ” Young must tear off a piece of loaf and eat it with salt.

The tradition of meeting young people with bread and salt was popular among many nationsthat related to agriculture. Gypsies did not often engage in agricultural labor, but at the end of the 19th century such a rite became widespread among the nation. When asked about the life of young people, they usually said: "like bread and salt."

At a wedding celebration, guests gave newly made spouses expensive items or finances. At the presentation, they said the words: “From me a little, from God more.” It so happened that gifts could recoup the cost of the holiday.

Then the couple went to the tent, which the remaining guests left. In some cases, older women were allowed to stay. This action should take place at the height of the holiday. The culmination of the celebration is the take-out of a young shirt on a tray where scarlet flowers lie. Guests drink for the girl's parents and say thanks to them for such a beautiful daughter. All those present receive flowers from paper or scarlet ribbons that are attached to outfits and hairstyles.

After the shirt was carried out, a scarf was put on the bride’s head, an apron was placed on the skirt. From these minutes, the girl could not appear in front of other male representatives without a scarf. The hairstyle also suffered changes.Free gypsy women could braid their hair or loose their hair, and married girls braided small pigtails near their foreheads and twisted loose strands up to the pigtails. A similar hairstyle is called amboldinari.

The scarf also had to be tied in a special way: the tips are twisted into a bundle and tied behind. All changes in appearance demonstrated the transfer of the gypsy to a new social category.

On the third day, after the girl moves to her husband, a dowry is ransomed. This rite contains the details of gypsy culture, so the dowry is taken out on a cart drawn by a horse. The whole procedure is comic and occurs with musical and dance accompaniment. The dowry itself is not on display.

Consider the behavior of guests and honeymooners.

• By tradition, you can give alcohol to the wedding. The presented gift should immediately be put on the table. However, despite the large amount of alcohol, fights at a gypsy wedding are rare.
• At the festive table there are numerous treats.
• Women are forbidden to touch men so as not to defile them.

• The phrase "bitterly" is forbidden.
• The bride and groom do not perform the wedding dance.
• According to traditions, young people do not have the right to talk among themselves at a celebration. Using a similar method, a girl shows humility. She is obliged to remain silent all day, and the spouse can talk with those present.
• Men and women not only sit separately at the tables, but also dance in their own circle. A characteristic feature of the wedding is the gypsy dance.

For more information about the wedding of gypsies in Russia, see the next video.