Towel for a wedding: features, types and tips for choosing

Today, a wedding can be held in any style, but everyone adheres to traditions and customs. The rushnyk is an indispensable attribute of the wedding ceremony, and it is used in various customs, and there are several varieties of it. It is worth considering in more detail how to choose the right wedding towel, what types are found, as well as how to decorate it with your own hands.

The word "rushnyk" came from the Ukrainian language and translated into Russian means a towel. Initially, the rushnyk was formed from such words as “tear” or “crush”, although the word “move” is also attributed to this word. Among the Eastern Slavs, the rushnyk is symbolized with a road. According to wedding ceremonies, this attribute must be present at every wedding: it is the personification of a happy journey into the family life of young people. Today, the rushnyk is presented as a decor element, but endowed with a sacred meaning.

They began to use this familiar wedding attribute during marriage even before the introduction of Christianity in Russia. If you embroider certain patterns on a small piece of linen fabric, then in the future this will protect the family from envious glances. If such a talisman was present in the house, then it symbolized health, loyalty and prosperity, as well as the continuation of the clan.

A towel for a wedding has always been something special and very important. According to the rules, the bride had to embroider with her own hands about 40 towels for various ceremonies that were used at the wedding. Quite often, these attributes were given during the matchmaking to both the matchmakers and the guests.Of course, embroidering such a number of towels is a rather difficult task, therefore, a minimum was accepted - a future bride had to decorate 12 towels with her own hands. The rest of the towels were helped by representatives of the fair sex from her family. This indicated that the bride is quite patient and lazy.

Since ancient times, quite a lot of signs have been preserved that relate to the wedding rushnyk. It is worth familiarizing yourself with some of them in more detail.

• You should use one cloth for a towel, it is strictly forbidden to use several bushes sewn together. There is a belief that the life of the newlyweds will be poor and unhappy, if you do not listen to this sign. That is why it is usually not used for dressing a hem or lace.
• It is forbidden to rent an embroidered rushnyk. This product must be new or inherited. But there is an exception to the rule - a towel under the feet can be used only once, because you can only get a blessing once.
• Quite often, newlyweds do not know what to do with wedding towels after a solemn day. Everything is quite simple - they should be carefully folded into a box to save for future generations, as well as hide away from envious eyes.
• Wedding towels are family charms, a kind of talismans. The Ukrainian rushnyks are very popular. They are not only endowed with a certain meaning, but also protect the young family from various problems.
• A registered towel is in demand. It must indicate the names of the newlyweds, as well as the date of the solemn day of the wedding.
• If young people use wedding towels from their descendants who lived a happy and long life together, this will bring good luck to the new family.

Initially, 40 towels with embroidery should be made for the wedding ceremony. Usually young relatives in this matter helped. An interesting fact is that each rushnyk for a wedding had its own meaning. Today it is customary to use about 5 wedding towels, which are used as amulets. These items become magical thanks to the chosen thread color, embroidered symbols and their location on the material.

• Under the feet. This option is indispensable during the wedding. Initially, a young couple only knelt on him, but traditions have changed, and today it is allowed to stand on his feet. Because of this, do not depict pigeons or swans on such a towel, since these birds symbolize the spouses. There is a sign that, becoming your feet on an embroidered rushnyk, you can trample your happiness. Towels under the legs should not be decorated with lace inserts or hemstitches. It is better to decorate it with a floral pattern or geometric shapes.

• For the wedding icon. This variety is also called a deity. These towels are hung on the icons that parents use when blessing their children before creating a new family. They are characterized by bright colors, in which red thread predominates. The luxurious pattern gives them richness and sophistication. Usually they are decorated with floral motifs or geometric shapes. An option for the bride is often decorated with roses, viburnum branches, but on the product for the future husband you need to depict oak leaves and grapes.

• For the loaf. This rushnyk is called a hospitable, because it has a loaf and salt. It is with these attributes that parents meet a young family after the wedding. There are no restrictions, so the towel can be decorated with various ornaments and patterns.

• For tying the hands of the couple. Such an allied rushnyk personifies the strength of bonds between the young, togetherness, happiness and affection. Typically, such products are decorated with floral ornaments, the names of the young, as well as the wishes of happiness and love. Usually the hands of the newlyweds are bandaged during a ceremony in a church or registry office. There are no restrictions regarding color options.

• Board. These products are large in size. They are used to decorate the table. Usually they are made of waffle fabric, calico, canvas or hemp. Color schemes and patterns can be varied. They are often decorated with flowers, birds, casting grapes.

An ideal option is the independent production of rushnyk for a wedding. This duty lies entirely with the bride. The girl should be engaged in decorating the product exclusively with a positive attitude, charging him thereby with positive energy. Self-embroidered towels cannot be compared with purchased towels. But if the bride does not have time or the ability to embroider, then it is worth ordering products from professionals or buying a ready-made version in a specialized boutique.

When choosing a store towel, it is worth paying attention to several recommendations from experts.

• It is worth choosing not only to build on the cost and appearance of the product, but also take into account other indicators. For example, the canvas should be solid - it is necessary to exclude options with hemstitches or lace. When choosing a size, it is necessary that the length and width are necessarily divided by seven. Embroidery should be present mainly at the edges of the product.
• You should give preference to towels decorated with rings, birds, flowers, trees. Such options can be used for the ceremony both in the church and in the registry office. And do not forget that everywhere there is a sign of the cross.
• Before buying, the product must be checked for quality. Its edges should not be torn or cut off. The two sides should be the same, because it is accepted that the face is for people, and the wrong side is for God.
• The best option for a loaf is a towel, in the center of which a loaf will be located, so there should be no embroidery. Typically, embroidery is presented at the edges of the product.

A hand-made wedding rushnyka always looks beautiful, because it takes on a special meaning for a young couple: the bride puts warmth and love into it. Quite often they are made registered, since the embroidered names on the product make it original. Wedding towels can be decorated with beads. They look very solemn and elegant, while less time and effort is spent.

For a loaf, a rushnyk decorated with the inscription “bread and salt” will be an excellent solution. Red and black threads are in perfect harmony with each other, although red color is used more. Such a product does not differ in sophistication of the pattern, but it looks very gentle and cute.

Such a wedding towel will be the perfect choice for a wedding. Swans, two rings and a floral ornament perfectly complement each other. The product looks rich, solemn and stylish.

The wedding towel for the icon is distinguished by the size and brightness of the picture. Leaves, berries, flowers and birds add wealth to the product, personify love and happiness.

See how to make a towel towel in the next video.