Give a white towel to the priest at baptism. For wedding
In order for the wedding ceremony to be remembered only with positive emotions, it is important to prepare for it in advance.
Of course, the most important thing is the spiritual component of the sacrament, but we must not forget about the wedding attributes that will be needed in the church.
Making a shopping list is the best way not to miss anything.
It is useful to find out in advance what kind of donation after the ceremony is made to the church fund in the place where you decided to get married.
What to buy
wedding candles
Which is better to choose
Candles are sold in the church shop: they can be bought there on the day of the celebration or in advance.
Candles of a certain design can be found in online stores: from the most ordinary wax ones to products of various colors, shapes and sizes, decorated with small bouquets, patterned molding, ribbons, rings, hand or factory painting, glitter (sparkles), decals (images with a paper base). ), in a package or with candlesticks, etc. Their choice is a matter of taste, the main thing is that these are wedding candles.
What do you need
Wedding candles are obligatory "participants" of the wedding ceremony. This is a sign of the joy that lovers experience from meeting each other. Candles burning in the hands of the newlyweds embody the chastity of the young, the fiery and pure mutual love that they must cherish from now on, as well as the abiding grace of God.
After the sacrament candles remain with the newlyweds. They should be kept at home near the icons or in another secluded pious place and light the symbol of the marriage union in connection with some important and joyful events, on the anniversary of the marriage, or, conversely, if difficult times come. There is a belief that wedding candles can alleviate difficult childbirth.
How much are
On average, a set of candles costs from 300 to 1000 rubles.
Handkerchiefs for candles
Which is better to choose
First of all, they should be white or light colors. These can be handkerchiefs or cloth napkins, with lace, embroidery or simpler. Often in church shops you can buy specially made potholders.
What do you need
The tradition of covering hands with a handkerchief is not one century. But this is done more for practical reasons - so that they do not get dirty and burnt with wax.
How much are
The cost of special tacks is approximately equal to 800-1000 rubles. Ordinary handkerchiefs or cloth napkins are much cheaper.
What icons are needed for a wedding
Which is better to choose
These should be the faces of the Savior and the Mother of God - individually or in the form of a fold, that is, a folding icon from two parts. The choice of such icons, it turns out, is also diverse. They differ in size (from 7 × 12 and more), shape (arched or rectangular), design (in a plastic, wooden or other frame; brass, metallized, gilded, etc.; with embossing, silk-screen printing, enamel, velvet; in a case and without it, etc.).
What do you need
With their help, the priest blesses the bride and groom. In the old days, images were brought from the parental home and so passed home shrine from generation to generation .
Today, the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God are purchased in advance by the parents of the newlyweds in the church shop and given to the priest before the start of the ceremony. If the parents do not participate in the marriage, the young do it themselves.
How much are
The price range is quite wide. The cost depends on the size and materials and ranges from 50 to 20,000 rubles.
Wedding towel - "foot"
Which is better to choose
The towel, which the newlyweds will climb at the altar, should be white or pink.
In the past, the bride and groom could only kneel, today they usually stand on the towel with their feet, because there is a belief that you don’t need to choose a wedding towel with the image of rings or a pair of birds as a wedding towel: it’s better to opt for a geometric pattern or floral ornament along the edges. And the center of the canvas - the symbolic place of God - must be "clean".
A towel with hemstitch or lace is not suitable for marriage: they deprive family life of integrity. The canvas should not be interrupted in the same way as the joint life of spouses should not be interrupted.
What is it needed for
This attribute of the wedding ceremony is a symbol of the unity and purity of married life. It spreads out at the lectern and serves as a footstool for the bride and groom, on it the young, like on a cloud, rise to the Kingdom of Heaven to bless their marriage.
After the ceremony, the towel most often remains with the newlyweds: it is kept in the family as a memory and decorates the house on anniversaries and anniversaries.
What is the price
A wedding towel with embroidery costs an average of 500 to 2000 rubles, a simple towel costs less.
What rings are needed for a wedding
Which is better to choose
Traditionally, the rings of the bride and groom should be made of different precious metals: he has gold, she has silver (then, during the sacrament, the young will exchange them). This difference is symbolic.
Nowadays, this rule is not always observed, and wedding rings can even be with precious stones. Therefore, the choice of jewelry completely depends on the taste and financial capabilities of the groom: according to traditions, it is he who should buy rings - preferably on the same day and in one place.
What do you need
Rings are the central attribute of a betrothal. Before the beginning of the ceremony, they lie on the holy throne on the right - in front of the face of Jesus Christ. Thus, having touched the holy throne, they receive the power of sanctification and the ability to bring down God's blessing on the newlyweds. And the fact that the rings lie side by side means mutual love and spiritual unity of the bride and groom.
This is a multi-valued symbol. Firstly, a sign of the inseparability, infinity and eternity of the marriage union. Secondly, the incarnation of the sun, to which the husband is likened; the silver one personifies the moon - a smaller luminary and radiating light reflected from the sun.
The actions performed with the rings during the sacrament are also of great sacred importance. So, the exchange of jewelry speaks of love and willingness to sacrifice everything and help all your life - on the part of the groom, and about love and devotion, readiness to accept this help throughout your life - on the part of the bride.
How much are
The price of engagement rings will depend on the metal from which they are made (do not choose a combination of metals, as this is considered bad luck) and the presence or absence of precious stones.
Wedding set
Which is better to choose
The range of wedding sets today is also very wide. They differ in the number of items, style and cost. The set usually includes a towel, towels, napkins for wedding rings, potholders for candles.
What is it needed for
Buying a wedding set will save the bride and groom from the need to purchase all textile wedding accessories separately, selecting them according to color and design, and will save them valuable time .
What is the price
On average, a set of 4 items costs 1000-2000 rubles, and of 7 - 3000-5000 rubles.
Red wine
Which is better to choose
Traditionally, red fortified wines are bought as a drink for the “chalice of communication” ritual. Cahors or Sherry .
What do you need
The red wine offered by the young priest is a symbol of their true love: the fresh water of their true feelings should turn into a strong drink from year to year.
What is the price
A bottle of good Cahors or Spanish sherry can cost from 700 to 7000 rubles.
What else do you need to bring to church?
In addition to all of the above, newlyweds should take the following documents and items with them:
- Passports .
- Marriage certificate(except for those rare cases when the wedding - in agreement with the priest - precedes registration in the registry office).
- Pectoral crosses(they should hang around the neck).
How much does a church wedding cost?
A similar question interests everyone who is preparing to go to the altar, but it sounds fundamentally wrong.
It is important to understand: the sacrament of the wedding itself does not and cannot have any monetary value, that is, it is carried out absolutely free of charge.
There is an ancient custom after the rite leave a donation in the church. Previously, young people had to bring freshly baked bread wrapped in a linen towel to the temple as a token of gratitude.
Today, the gratitude of the young is more often expressed in terms of money - as much as they can. There are, of course, some approximate limits (from 500 to 1500 rubles).
It is better to clarify such a delicate moment with your priest: accepted the size of the donation may depend on the locality, a particular church, positions of the local clergy, etc.
Everyone's financial situation is different, and sometimes newlyweds are not able to make a large donation for the sacrament. In any temple, this will be treated with understanding: after explaining the situation to the priest, the young people can leave the amount that is feasible for them.
The answer will be given to you in the church shop of any temple: candles, icons, scarves ... But not everyone knows why this is needed, what features wedding paraphernalia has, and how to make the right choice.
In the first centuries of Christianity, there was no clearly defined sequence of church marriage - the bride and groom only received a priestly blessing. The oldest surviving Byzantine manuscript of the marriage ceremony dates back to the 8th century. The prayers written there have been preserved in the order of the Sacrament to this day.
As in the first centuries, the wedding ceremony is still strikingly different in different Orthodox churches. Keeping one semantic and symbolic content, the Sacrament is supplemented by various attributes that were introduced by the customs of each people.
In the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, one can see the original Slavic customs - tying hands, exchanging rings, standing on a towel, walking around the table. Accepting all these elements, the Church consecrated them and filled them with Christian symbolic meaning.
The white wedding towel symbolizes the clouds - the stay of the young in the sky during the Sacrament.
The burning candles of the newlyweds symbolize the spiritual triumph and the light of Divine Grace.
The icons are consecrated by the priest on the altar, he blesses the bride and groom with pastoral instruction - this custom has been preserved since the time when the parents blessed the icon.
wedding towel
Traditionally linen and embroidered. Birds (falcons, turkeys, peacocks, roosters), floral elements or folk ornaments are usually embroidered. Our store presents a variety of towels and wedding sets with gold, white, red and colored embroidery, satin stitch and a cross. The wedding set, in addition to the towel, includes embroidered scarves for the newlyweds - to hold candles during the wedding.
wedding candles
Should be large - to continuously burn for 30-40 minutes. Often they are decorated with gold crosses, ornaments and rings.
Icons and folds
According to Russian tradition, the groom is given the image of the “Lord Almighty”, and the bride is given the icon of the Mother of God “Kazan”, but there may be other Savior and Mother of God.
In our catalog you can find handmade images, decorated with beads, pearls, natural stones, enamel, with carved salaries or in velvet cases, gilded and embossed. Such icons will become a unique family heirloom that can be passed down from generation to generation.
If you begin the Sacrament of Baptism, you must prepare a white baptismal towel. Any new terry towel will do, preferably pure white. When a child is baptized, the beneficiary wraps the baby in a baptismal towel or diaper, taking him out of the font.
The Baptism.ru store offers special christening towels with an embroidered Orthodox cross for babies of all ages, as well as for adults.
Also in our store you can order personalized embroidery on a baptismal towel or diaper.
The Baptismal Towel for the Baptism of a Child The baptismal towel is one of the items that responsible parents and godparents try to prepare well in advance of their precious baby's Baptism. Baptism is such a Sacrament of the Church, the significance of which can hardly be overestimated. Even if the close people of the baptized by the mind do not realize the full depth of the event, their hearts are still filled with jubilation and inexplicable joy from its experience. All baptismal accessories and things play a certain role in the performance of the Sacrament of Baptism. Now we are talking about the role of the baptismal towel. The role of the baptismal towel The baptismal towel welcomes the newly baptized baby being taken out of the font into its arms. Like the christening gown, the christening towel is traditionally white. After Baptism, the Lord carries a person on the wings of His grace. A sinless child shines with angelic purity. White symbolizes this purity and sinlessness. Soft and fluffy towel should please the delicate skin of the child. After Baptism, this towel is often left as a keepsake, not used for domestic purposes. If you still want to use it in everyday life, then you will need to rinse the towel in a basin with a small amount of water, and then pour this water into an untrampled place, for example, water indoor flowers. This is due to the fact that blessed water for Baptism and holy myrrh, with which the priest anoints the child immediately after Baptism, gets on the baptismal towel.
What are christening towels?
Baptismal towels are available in white or light colors. They can be decorated with the image of the Cross, personal embroideries. An elegant baptismal towel will be kept as a bright memory of the perfect Sacrament of Baptism and a reminder of the promises made to God during its performance. There are pious mothers who, during the illness of a child, apply with a prayer to the Lord to the baby his christening clothes or a towel for Baptism. Children with God's help get healed faster. These actions have their own logic, since both the clothes for Baptism and the baptismal towel have droplets of blessed water for Baptism and holy peace on them. Baptism towel as a gift. Often godparents prepare a towel for Baptism as a gift to their godson or goddaughter. This gift will be especially memorable if you decorate it with personalized embroidery. If you think over this issue in advance and contact our Baptism online store, you can pleasantly surprise the baby's parents and leave a memorable gift for your godchild. Where to buy a baptismal towel? You can buy a baptismal towel in advance in specialized stores, some church shops. Buy a baptismal towelWe have the opportunity to bring to your attention a fairly wide selection of different baptismal towels at an affordable price. The site contains photos of goods, their brief description. We will be happy to help you prepare for the great Sacrament of Baptism!
According to tradition, at least 40 towels are used in the wedding ceremony, and five need to be prepared for the wedding. Then this required attribute is needed and what does it symbolize? We tell you how to choose the right wedding towel and what to do with it after the sacrament.
A towel is a piece of fabric, most often linen, with an ornament embroidered along the edges. In Russia, up to 40 towels were prepared for the ceremony, including for icons, to decorate the wedding “train”, for boyfriend and girlfriend, a special towel that the bride brought to her husband’s house.
Today, five types of accessories are needed for a ceremony in a church:
- two for the bride and groom;
- under the loaf;
- for binding the hands of the young;
- wedding towel, which is laid under the feet during the ceremony.
If earlier there was a strict rule - the bride and groom knelt on the towel in front of the priest, today it is allowed to step on the accessory with your feet.
Signs and traditions
A number of traditions and beliefs are associated with the wedding towel.
During the time, they make sure that no one, except for the young, steps on the wedding towel and takes away a piece of the happiness of the newlyweds. 
Of particular importance is the ornament applied to the towel. Patterns have a certain symbolism:
- eight-pointed star- a sign of the Sun and God;
- wavy lines- infinity of life;
- vine symbolizes fertility and prosperity;
- flower buds- procreation;
- viburnum and mallow associated with the image of the bride, these patterns denote beauty and chastity;
- pair of pigeons- a symbol of marriage, love and fidelity.
Interesting! The snow-white wedding towel symbolizes a cloud on which a couple of spouses rise to God for marriage in heaven. At this moment, the newlyweds seem to break away from the earthly world and find themselves in the Kingdom of Heaven for the blessing of the Almighty.
Selection rules
A towel is a symbolic attribute by which the future family life of a couple was judged, so the choice of this important accessory was taken seriously. For a wedding, only a towel made of a solid canvas is suitable. There should not be any lace and openwork inserts. Also important is a solid uninterrupted ornament, which symbolizes a long and happy marriage without shocks. 
Beliefs say that you should purchase or make your own towel with a geometric or floral ornament, choosing a pattern depending on its symbolism.
The pattern does not have to be symmetrical. It can only be on one side. The main thing is that the embroidery should be only around the edges. The center of the accessory, which was called God's place, should remain free from patterns, because young people stand on the towel with their feet and can trample on their happiness. There should not be on the wedding towel and inscriptions with wishes.
Advice! The length and width of the attribute does not matter, but two people must fit on it - the bride and groom.
Traditionally, a white or pink towel is chosen for a wedding. It is these colors that symbolize the purity of thoughts, the tenderness with which the future spouses will go through life hand in hand, and at the sacred level - the sky and clouds.
Price
A huge range of wedding accessories is presented in city and online stores. The cost of the attribute depends on the quality of the product, material, dimensions. A hand-embroidered ornament is valued more than a pattern applied with a machine tool. The price of a towel under your feet will average from 500 to 2000 rubles.
Significantly save money, you can embroider a towel yourself. This is exactly what the girls in Russia did. The brides themselves chose the ornament, taking into account the symbolism of the patterns. It was believed that the towel embroidered by the bride would serve as a strong amulet for the family. Such an accessory was also an indicator of the girl's diligence.
For embroidery, natural threads - silk or wool - were used. Acrylic patterns embodied the artificiality of intentions and feelings. Towels were embroidered during daylight hours and certainly in a good mood, so that the future family life would be happy and prosperous. Work was advised to start on Thursday morning. It is important to ensure that the wrong side of the pattern is no less accurate than the front side, so that the marriage proceeds evenly and smoothly.
What to do with the towel after?
After the wedding, all the attributes, including the towel, are carefully stored in the house. This is not just a decoration and a reminder of a significant event in the life of the spouses. stacked in a chest or hung in a conspicuous place. Some believe in a sign that the accessory must be twisted into a tube during storage in order to protect the family from the evil eye and evil spirits.
The towel, on which the newlyweds stood in the temple, becomes a family talisman and a symbol of a strong marriage. It is customary to get it and use it during the celebration of a wedding anniversary.
Useful video
When purchasing wedding accessories:, icons and, do not forget about the towel. After all, this accessory can not only decorate the ceremony, but also become a symbol of a new family. About what it is, what kind of towels are and why they are needed - in the video:
Conclusion
Not a single wedding is complete without a towel. In order for family life to be prosperous, they try to choose the right ornament and make sure that the patterns are embroidered neatly. However, do not forget that it is good to have a family amulet, but spouses have to forge family happiness daily and tirelessly.
Olga Timonina - Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, teacher of the Sunday School of the Dormition Church in Kolmovsky which should be hidden from prying eyes. The vine, the bunch, the tree of life embroidered on the towels symbolize the Kingdom of Heaven, in which those who are getting married should find themselves.
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The art of weaving and embroidery has a long history, it has been known since the time of the Old Testament, where women are mentioned, wise in heart, spinning for Solomon's temple and making skillful fabrics. According to the Biblical texts, God Himself filled their hearts with wisdom, "to do all the work of a skilled weaver and embroiderer on blue, purple, scarlet and fine linen." Archaeologists know fragments of embroidery that have survived from the time of Ancient Egypt and the heyday of the Babylonian culture; fragments of embroidery are also found in ancient Slavic barrows. The East is generally considered to be the cradle of embroidery.
The distribution of embroidery in Ancient Russia is evidenced by the finds of archaeologists dating back to the 9th-10th centuries, the time of the baptism of Russia. At this time, gold embroidery became widespread. Its motifs and patterns were adopted from Byzantium. Gradually, embroidery has become one of the most beloved and widespread types of needlework. By the 19th century, as evidenced by ethnographic materials, in Russia all women already mastered the art of embroidery, they embroidered fly and towels with wool, linen, silk, and gold. In folklore texts we find references to this:
She sewed and embroidered a fly,
Sheela embroidered with pure silver,
She scribbled lines in red gold.
There were also woven towels, which was also reflected in folk poetry:
As in that yes in the light room
How the red-haired girl sat here
Annushka's soul wove a cloth,
Joy Karpovna and Mitkaline,
That there are circles of gold around the edges,
Falcons are clear in the corners ... "
In the embroidered patterns of towels, as well as in folklore texts, folk ideas about the universe are revealed, which is crowned by the Church of God.
I note that such names as Makosh, Dazhdbog, Perun, etc. in folklore texts, if they are mentioned, then as idols and with the epithet "nasty".
The embroideries of the 19th century are the most preserved and have survived to this day; among the museum exhibits of this time, towels are common embroidered works of folk art.
The use of embroidered towels is still closely connected with folk Orthodox customs and rituals. In the sacrament of the spiritual birth of an infant, immediately after the font, the recipient receives in baptismal shrouds. On the towel - the foot stand young people in the sacrament of the wedding. An ubrus or a god covers icons in churches and in the holy corners of modern houses. Icons are carried on embroidered towels during religious processions, towels are hung under the icons in churches, towels are covered with a lectern, a towel is given to the Church on the fortieth day as a commemoration of the soul, towels are donated to the Church before wedding and baptism, bread and salt are brought to the young on a towel, the priests use the towel in the altar, they wipe the icons.
However, most art historians, ethnographers and cultural scientists speak mainly about obsolete pagan rites, rituals and folk superstitions associated with patterns and the use of towels. These interpretations are often speculative. At one time, Rybakov made an attempt to generalize and systematize all the material about pagan beliefs, reflected, in his opinion, in Russian folk Orthodox art.
Scientists are still considering all the archaeological and pictorial material, which is in a large chronological gap between the Scythian-Sarmatian antiquities, on the one hand, and the ethnographic collections of the 19th - 20th centuries. - on the other hand, from the point of view of ancient pagan beliefs.
Now, after scientists have studied all the historical and ethnographic data about the Slavic deities and the rudiments of this cult in folk culture, we can begin to consider the ritual role of towels in the Orthodox tradition.
Depending on the use in the old days, the towel was called differently. There are about 30 titles in total. The most ancient of these names is "ubrus". In this name, Orthodox tradition preserves the true reasons for the special veneration of the embroidered and embroidered towel and the breadth of its ritual use in folk Orthodox culture.
According to this Eastern tradition, the 4th c. AD, the first icon was the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands, which was imprinted on a towel with which the Lord wiped His Face. Thus, a towel is a thing chosen by God Himself for the miraculous imprint of His Image in the first centuries of our era.
In the Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by Vladimir Dahl, we find references to the following towels and their ritual use in Orthodox rites: "UBRUS m. on the images of the saints, or not a forged icon setting at all, but an embroidered, scolded, embroidered, female work. Newlywed ubrus, old. honorary fly, offered to the young, to bow; this article turned into a tax, and in places, in our time, the fly was levied from the newlyweds, as a tribute. And whoever gives his daughter in marriage, and he gives the volost, for a raised ubrus, four money, Acts. Wiping his tears with a ubrus, chronicle. Ubrus okladets. DEVOTIONER, GOD M. resin towel hung on the icon.
veil in general, a wide, or sewn with panels, fabric, to cover what; fabric, for wrapping, wrapping what. The table is covered with a white veil, a tablecloth. The windows are hung with colored shrouds and curtains. Bedclothes, sheets. Coffin shrouds, a shroud, into which in ancient times, and other peoples to this day, corpses curled. || Ubrusets, hung under the icon, often embroidered with gold, strung down. On the image of an ubrus, under the image of a veil. A baby's veil, a diaper, a sheet in which they wrap him up until he wears clothes. || Church. boards, with a sewn cross, to cover the throne and the altar. What is the veil (i.e., fabric), such is its price. I'm still in diapers - and my laziness is from the calf! Holy husband, just wipe with a veil, but let him go to heaven. Deer in diapers. Swaddle cover, sling. Sev. stare pron. sing and sing: probably sing one root from the sang, meaning: to expand, stretch far and wide. LENTIE cf. Greek church washcloth, fly, towel, handbrake. ORDINARY TOWEL, ordinary, ordinary, sowing. east one-day, one-day, daily, made in one day, lasting one day. There is an ordinary church in Moscow and Vologda; according to legend, they were built by the world in a day, according to a vow, after a plague or pestilence: the Vologda Spas was celebrated in 1618. This is an ordinary way, to go or go a day. Everyday, west. towel, fly on the icon; spinning and turning, according to a vow, a day. For a good groom, she promised the Mother of God an ordinary woman.
In the Sacrament of Baptism, the veil symbolizes the spiritual purity that the person being baptized acquires. During the sacrament of the wedding, the towel-foot also marks the purity and sanctity of marriage, marital fidelity. In this sacrament, the bride represents the Church that loved Christ, and the bridegroom represents God Himself, who loved the Church of Christ. The footstool of the Lord in the Biblical texts is called the ark of revelation (cf. Ps 79:2; 98:5; 131:7; 1 Chron. 28:2; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Sam. 19:15), which the word commands to worship God's (Ps. 98:5; 132:7). The meaning of the prototype of spiritual purity and reverence for the shrine is also preserved behind the veil under the icon and the robe, the god, the pious, covering the icons and in the images of towels in fresco painting. Their symbolic meaning is akin to the symbolic meaning of titles over letters in the Church Slavonic language.
Until now, a towel consecrated in the sacraments of Baptism or Wedding has become a family relic and is kept in the red corner. Each pattern on it for believers is not just an ornament.
Researcher of Christian church archeology A.S. Uvarov wrote: “Here each image has its own symbolic meaning, corresponding to a well-known concept or a well-known expression ... The main source for symbolic images (Christian - O.T.) were pagan monuments. The works of pagan writers also served to borrow famous expressions or typical formulas ... in choosing symbolic images, Christians relied on the works of St. Clement of Alexandria (? - until 225), the head of the Alexandrian theological school, striving for the unity of the Christian faith and Hellenic culture, as well as other contemporary authors. It was St. Clement who pointed out the convenience of using Egyptian hieroglyphs for the symbolic language of Christians.The signs of the boat, bird (dove), fish, lyre and anchor were originally borrowed from them.St. Clement advises Christians to expand the language of symbols, but at the same time shun those that resemble the abomination of some sacraments of pagan deities, human sacrifice and so on bnoe. The Primate Church listened to his advice. The language of symbols began to be replenished, first of all, with new borrowed from the Bible books or those symbols that were mentioned by church writers preceding St. Clement."
We list some of these symbols found in Christian symbolism and interpreted in detail by A.S. Uvarov. To the prototype of the boat (the Church on Earth and Heaven), over time, a mesh ornament was added (network, seine - the Kingdom of Heaven), a trident (a sign of the apostolic ministry, trapping human souls by faith in the Holy Trinity). From plant signs, the following prototypes can be distinguished. The vine is Jesus Christ, the branches are His disciples, the grape bunch is the blood of Christ and the holy martyrs. The Tree of Life is the Shaft of the Cross of the Lord, the Church of Paradise, the Wisdom of God. A tree, a flower - a righteous person, a family tree of a righteous person, flowers on it - righteous human souls, two flowering trees - Paradise, the stay of holy souls in Paradise. Grass, leaf - the frailty of human flesh. The fruits are the fruits of the virtues, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual maturity of the soul. Wreath - honor, glory. The sown field is the world. Grain, seed - the Word of God sown into the world, the Sons of the Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. The bowl (barrel), spikelets are a sign of the Eucharist (communion), the same as bread and wine. From the zoomorphic symbols of the Bible books began to be depicted a deer - a prototype of Christian humility, a horse - a symbol of serving the Lord and submissive following His Will, a prototype of an entire nation or a person led by God, a lion - an unlike image of our Lord Jesus Christ, two lions - Heavenly Forces helping the righteous . The bird is a prototype of a prayerful soul, eating the fruits of virtues, a peahen is a prototype of incorruption and immortality, a rooster is a sign of the Resurrection. Finally, anthropomorphic signs. The horseman is an angel or a person fulfilling the Will of God, a female figure is the Earthly Church, hands raised up are the prayer of the Earthly Church.
There are also borrowed geometric signs. And this is not the whole list of symbols considered by Uvarov on the basis of church archeology and tradition of the Church. All of them are found in embroidered compositions on towels, flyers, valances and on the clothes of Orthodox peoples. A lot has been written about each of these signs in twenty centuries of preaching the Christian faith. Apparently, the Russian people were very well acquainted with the oral tradition of the Church and with these written sources, since there is no such folk pattern in which Orthodoxy would not be preached. We meet the same signs in Orthodox church architecture, and on altar barriers, and on the fabrics of priestly vestments, and on embroidered peasant towels.
Of course, the color of embroideries also has its Orthodox meaning. And to this day, on all holidays, Orthodox priests put on festive clothes of a certain color, and on Easter during Divine Services they take off their dark Lenten robes and put on clothes of all festive colors, in turn. Crowning this rainbow of colors in the Easter sequence is white. The same symbolism of color also takes place in the color of the domes, by which it was possible to determine from a mile away in honor of which event the temple was consecrated. Let us consider how the symbolism of color correlates in the centuries-old art of the Orthodox Church and in oral folk art.
Red (scarlet, crimson, burgundy, pink) color. In a folklore word: “Combed my dear curls, my joy! According to the scarlet caftan, my hope!”, “Yes, and all the flowers of scarlet, one of all is all the best, and even all the friends are nice, one of all is nicer.” Red in Russian folklore is a synonym for the beautiful, sublime, having royal dignity, dedicated to Christ. It is the color of the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, the color of Easter joy, the joy of eternal love and eternal life. It is this color that is mainly used in folk embroidery. It is no coincidence that the wedding, wedding sundress was red.
White color. In folklore texts: "white face", "white hands", "white as a swan". In Russia, they embroidered in red on white and white on red. White is the color of unearthly purity and holiness, the color of divine, angelic dignity, the color of spiritual transformation.
Silver and gold color. The color of the holy saints of God, which in sacred texts are compared with refined gold and silver. Angels are girded on their chests with golden ribbons, the Lord promises the righteous golden crowns, crowns of glory and honor. Brocade gold and silver vestments are worn by priests on the days of remembrance of the saints.
Immaculate young people entering into a God-blessed marriage are crowned with gold and silver crowns, adorned with pearls and expensive stones, in the Church, it is customary to exchange rings during this ritual. About the New Jerusalem, garnished like a bride adorned for her husband, the Bible says: the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
In folklore texts: “golden ring”, “golden ring”, “golden crown”, “pearl crown”, “He dresses in goat boots, he equips himself in a colored dress, he looks like, well done, in God’s Church ... He’s a cross - he lays down according to the written, he himself makes the Jesus prayer, worships on all four sides, his curls curl in three rows. In the first row they curled with pure silver, the second time they curled with red gold, in the third row they curled with pitched pearls. "She sewed, embroidered with pure gold"...
Blue (blue, azure) color. The color of the heavenly, virginal purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Priests put on clothes of blue and white shades on the days of the memory of the Most Holy Theotokos, incorporeal forces, virgins and virgins.
In the works of folklore: "like an azure flower - our girls are red", "she enveloped the blue caftan".
Green color. The color of the Holy Spirit, which gives life to everything, It breathes everything, everything grows and flourishes. Green is the color of eternal life, the color of unfading gardens of Eden, which do not know death and decay, the color of the eternal spring and summer of the Lord. In green vestments, priests come out on the Day of the Holy Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, and on the days of remembrance of the saints, ascetics, holy fools, filled with the Holy Spirit. In the sacred texts, Lebanese cedars, green vineyards, flowering herbs, dense foliage, branches - represent the righteous, the withering of herbs and flowers - the frailty of human life, dry herbs - sinners.
In folklore texts: "the grass ant is green", "my willow is my willow, with grapes a twig", "what a grass for an ant! What a daring fellow", "Not ripe, the green (cheryomushka) cannot be broken, - without recognizing, the red girl you can't get married."
Black color. Monastic vestments are black. It symbolizes detachment from the world, deep repentance, deep self-contemplation, as if the constant stay of the human soul in hell, looking with hope at the Lord, death to sin. It is the color of earth and decay. During Great Lent, the priesthood wears dark clothes in memory of Christ's tortures on the cross, His burial and descent into hell. In museums in Russia and in private collections there are samples of men's shirts with black thread embroidery on white.
In folklore texts: "black melancholy - kruchinushka", "black blueberry, red strawberry", "my blueberries, my sisters", "black cassock". All these colors and symbolic signs have been known since the era of the Upper Paleolithic, with the adoption of Christianity, they were all rethought, in the Word of God (in the Bible) they were returned to their God-given and original meaning. The search for various pagan pre-Christian interpretations of the Indo-European patterns, of course, is of scientific interest, but they have nothing to do with the art of the Russian Orthodox people.
Olga Timonina
Quoted from:
Ritual role of towels in the Orthodox tradition //
Notes of the Branch of the Russian State Humanitarian University in Veliky Novgorod. Issue #8
