Why is it customary to shout "bitter" at a wedding?

No event seems to be more interesting and romantic than a Russian wedding. This ritual is already many centuries old, and it managed to acquire various signs and superstitions that are relevant to this day. Even a modern wedding is not complete without many of them. For example, one of the main and main traditions is to cry "Bitterly" to the newlyweds, after which they must kiss. What is the reason for this feature and what does it mean?

The origins of this interesting action must be sought in the past. And there are several options for explaining why they shout "Bitter" at weddings.

Previously, weddings were often celebrated in the winter, when it was possible to take a break from crops and other harvesting activities. Legend has it that the cry "Bitter" came from one winter joy called "Slippery Hill", the essence of which was as follows: before marrying their daughter, parents made a snowy mountain in the yard and filled it with water until it freezes over.

After that, the bride herself stood at the top along with her friends, and the groom had to climb this hill to kiss his chosen one.

Our ancestors had many superstitions, which could not but be reflected in the wedding celebration. It was believed that by shouting "Bitterly" it was possible to protect a married couple from all evil spirits. The fact is that evil spirits could disturb the happy union of the newlyweds, so it was necessary to outwit these dark forces.

Shouts of "Bitter" hinted that nothing good was happening, there was nothing of interest for evil spirits. So the guests protected the young from the evil eye and evil.

Previously, during a wedding, the bride walked around the male guests, holding a tray in her hands. There were glasses of vodka on it. Everyone who drank a little of the drink had to say "Bitter", thereby confirming that the vodka is really bitter, and sweeten it with gold coins thrown on the tray. This is where the tradition of exclaiming "Bitter" began, which has survived to this day.

There is another common version of this legend: the bride herself had to sweeten the bitter drink by kissing each male guest. Such a ritual was doomed to sink into oblivion, because what kind of groom would be delighted with the kisses of his newly-made wife with other men, even if in a comic form.

Another version related to treats also takes place. The guests shouted "Bitter" to the married couple, hinting that they needed to sweeten the wedding wine with a kiss.

There is another reliable, but not entirely joyful, explanation for this tradition. In ancient times, a wedding for a bride was not always voluntary and happy. Therefore, during the wedding, the girl herself and her parents exclaimed "Bitter", thereby making it clear that it was not at all easy for them.

There is an interpretation that this cry came from the guests and also symbolized regret that the young would no longer be able to participate in youthful entertainment, because such a privilege was available only to free people.

Despite the general joy and fun, the wedding was a rather "bitter" ritual, because the bride left her family for someone else's family, the newlyweds said goodbye to their previous attitudes and habits, most of which had to be said goodbye. By shouting "Bitter" it was customary to throw out all these sad emotions, so that life in marriage would be easy, cloudless and happy. It was a kind of superstition too.

After the guests say "Bitterly", the newlyweds kiss at the same time. Previously, a similar calculation was used to determine how many years the bride and groom would live in marriage. In our time, such a tradition is jokingly treated, but in ancient times the newlyweds tried to stretch their kiss sometimes even to the number "one hundred".

Now it is difficult to imagine that the newlyweds will kiss in public for such a long time, it will be tiresome not only for them, but also for the guests. Therefore, usually modern action ends at the count of ten.

The ritual of shouting "Bitter" at the wedding was borrowed from the Russians and other peoples: Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Belarusians, Moldovans, that is, other Slavic groups. As for remote countries, in Italy, for example, they shout "Bacio", which means "kiss", while the exclamations are accompanied by the ringing of pre-prepared bells. Koreans do the same at weddings. The Spaniards exclaim "Que ce besen" which means "Let them kiss." Some English-speaking countries have a tradition of banging a fork on a glass, thereby encouraging the newlyweds to kiss.

Over time, the wedding, despite the return of tribute to tradition, has undergone and continues to undergo changes. The newlyweds each time bring something new to this event. Some conduct the ceremony in European traditions, completely moving away from Russian customs.Nowadays, there are many possibilities for planning a wedding and you can make this celebration in any style; the bride and groom do not even need to be in traditional outfits.

Not all newlyweds like even harmless exclamations of "Bitter". To get away from this ritual, you can come up with alternative versions of calls to kiss lovers. Only they must be discussed in advance with the guests so that during the celebration itself no awkward situations arise.

• You can follow the example of the Italians by handing out bells to guests. And each time, instead of "Bitter", a pleasant and friendly chime will sweep through the banquet hall. Thus, bells can be decorated, for example, engrave the initials of the newlyweds and their wedding date on them. After the celebration, these original gizmos can be left to guests as souvenirs.
• Bells can be replaced with bamboo sticks. Guests will knock them on the table when they come to see the kiss of the groom and the bride. The sound will be muffled (not as loud as that of the bells), and the guests will definitely like this unusual tapping.

• To add humor to the wedding celebration, there is the following alternative: instead of exclamations "Bitter", you can write this word on some kind of plate. And periodically, some guest will raise it so that the newlyweds see a hint. And for the groom and the bride, thus, you can make a plate so that they hide behind her during a kiss. At the same time, you can decorate it with some funny inscription for an even more interesting effect.
• If the newly-made spouses simply do not like the word "Bitter", then who prevents them from simply replacing it with another word? Imagination is not limited, the main thing is to discuss this important moment of the ceremony with the presenter and guests in advance.

Whether or not to follow long-standing traditions is a personal choice for everyone. But still, the kiss of lovers during the most important event of their life together is one of the brightest and most romantic spectacles.

What else can replace the shouts of "Bitter", see the next video.