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

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

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

This familiar attribute of a wedding began to be used 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 help protect the family from envious glances. If such a talisman was present in the house, then it symbolized health, loyalty and well-being, as well as procreation.

Wedding towels have always been something special and very important. According to the rules, the bride had to embroider about 40 towels with her own hands for various rituals, which were used at the wedding. Quite often, these attributes were presented during matchmaking to both matchmakers and guests.Of course, embroidering such a number of towels is a rather difficult task, so at least 12 towels were adopted by the future bride herself. The rest of the towels helped her to make the fair sex from her family. This indicated that the bride is rather patient and not lazy.

From ancient times, quite a few signs have survived that relate to a wedding towel. It is worth taking a closer look at some of them.

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

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

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

• For the icon for the wedding. This variety is also called a god. Such towels are hung on icons, which are used by parents when blessing their children before creating a new family. They are characterized by bright colors dominated by red thread. The luxurious pattern gives them richness and sophistication. Usually they are decorated with floral motifs or geometric shapes. The 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 a loaf. This towel is called hospitable, because there is a loaf and salt on it. It is with these attributes that parents meet a young family after the wedding. There are no restrictions here, so the towel can be decorated with various ornaments and patterns.

• For tying the spouses' hands. Such an allied towel is the personification of the strength of bonds between young people, unity, happiness and affection. Usually, such products are decorated with floral ornaments, the names of the young, as well as wishes for happiness and love. Usually the hands of the newlyweds are bandaged during a ceremony in a church or registry office. There are no restrictions on colors.

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

The ideal option is to make your own towels for a wedding. This responsibility falls entirely on the shoulders of the bride. A girl should be engaged in decorating a product exclusively with a positive attitude, thereby charging it with positive energy. Self-embroidered towels cannot be compared to purchased ones. But if the bride does not have the 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, you should pay attention to several recommendations from experts.

• When choosing, it is worth not only building on the cost and appearance of the product, but also taking into account other indicators. For example, the fabric should be solid - it is necessary to exclude options with hemstitching or lace. When choosing a size, it is necessary that the length and width must be divisible by seven. The embroidery should be present mainly on the edges of the garment.
• It is worth giving preference to towels decorated with rings, birds, flowers, trees. Such options can be used for a solemn ceremony both in the church and in the registry office. And do not forget to have the sign of the cross everywhere.
• Before buying, the product must be checked for quality. Its edges should not be torn off or cut off. The two sides should be the same, because it is accepted that the front is for people, and the wrong side is for God.
• The best option under the loaf is a towel, in the center of which the loaf will be located, so there should be no embroidery here. Usually, the embroidery is presented on the edges of the product.

A handmade wedding towel 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 personalized, since the embroidered names on the product make it original. You can decorate wedding towels with beads. They look very solemn and elegant, with less time and effort.

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

This 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 differs in size and brightness of the pattern. Leaves, berries, flowers and birds add wealth to the product, embody love and happiness.

For information on how to make a towel towel, see the next video.