Choosing a towel for a wedding loaf

A wedding is an important event in the life of two lovers who decided to connect their lives with each other. To make the holiday a success, many still try to observe the traditions that appeared centuries ago. If you, too, believe in omens and honor the precepts of your ancestors, you should pay attention to everything, including individual attributes. And such important components as a wedding loaf and a towel under it cannot be missed and forgotten at all.

Most folk traditions with great difficulty lend themselves to the study of folklorists and ethnographers, because all this was passed from person to person and was rarely recorded until the 18th century. Many traditions were so-called unwritten rules, and it was implied that they must be followed, but knowing the original meaning is not at all necessary. Therefore, many such traditions are overgrown with speculation and fantasies.

The Slavs associated bread with fertility and vitality. This was the main food, along with cereals, vegetables and meat, there were sayings about bread (for example, "Bread is the head of everything"). So it is not surprising that such an important event as a wedding was not without this attribute. At the same time, among the Slavs, the sun god was very much revered, so the ritual bread received its round shape.

Towel (or "handbrake") also belongs to the common Slavic, ancient and extensive traditions. This is a long, narrow towel designed for drying your hands and face after washing your face. Initially, it differed from the “towel”, which was a large woven fabric, but now the differences remain only in the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages. They have survived largely because these peoples still observe the traditions associated with the rushnik.

The ancient Slavs firmly associated the shape of the towel with the road, so it became a symbol of the path as well as the connection. In children's fairy tales, you can still find references to how the main character receives a towel as a gift, which then turns into a road or a river.

This attribute is not only a wedding one. It is customary to use a towel on almost all holidays, and in each case there are special rules for its use, as well as certain patterns. The bride herself had to embroider them, as well as the bed linen, and much more - this was part of the dowry.

When served to the bride and groom, the loaf is always located strictly in the middle of the towel. Therefore, the central part of the canvas remains blank and is not embroidered. But the edges of the hospitable towel are decorated with all splendor - of all wedding towels, it should be the most elegant.

Since the wedding loaf is associated with the sun god, solar patterns, birds, flowers and leaves were depicted on the embroidery. This is all that was associated with spring and the beginning of life. The custom is connected not only with the creation of a family, but also with the annual cycle - weddings among the Slavs were traditionally held in the fall, after the agricultural season. And all the ceremonies were designed to survive the winter and speed up the arrival of spring.

The length and width of the towel must be divisible by seven, and the embroidery takes up half of the total length, located along the edges. The central part of the canvas remains completely white - it was believed that it is associated with the heavenly and divine, connecting the newlyweds with them.

Birds are most often the main ones in the patterns of the towel. You cannot embroider cuckoos and nightingales - these are symbols of lonely people. And all other birds must necessarily be depicted in pairs, with lowered wings, and look at each other. If they turn out to be turned in different directions, this promises discord in the family, and raised wings are a sign of a fighting stance, which will be out of place where it is time to show humility and accept fate.

Most often, the following birds are chosen for embroidery:

• roosters - symbols of wealth and prosperity;

• swallows and peacocks - promise family happiness;

• pigeons - symbolize loyalty and harmony.

Often depicted oak as a symbol of wisdom, viburnum leaves, hops or grapes - as a symbol of youth, fertility and wealth. The pattern in which viburnum is intertwined with acorns is also popular - this is a sign of marital fidelity and a strong family.

Another symbol of the union of feminine and masculine is the combination of the sun and eight-pointed stars. The sun, as the supreme deity, was represented by the ancient Slavs as the personification of masculine power, and the moon and stars as feminine. Usually this composition is complemented by spirals, waves or snakes that depict water. This element, according to legend, is the link between a man and a woman.

When choosing a ready-made towel, or doing it yourself, it is worth remembering a number of rules that are part of the wedding ritual. The first and basic rule is that the length and width of the towel should be divided by seven. This is a sacred number for all Christians.

In no case do not take a towel that was already used at the wedding. This is considered a very bad omen, so it's best to take care of your own, new canvas. Moreover, you should not rent wedding paraphernalia. It is also important that the canvas is integral, and not sewn from different parts, otherwise the bond between the groom and the bride will be weak and quickly fall apart.

It is quite acceptable that the patterns be printed, embroidered with threads (this is the most traditional option) or beads. There are many craftsmen in Belarus and Ukraine who can make custom-made embroidery according to your wishes. But it is better to contact them in advance, especially during the wedding season, since the process is not quick, and there may be a lot of orders.

The best option is to make your own, because since ancient times it was the bride who embroidered a towel, and sometimes her relatives helped her. Remember that you can embroider a wedding towel only in a good mood - this way you will give it positive energy. At the same time, you should not sit with your back to the window - a bad omen, so you close yourself and the product from the world.

For information on what kind of wedding towels are, see the video below.