Marriage is an event that is expected to only happen for life and is something very valuable. Marriage is a happy day for two people who love each other. And they finally united. Then marriage is a holy day full of love that must be welcomed with joy.
Therefore, there are lots of traditions to celebrate weddings. And of course, the traditions of each nation are different, according to their respective mindsets and cultures. Likewise with the Siberian community in carrying out the wedding ceremony.
Siberia is a vast area located in Russia and north of Kazakhstan. Siberia covers almost all of northern Asia. 75% of the Siberia region is in Russia. Siberia has a small population, only around 3 people per square km. However, marriage is a way to increase their population. and siberia is an area that still carries out various traditions in every event. One of them is tradition during the wedding ceremony.
Russia is a country that is very rich in history and culture. Wedding ceremonies in Siberia are of course different from the wedding ceremonies of other regions such as Dagestan, Ingushetia, or the big cities of Russia. perhaps, many people who live in the big cities of Russia have left many traditions of marriage and choose to follow the style of western marriage. Unlike the Siberian population. Many of them still choose to do traditional marriages. And the one who did it was a resident of the Altai Republic, in parts of South Siberia. And of course, this is very interesting for us to discuss.
The traditional wedding ceremony in Siberia is very unique and will impress you. For those of you who really want to know how they do the wedding ceremony, we will discuss it in full in this article. Here are 7 traditional wedding ceremonies in Siberia, Russia.
- Twin Tree
This is a very unique tradition in the wedding ceremony of the Siberian community. In the village of Kosh-Agach, there is a tree named “Twin Tree” which grows on a barren landscape. During the wedding, branches of the tree will be planted, as a symbol of the bride’s family. Then, under the branches of a tree that had been planted they lit a fire with oil and cotton. At this time, the whole community gathered to celebrate. Because lighting a fire is a sign that the wedding celebration will begin.
Maybe there is a meaning behind this tradition. Twin trees grow on barren land and can still survive, they expect that the bridegroom and bride’s family will be like a Twin Tree. Stay together and survive in any situation. What do you think?
- The Groom Buys The Bride’s Wedding Gown
Unlike weddings in general, both brides and groom buy a wedding dress to the store. Siberian people have a tradition that the groom will choose and buy a wedding gown for the bride by himself. And most of them buy traditional clothes to wear at the wedding, and still buy white dresses like ordinary bride. Their tradition is indeed very unique. Makes us think exactly what each tradition means. This tradition is carried out as the responsibility of men to women. And he must treat women well, always and forever. And it starts on their happy day.
- Wedding Curtains
Wedding curtains are an equally unique tradition. Wedding curtains are a tradition that is always done during the community wedding ceremony in Siberia, Russia. the groom’s family member is the one in charge of bringing the wedding curtain. This wedding curtain is light blue and a little white and not so big. then the wedding curtain is hung in the bride’s room, in the house where the bride is hiding.
Actually the meaning of this wedding curtain is a meeting between the groom’s family and the bride’s family. The families of the two brides may have known each other well, but the tradition states that they still have to introduce themselves to each other on the wedding day. And this is the right time, namely when the groom’s family carries a wedding curtain to hang in the bride’s room. They will chat with each other at the bride’s house before hanging the wedding curtain in her room. Very unique, isn’t it? They are well aware, that marriage is not only the union of two people who love each other, but also the union of two families.
- Dress The Bride
After the wedding curtain is hung, the bride uses her wedding dress. And of course she uses traditional siberian dresses. Straight dress with a combination of red and white. In addition, this dress is also paired with a red hat that is quite high. This long-sleeved dress is so simple and very shows siberian charm. After the bride wears her dress, she is escorted by relatives to the groom’s house.
- The Bride’s Hair Is Arranged With A Mixture Of Milk And Pine Needles
If usually the bride’s hair is arranged by a hairstylist, then the tradition in Siberia is different. The bride’s hair is arranged by the sisters and relatives of the groom. They arrange the bride’s hair with a mixture of milk and pine needles. They also make brides hair with two braid models, which is of course very rarely done at regular weddings. This two braid hairstyle is a style for married siberian women. This tradition is truly interesting and unique!
- Head Of Lamb And Meat Broth
The groom holds a plate with a sheep’s head and a piece of meat. Guests gave a prayer for the blessings of the two brides. Relatives also lit fires to respect their partners, and the groom put meat to cook.
After that, the bride poured a cup of meat broth into the fire. According to this tradition, the higher the flame, the more fortunate the bride will be in her household.
- “Love And Happiness”
On the day of the wedding celebration, there is always a motto posted on the wall with Russian writing. The motto is “Love and Happiness”. This motto is the hope of the Siberian people to get married every time. A hope that the households of the two brides will always be filled with love and happiness.
Those are 7 traditional wedding ceremonies in Siberia, Russia. The 7 traditional wedding ceremonies above show that the Russian people really value brotherhood and marriage. And they still uphold these traditions to date. All people are happy and present if someone is married.
You need to know, that the Siberian community does not only hold marriages with traditional events. After conducting a traditional wedding ceremony, the two brides change their clothes with western dress. And they also carry out parties with delicious music and dishes. They do modern marriages and still carry out their traditions and culture. Tradition is a pride for the Siberian people.