A church wedding is not just a beautiful tradition that confirms the civil bonds of marriage. This sacred rite strengthens the connection between a man and a woman in the face of God. It should be understood that a church marriage is indissoluble, unlike a civil union. Accordingly, the wedding should be taken seriously.

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And although the marriage ceremonies in the registry office and in the church are somewhat similar, much large quantity requirements. Everything is important here to the smallest detail - from the spiritual mood of the newlyweds, to the color of the handkerchief wrapped around the wedding candle. Careful advance preparation for the wedding ceremony will help to avoid unnecessary unrest on this bright day. So, what do you need to know for a wedding in the Orthodox Church and how everything happens.

Social and religious conditions

First of all it is worth considering the basic conditions necessary for the implementation of the wedding in the church.

Social:

• The couple to be married must be officially married (a marriage certificate is provided).
• Neither spouse should be officially married to a third party.
• Spouses must be of marriageable age. It corresponds to the official marriageable age of 18 years. In certain cases, the age of the bride may be 16 years.
• The spouses must not be closely related by blood. Marriages of relatives up to the third generation are prohibited.

Religious:

• Both spouses must be baptized.
• In rare cases, marriage between an Orthodox Christian and a non-Orthodox Christian (Catholics, Lutherans, etc.) is allowed. Such a union will be approved if the children born in it are brought up in Orthodox traditions.
• It is not allowed to marry persons who are related to the church (godparents, godchildren).
• Marriage is allowed no more than three times in a lifetime. Provided that previous marriages were dissolved in accordance with all the canons of Orthodoxy, or the spouse was previously widowed.
• A wedding is not performed if at least one of the newlyweds declares his atheism or coercion into marriage by his parents, future spouse, etc.

When to get married?

If all the basic conditions are met, then it is necessary to choose the time for the ceremony. Newlyweds can choose one of four days weeks - Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. It is worth remembering that weddings are not carried out during multi-day fasts - Christmas, Great, Petrov and Assumption. Also, Christmas time (January 7-19), the week before the start of Lent (Maslenitsa) and the week after Easter fall out of the calendar. Don't count on big dates church holidays- Presentation (February 15), Ascension of the Lord, Trinity, Beheading of John the Baptist (September 11), Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos (September 21), Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 28), Intercession of the Holy Mother of God (October 13). Under the ban and the days on the eve of the above dates. In addition, the days of temple holidays may also fall. These activities are determined individually for each temple, therefore, in any case, it is better to first consult with the rector of the church.

Preparing for the wedding

Since a wedding in the Orthodox Church is a spiritual ritual rather than a physical one, the preparation for it, for the most part, lies in the non-material plane. A prerequisite to make a wedding is the sacrament and confession of the newlyweds. These rituals should be performed 3-4 days before the wedding. It will be optimal to observe a two to three day fast before that. It should be remembered that on the day of the sacrament, as well as on the day of the wedding, you can not eat, drink alcohol and have sex. Additionally, you can spiritually tune in to the ceremony, turn to God with a prayer for a successful marriage.

But still, when preparing for the wedding, one should not forget about the material attributes of the ceremony. Future spouses need to pay attention to the following points.

crosses

Pectoral crosses - indispensable attribute for any person who crosses the threshold of the church. This rule applies both guests of the holiday, and the spouses themselves.

Rings

By ancient tradition two rings were bought for the wedding - gold and silver. Golden personified sunlight and male power. BUT silver embodied the image of moonlight and, therefore, the feminine. In our time, this tradition is almost a thing of the past. Often the same gold or silver rings are bought. You can choose models inlaid precious stones. But still it is better to give preference to a not very pretentious, flashy option.

The rings must be given to the priest before the ceremony. He places them on the throne for consecration.

Icons

For the wedding ceremony you will need two consecrated icons - Christ and the Virgin. The images will symbolize the masculine and feminine. These icons after the action will certainly go to the house of the newlyweds. It is best to place them in the red corner. These symbols are the most powerful amulet. In the old days, wedding icons were kept in families for many generations and passed from parents to children.

Candles

During the wedding ceremony in the Orthodox Church, the newlyweds hold in their hands church candles. You can buy them at your local church shop. Usually for the wedding you can buy special holiday candles. It is also worth preparing two beautiful small scarves. The bride and groom wrap candles with them so that the wax does not burn their hands during the ceremony.

Wedding candles are also preserved in the home of the young throughout their lives.

According to popular belief, these attributes have strong protective abilities. In particular, candles are used as a talisman during a difficult pregnancy of the spouse.

Towels, towels

For the ceremony, it is necessary to prepare two festive towels. These can be towels decorated with wedding symbols, or elegant white cuts. Sometimes pieces of white cloth are used.

One of the towels is laid under the feet of the newlyweds, and their hands are bandaged with the other. These attributes also need to be stored to ensure happy life spouses.

Bride's dress

At the wedding, the bride always wears a white dress. Bare shoulders or chest are not allowed in the church, so you should choose a more closed, restrained model. If the purchased dress does not meet this condition, then you can use a cape, jacket, coat.

Bride must be in church with a covered head. It can be a veil, hat or other headdress. It is worth considering that the rule of a covered head applies not only to the spouse, but also to any woman who has crossed the age barrier of 4 years.

The procedure, order and how long does the wedding in the Orthodox Church

The wedding ceremony itself takes from 40 minutes to an hour. But, taking into account the expectation, you should tune in to a ceremony lasting up to two hours.

It must be remembered that during the wedding, the bride should always be to the left of the future spouse.

The couple holds wedding candles in their left hand. The right hand is required in order to be baptized. Therefore, it is better to transfer the bride's wedding bouquet into the hands of close guests. For clarity, you need to be baptized at the same time when the priest does it. The couple will need witnesses, best men. A baptized man and woman should be chosen for this position. Their duties, in particular, include holding the crowns over the heads of the spouses.

Initially, a betrothal ceremony is held. The action takes place in front of the entrance to the church. The father blesses the newlyweds three times and hands them lit candles. After reading a short prayer, the priest puts the ring on the groom's finger. Then the spouses change rings three times. This process symbolizes the transfer of power over oneself to the spouse. Now the couple is officially considered a bride and groom. Next comes the actual wedding. The priest introduces the couple into the center of the temple, stopping in front of the lectern. Prayers will be read almost all the time of the ceremony. The most touching moment is the sacramental phrase "I take you as a husband (wife)". The priest gives the newlyweds to kiss the crowns and wedding icons. Also, the newlyweds drink church wine three times from a special bowl. This part of the ceremony symbolizes that from now on the couple will divide everything in their lives in half. At the end, the newly-made husband and wife are circled around the lectern three times. The priest gives the last instructions, and the guests are already in a hurry with congratulations.

Photo and video shooting during the wedding in the Orthodox Church

It is worth remembering that a wedding in the Orthodox Church is a sacrament. Staged photos are not allowed here. The operator can shoot only in reportage format. In no case should you pass between the newlyweds and the Royal Doors. And in many churches, photography is only allowed at the entrance.

Video on how and by what rules the wedding ceremony takes place in the Orthodox Church:

Preparing for the wedding ceremony in the church, you should definitely pay attention to the choice of the necessary accessories, the time and place of the ritual itself. But still, behind all this fuss, the main thing is not to lose the very sacred meaning of this ancient ritual. Indeed, after a church marriage, a man and a woman become one in the eyes of people and God himself.

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About sacraments. Sacrament of Marriage

THE CONCEPT OF THE MYSTERY

Marriage is a sacrament in which the bride and groom before the priest and the Church give a free promise of their mutual marital fidelity, and their union is blessed, in the image of the union of Christ with the Church, and they ask for the grace of pure unanimity for the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children (Catechism) .

ESTABLISHMENT OF MARRIAGE

There is a marriage initial union, from which a family, kindred, national and civil union is formed. Therefore, the importance and significance of marriage can be viewed from different sides. In all its holiness and height, marriage appears in the depths of the Orthodox Church, where it is a sacrament, which began in the blessing of the marriage of the primordial couple, and fullness in Christianity.

Marriage was originally established by God Himself in Paradise through the creation of a wife to help her husband and through the blessing given to them by God. From here to Old Testament everywhere the view is expressed of marriage as a matter blessed by God Himself (Gen. 1:28 and ch. 24; Prov. 19:14; Mal. 2:14).

This view of the marriage of the word of God is also reflected in the first three prayers following the wedding.

In Christianity, marriage reaches all the fullness of perfection and the real significance of the sacrament. Initially sanctified by God, it receives new confirmation and initiation into the sacrament from Jesus Christ (Matt. 19:5-6) and becomes an image of the mysterious union of Christ with the Church, which is why it is called the great mystery (Eph. 5:32). According to the word of God, the most ancient writers and fathers of the Church also taught about marriage (Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine, St. Ambrose of Milan, and others).

PURPOSE AND MEANING OF THE MYSTERY OF MARRIAGE

Marriage, according to the Christian view, is the great mystery of the union of two souls, in the form of the union of Christ with the Church (see the Apostle read at the wedding - Eph. 230).

Husband and wife, according to St. Cyprian of Carthage, receive the fullness and integrity of their being in spiritual, moral and physical unity and mutual replenishment of one with the personality of the other, which is achieved in Christian marriage.

The mutual duties of husband and wife are indicated in the Holy. Scripture: A husband must love his wife as Christ loved the Church; and on the part of the wife there must be obedience to her husband, as the Church obeys Christ (Eph. 5:22-26).

In order to be a worthy reflection of the mysterious union of Jesus Christ with the Church, those who are united in matrimony must subordinate everything lower in their nature to the higher, make the physical side dependent on the spiritual and moral.

The moral bond, the union of love, and the inner unity between spouses under these conditions are so strong that they cannot be weakened by death itself. From this point of view, moral dignity can only be recognized for the first marriage. The second marriage is "keeping from fornication", a witness to the intemperance of sensuality, "not conquered by the spirit, as a true Christian should, at least after satisfying the sensual need in the first marriage." Therefore, the conscience of a Christian needs to be cleansed by penance, which was the excommunication of the second-married from the Holy Mysteries for a year in ancient times. According to apostolic tradition and church canons, it is forbidden to elect foreigners (i.e., widowed and entered into a second marriage) as pastors of the Church as having manifested through second marriage "intemperance of sensuality", which should be alien to persons of holy dignity. Even more strictly, the Church looked at the third marriage (although it allowed it as a condescension to human weakness).

As a living union of love and affection in the image of the union of Christ with the Church, marriage cannot be broken by any troubles and accidents of married life, except for the death of one of the spouses and the guilt of adultery. The latter, in its effect on marriage, is tantamount to death and destroys the marriage bond at the very root. “A wife is a companion of life, united into one body out of two, and whoever again divides one body into two, that is the enemy of God’s creation and the enemy of His Providence.”

Marriage in Christianity is based on a feeling of love and high mutual respect (without the latter, there can be no love).

Marriage is the home church, the first school of love. Love, having been brought up here, should then leave the circle of the family for everyone. This love is one of the tasks of marriage, which is indicated in the prayers in the very rite of the wedding: the Church prays that the Lord give the newlyweds a peaceful life, unanimity, “unanimity of souls and bodies”, love for each other in the union of the world, fulfill “the houses of their wheat wine, oil, and all kinds of good things, let them teach even to those who demand,” and, having every abundance, abound for every good work and pleasing to God, and “those who are pleased before God shine like lights in heaven, in Christ our Lord.”

The Christian family, according to the teachings of Basil the Great, should be a school of virtues. Bound by feelings of love, spouses should exert a mutual good influence, selflessly bearing each other's character flaws.

Marriage is also a school of self-denial, which is why we hear the words in the wedding rite: “Holy martyrs, who have suffered well and married, pray to the Lord, have mercy on our souls.”

Martyrs are mentioned here, for Christianity is a feat in all directions. Christian life, and, in particular, marriage imposes on people such high duties towards themselves and towards their offspring that their crowns are in a sense equated with the crowns of martyrs. Wedding crowns are the chains of asceticism, the crowns of victory over sensuality; when the sacrament is performed, the holy cross, a symbol of self-denial and service to one's neighbor and God, is also placed before the newlyweds, and the great teacher of love in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah, is invoked in hymns.

Christianity requires chastity in marriage. For those who are married, Christianity prescribes a life of purity, purity, and chastity. This is also reflected in the prayers of the wedding rite.

The Church prays to the Lord, who is “the Priest of a secret and pure marriage and a bodily Legislator, an incorruptible Guardian”, to give grace to the spouses to preserve “chastity” in marriage, to show “their honest marriage”, to observe “their undefiled bed” and “their immaculate cohabitation”, so that they reach “old age of veneration”, “doing the commandments” of God with a pure heart. Here the Church points to what we have called marital chastity, points to the need to observe marital fidelity, to the need to combat the sinful passion developed over the centuries, to the renunciation of the former pagan relations to one's wife as an object of pleasure and property. The fight against sin in marriage is the most exalted type of Christian ascetic work. This is a great work that heals the very sources of life. It makes marriage a feat of both personal and (due to heredity) tribal perfection both in terms of the physical and the spiritual side. This feat (austerity) has an outward expression in the abstinence of spouses from each other during the days of fasting, as well as during the period of feeding and pregnancy.

The Holy Scriptures and the Church, in their prayers of the wedding rite, also point to the second main purpose of marriage - childbearing. The Church blesses marriage as a union for the purposes of childbearing and for the Christian upbringing of children, asking in prayers for "kindness" and for "grace to children."

In litanies and prayers at betrothals and weddings, the Church prays for the sending down of perfect and peaceful love to the newlyweds, for their preservation in an undefiled life, for the bestowal of good children for the continuation of the human race and for the completion of the Church.

For the edification of the newlyweds, there is an excellent teaching in the Big Breed Book (ch. 18), which comprehensively reflects the Church’s view of marriage as a sacrament (we give in Russian translation): “Pious and orthodox in Christ the Lord combined pair! The great field of the Church of God is threefold, and with threefold it is adorned with harvest. The first part of this field is acquired by those who love virginity; it brings into the garner of the Lord a hundredfold fruits of virtues. The second part of this field, cultivated by keeping widowhood - sixty times. The third - those who are married, - if they live piously in the fear of God, they bear fruit at thirty.

So, honest marriage, by the law of which you are now united, that living together, you will receive from the Lord the fruit of the womb for the inheritance of your kind, for the inheritance of the human race, for the glory of the Creator and the Lord, for the insoluble union of love and friendship, for mutual help and for protecting yourself. from temptation. Marriage is honorable, for the Lord Himself established it in paradise, when He created Eve from Adam's rib and gave her as his helper. And in the new grace, Christ the Lord Himself deigned to vouchsafe marriage to great honor, when He not only adorned marriage in Cana of Galilee with His presence, but also magnified it with the first miracle - turning water into wine. The Lord blessed virginity, deigning to be born in the flesh from the Most Pure Virgin; he paid honor to widowhood when, at the time of bringing His to the temple, from Anna, an eighty-four-year-old widow, he received a confession and a prophecy; He also magnified marriage by His presence at marriage.

So, you have chosen a blessed, honest and holy dignity for your life; only know how to lead a holy and honest life. And it will be so if you, living in the fear of God, turn away from every evil and strive to do good; it will be blessed if you reciprocally give each other their due. You, the bridegroom, keep the fidelity of cohabitation, right love and indulgence for women's infirmities for your wife. And you, bride, keep always faithfulness to your husband in cohabitation, unhypocritical love and obedience to him as your head: for just as Christ is the head of the Church, so the husband is the head of his wife. Both together, you must take care of your house and the constant labors, and the provision of households; both diligently and unceasingly show each other unfeigned and unchanging love, so that your union, which, according to the words of St. Paul, is a great mystery, fully marked the union of Christ with the Church. May your pure and warm love manifest the pure and warm love of Christ for the Church. You, husband, as head, love your wife as your body, as Christ loves His spiritual body - the Church. You, wife, love your head, your husband, like the body, as the Church loves Christ. And thus Christ will be with you and in you - the King of the world: "For God is love, and abide in love, abides in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). And staying in you, he will give you a peaceful coexistence, a prosperous stay, abundant food for yourself and your household, will give His holy blessing on all your labors, on villages, on your houses and livestock, so that everything is multiplied and preserved, will give you to see the fruits of your womb - like olive plants around your table, and the sons of your sons behold. May the blessing of the Lord be on you always, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen".

ANCIENT SERVICE

MARRIAGES

Divine service at marriage is performed since ancient times. In Christianity, marriage has been blessed since the time of the apostles. Saint Ignatius the God-bearer, a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, writes in a letter to Polycarp: “Those who marry and encroach must enter into marriage with the consent of the bishop, so that the marriage is about the Lord, and not according to passion.” Clement of Alexandria (II century) indicates that only that marriage is consecrated, which is performed by the word of prayer. The 3rd century apologist Tertullian says: “How to depict the happiness of marriage, approved by the Church, sanctified by her prayers, blessed by God?” Saints Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan testify to the priestly blessing and prayer that sanctified marriage. In 398, the IV Council of Carthage decreed that the parents, or those elected instead of them, represent the bride and groom for blessing.

Currently, the ceremony of marriage includes betrothal and wedding. In ancient times, betrothal, which preceded the marriage ceremony, was a civil act;

it was performed solemnly, in the presence of many (up to 10) witnesses, who sealed the marriage contract; the latter was official document, which determined the relationship between the spouses. The betrothal was accompanied by the ceremony of joining the hands of the bride and groom, and the groom gave the bride a ring. Only in the X-XI centuries. betrothal began to be performed in the church as an obligatory church rite with appropriate prayers.

The service of Christian marriage, especially in the rite of betrothal, was formed under the influence of Jewish marriage ceremonies. And in the prayers of Christian marriage there are many references to the Old Testament Jewish rite.

The rite of marriage itself among Christians in ancient times was performed through prayer, blessing and the laying on of hands by the bishop in the church during the liturgy. (Compare the testimonies of Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian.) Traces of the fact that the rite of marriage was performed during the liturgy, we see in the rite of the wedding: the exclamation of the liturgy “Blessed is the Kingdom”, the peace litany, the reading of the Apostle and the Gospel, the special litany, the exclamation: “And make us, Vladyka" and "Our Father". In the 4th century, the use of wedding wreaths in the East was introduced. (In Russia they were replaced by wooden and metal crowns.) The separation of the wedding rite from the liturgy took place in the 12th-13th centuries, and at present it is usually performed after the liturgy.

In the XVI century. The rite of marriage in Russia reached its full development and contained everything that we have in our modern rank.

Our third prayer (before the laying of the crowns) and the 4th (after the Gospel), the singing of the 127th psalm, the communion of the common cup instead of the communion of the Holy Gifts, and the blessing of the newlyweds in the name of the Most Holy Trinity must be recognized as the most ancient parts of the wedding ceremony. The first two prayers, readings from the Apostle and the Gospel, the last two prayers (6th and 7th) for the removal of the crowns and the prayer for the permission of the crowns on the 8th day have a later origin.

Announcement before marriage and blessing of parents

The bride and groom as members of the Orthodox Church, according to ancient custom, “yes they know how (that is, they must know) the confession of faith, that is: I believe in one God, and the Lord's Prayer, this is: Our Father; (and also) Virgin Mary and Decalogue” (Kormchaya, 2, 50).

Protecting from entering into an illegal marriage (according to the degree of kinship), the Orthodox Church introduced a preliminary threefold “announcement” (on the next three Sundays), that is, it makes known to the members of the parish the intention of persons wishing to marry. The Church also inspires those entering into marriage to “pre-cleanse,” to predestinate themselves to a new field of life by the feat of fasting, prayer, repentance, and communion of the Holy Mysteries.

The Orthodox parents of the bride and groom, preserving the ancient pious laudable custom, “preliminarily bless” them not only out of the feeling of parental love, but also on behalf of the Lord and the saints, they bless them with holy icons with signs of the needs of life - bread and salt. The beginning of parental blessing to children entering into marriage is indicated in the word of God. So, once Bethuel blessed his daughter Rebekah for marriage with Isaac (Gen. 24, 60), Raguel his daughter Sarah for marriage with Tobias (Tob. 7, 11-12).

OFFICE OF MARRIAGE

The ceremony of marriage is always supposed to be performed in the temple, and, moreover, the time after the liturgy is indicated as the most appropriate time for marriage.

Each marriage is supposed to be performed separately, and not several marriages together.

The ceremony of marriage consists of: 1) the rite of betrothal and 2) the succession of the wedding and the permission of the crowns, that is, the performance of the actual sacrament.

In betrothal, “the word spoken by the spouses” is affirmed before God, that is, the mutual promise of the spouses, and as a guarantee of this they are given rings; in the wedding, the union of those who are married is blessed and the grace of God is asked for them. In ancient times, betrothal was performed separately from the wedding. At present, the wedding usually follows immediately after the betrothal.

The rite of betrothal. Before betrothal, the priest puts for consecration on the throne on the right side of the rings (“rings”) of the spouses (one next to the other), while the silver one (which goes to the groom after the change) is placed on the throne on the right side of the gold one. The rings are placed on the throne as a sign that the union of the betrothed is sealed by the right hand of the Almighty and that the spouses entrust their lives to the Providence of God.

For the betrothal, the priest, dressed in an epitrachelion and a phelonion, leaves the altar through the royal gates. He takes out with him the cross and the Gospel before the candlestick and places them on a lectern in the middle of the temple. The cross, the Gospel and the candle serve as signs of the invisible presence of Christ the Savior.

The betrothal takes place in the vestibule of the temple or at the very entrance to the temple (on the “front of the temple”).

The priest (thrice) blesses the bridegroom crosswise, and then the bride with a lit candle, which he then hands to each, showing by the fact that in marriage the light of the grace of the sacrament being performed is taught and that marriage requires purity of life, shining with the light of virtue, why lit candles are not given remarried as no longer virgin.

Then (according to the Rule) the priest censes them cruciformly, pointing to prayer and the giving of the blessing of God, the symbol of which is incense, as a means of repelling everything hostile to the purity of marriage. (Currently, the bride and groom are not burned before the betrothal.)

After that, the priest creates the usual beginning: "Blessed be our God ..." and pronounces a peaceful litany, which contains petitions for those who are married and for their salvation, for sending them perfect love and keeping them in unanimity and firm faith.

After the litany, the priest reads two prayers aloud, in which the betrothed ask for God's blessing, unanimity, a peaceful and blameless life, and so on. At the same time, the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah is remembered as a model of virginity and purity for the couple. At this time, the deacon goes to the altar and brings the rings from the throne.

The priest, taking first a golden ring, thrice overshadows the groom on his head, saying (thrice):

“THE SERVANT OF GOD (name) IS ENGAGED IN THE SERVANT OF GOD (name) IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, AMEN”, and puts the ring on his finger right hand(usually on the fourth finger).

In the same way, he hands a silver ring to the bride with the words: "THE SERVANT OF GOD (name) THE SERVANT OF GOD IS ENGAGED...".

After this, the rings are changed three times, and thus the bride's ring remains as a pledge with the groom, and the groom's ring - with the bride.

By presenting the rings, the priest reminds the spouses of the eternity and continuity of their union. The subsequent triple change of rings indicates mutual consent, which should always be between the spouses, and its performance by the godparent or any of the relatives shows that the mutual consent of the spouses has the consent of their parents or relatives.

Having laid the rings on the hands of the betrothed, the priest pronounces the betrothal prayer, in which he asks the Lord to bless and confirm the betrothal (Greek aёёabona - pledge, cf. 2 Cor. 1, 22; 5, 5; Eph. 1, 14), like since He confirmed the betrothal of Isaac and Rebekah, blessed the position of the rings with a heavenly blessing, in accordance with the power shown by the ring in the person of Joseph, Daniel, Tamar and the prodigal son mentioned in the Gospel parable, confirmed the betrothed in faith, like-mindedness and love, and gave them an angel Guardian all the days of their lives.

Finally, a short litany is pronounced: "Have mercy on us, O God...", as happens at the beginning of Matins, with the addition of a petition for the betrothed. This ends the engagement. Usually, there is no vacation after this, but a wedding follows.

At present, according to custom, the priest proclaims: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee,” and while singing the 127th psalm: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord,” enthusiastically depicting the blessings of a God-fearing family, marrying with lit candles, in the preceding The priests are brought to the lectern set in the middle of the temple with a cross and the Gospel. (According to the Rule, the psalm must be sung by the priest himself, and not by the deacon and not by the singer, and the people, and not only the singers, respond to each verse of the psalm with the refrain: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.” Such a performance of the psalm was the property of the ancient divine services of cathedral churches on the greatest holidays.)

Wedding follow-up. Before the start of the wedding, bringing the couple in front of the lectern, the priest, according to the Charter, must explain to them what a Christian marriage is as a sacrament and how to live in a God-pleasing and honest marriage.

Then he asks the bride and groom if they have a good, unconstrained mutual agreement and a strong intention to marry, and if they were promised to another person.

Such a question: “Have you not promised to another (or to another)?” - proposed to the bride and groom, not only means whether he made a formal promise to marry another woman or marry another, but also means: did he enter into relationships and illegal relations with another woman or with another man, imposing certain moral and family duties.

After the positive response of the spouses about their voluntary marriage, a wedding is performed, consisting of a great litany, prayers, crowning, reading the word of God, drinking a common cup and walking around the lectern.

The deacon proclaims: "Bless, master."

The priest creates the initial exclamation: "Blessed is the Kingdom," and the deacon pronounces a peaceful litany, in which petitions are attached for the newlyweds, for their salvation, for the granting of chastity to them, for the birth of sons and daughters from them, and for God's protection for them all the days of their lives.

After the litany, the priest reads three prayers for those who are married, in which he prays the Lord to bless the real marriage, just as He blessed the marriages of the Old Testament righteous, to grant peace, long life, chastity and love for each other, and to make them see the children of children and fulfill the house their wheat, wine and oil.

At the end of the prayers, the priest, having accepted the crowns, alternately overshadows the bride and groom crosswise with them (letting them kiss the very crown) and lays them on their heads as a sign and reward of their purity and chastity until marriage, and also as a sign of marriage union and power over future offspring .

At the same time, the priest says to each of the spouses:

“THE SERVANT OF GOD (name) IS WEDDING TO THE SERVANT OF GOD (name)” or “THE SERVANT OF GOD (name) TO THE SERVANT OF GOD (name), IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

After the crowns are laid, the priest blesses the bride and groom three times together with the usual priestly blessing, saying:

“O Lord our God, crown (them) with glory and honor.”

This laying on of crowns and prayers (during the laying of crowns) - “The servant of God is crowned ... the servant of God” and “Lord our God, crown me with glory and honor” - are recognized in theology as consummatory, that is, constituting the main moment of the celebration of the sacrament of Marriage and imprinting it, which is why the very following of the sacred rite is called a wedding.

Then the prokimen is pronounced: “Thou hast put crowns on their heads,” and after the prokimen the Apostle and the Gospel are read, of which the first (Eph. 5, 20-33) reveals the doctrine of the essence and height of Christian marriage, the duties of husband and wife and shows the original

the establishment and commemoration of marriage, and in the second (Jn. 2,

1-11) - the story of Jesus Christ's visit to marriage in Cana of Galilee and the turning of water into wine there shows the piety of Christian marriage and the presence of God's blessing and grace in it.

After reading the Gospel, the litany is pronounced: "Rest all", and after the exclamation - a prayer for the newlyweds, in which they ask the Lord for peace and unanimity, purity and purity, the achievement of venerable old age and the continuous observance of God's commandments.

The prayer for those who are married consists of a petitioning litany for all believers (with its ancient beginning from the petition “Intercede, save”) and the singing of the Lord’s Prayer, which unites the hearts of all in one spirit of prayer, so that the very triumph of marriage is exalted and the outpouring of grace is multiplied not only on those who are combined marriage, but to all believers. This is followed by the teaching of peace and the prayer of bowing.

After that, a "common cup" with wine is brought, in remembrance of how the Lord blessed wine at a marriage in Cana of Galilee; the priest blesses it with a prayer and teaches it three times to the spouses in turn. Wine is served to the bride and groom from a common cup as a sign that they must live in an inseparable union and share the cup of joys and sorrows, happiness and misfortune.

Having presented the common cup, the priest joins the right hands of the newlyweds, covering them with stole, as if tying their hands before God, thus signifying their union in Christ, and also that the husband receives a wife from the Church itself through the hands of the priest, and circles the newlyweds three times around the lectern on which lie the cross and the gospel. This walking in the image of a circle in general means the spiritual joy and triumph of those who are married (and the Church) about the sacrament being performed and the expression of their firm vow, given before the Church, to eternally and faithfully preserve their marital union. The circumambulation is performed three times - to the glory of the Holy Trinity, which is thus invoked as evidence of the vow.

During the circumambulation, three troparia are sung. In the first of them: "Isaiah, rejoice ..." - the incarnation of the Son of God, His birth from the blessed Virgin Mary is glorified, and thus solemnly recalls the Divine blessing of childbearing.

In the second troparion: "Holy Martyrs ..." - ascetics and martyrs are glorified and called to pray for us, along with whom, as it were, the married couple is also supplied as having overcome temptations, retaining chastity and now acting on the feat of life in marriage. Following their example, the newlyweds are inspired to overcome all the devil's temptations in their lives in order to be rewarded with heavenly crowns.

Finally, in the third troparion: “Glory to Thee, Christ God,” Christ is glorified as the praise of the apostles and the joy of the martyrs, and together the joy and glory of the newlyweds, their hope and help in all circumstances of life.

After three rounds, the priest removes the crowns from the newlyweds and at the same time says special greetings to each of them, in which he wishes them exaltation from God, joy, multiplication of offspring and keeping the commandments. Then he reads two prayers in which he asks God to bless those who are married and send them earthly and heavenly blessings.

According to the accepted practice, after this, a prayer is read for the permission of the crowns "on the eighth day." And there is a vacation.

After this, many years usually follow, sometimes preceded by a brief prayer service, and congratulations to the newlyweds.

RESOLUTION OF THE CROWNS "ON THE EIGHTH DAY"

In the Ribbon, after the ceremony of the wedding, there is a "Prayer for the permission of the crowns, on the eighth day." In ancient times, those who got married wore crowns for seven days, and on the eighth day they put them down with the prayer of the priest. Crowns in antiquity were not metal, but simple wreaths of myrtle or oil-bearing leaves, or some other unfading plant. At present, a prayer for the permission of the crowns is read before the dismissal of the wedding.

SUCCESSION ABOUT THE SECONDLYMAD

Marriage in the Orthodox Church upon the death of one of the spouses or upon legal separation may be performed a second or third time. But the Church, according to the word of God, does not regard all three marriages with the same respect and does not bless the second marriage and the third marriage with the same solemnity as the first. It teaches that it is more in keeping with the spirit of Christianity to be content with one marriage. In accordance with the high purity of life presented to us by the Gospel, the second and third marriages of the Church

admits as some imperfection in the life of a Christian, condescending only to human infirmities in protection from sin. St. Justin the Martyr, a writer of the 2nd century, says that "those who enter into a second marriage with our Teacher (Jesus Christ) are considered sinners." Basil the Great writes that the second marriage is only a cure for sin. According to Gregory the Theologian, "the first marriage is a law, the second is indulgence." According to the 17th canon of the holy apostles, "who, by holy baptism, was obliged to have two marriages, he cannot be a bishop, nor a presbyter, nor a deacon." According to the 7th canon of the Neocaesarea Council (315), a bigamist needs repentance. The Church looks at the third marriage even more strictly, seeing in it the predominant sensuality. In ancient times, a bigamist was assigned from 1 to 2 years, and a tripartite - from 3 to 5 years of excommunication from the Eucharist.

In accordance with the decrees and opinion of the apostles and holy fathers of the Church on the second marriage, its succession is described in the Ribbon shorter than the wedding ceremony of the newlyweds, and no longer has all the solemnity of the first. The prayerful wishes of the Church to the second marriages and petitions for them are set out more abbreviated than in the rite of the wedding of the first marriages, and are less joyful and solemn because they are filled with a sense of repentance. So, the Church prays to the Lord for the second-married: “Lord, Lord, our God, have mercy on everyone and provide for everyone, secret knowledge of the human, and have knowledge of everyone, cleanse our sins and iniquity, forgive Your servants, I call (them) to repentance ... knowing weak human nature, the Creator and Sodetel ... unite (them) to each other with love: grant them a publican conversion, tears of harlots, a robber confession ... cleanse the iniquity of Your servants: beyond the heat and hardships of the day and carnal inflaming I cannot bear, into a second marriage of communion converge: as if you have ordained the vessel of your election by Paul the Apostle, who speaks for us for the sake of the humble: it is better to eat in the Lord to encroach than to liquify ... no one is sinless, even if there is only one day of his belly, or besides vice, only Thou art the only flesh to wear sinlessly and giving us eternal dispassion.”

The succession of secondmarrieds is basically similar to that which is performed on those entering into a first marriage, but is shorter.

When betrothed, they are not blessed with candles. From the great aftermath of the wedding, the betrothal prayer “Lord our God, descended to the youth of Patriarch Abraham” is not read, and after this prayer there is no litany “Have mercy on us, O God.”

At the wedding of the second marriage:

the 127th psalm is not sung;

the spouses are not asked about their voluntary marriage;

at the beginning of the wedding, “Blessed is the Kingdom” and the great (peaceful) litany are not pronounced;

prayers 1 and 2 at the wedding are different (repentant).

In the Great Ribbon, before the liturgy about second marriages, “The Headship of Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople” (806-814) is printed, in which it is said that a bigamist does not get married, that is, that he should not be crowned during marriage.

But this custom is not observed either in the Church of Constantinople or in the Russian Church, as Nikita, Metropolitan of Heraclius, noted in his answer to Bishop Constantine, and therefore crowns are also placed on the second marriage as a sign of union and power over future offspring.

Usually, the succession of the second marriage takes place when the bride and groom enter into the 2nd or 3rd marriage. If either of them enters into a first marriage, then the “following of the great wedding” is performed, that is, they are married with the first marriage.

Note.

Days on which the wedding is not performed:

On the eve of Wednesday and Friday throughout the year.

Sunday eve and public holidays(twelfth feasts, feasts with vigil and polyeleos, and temple feasts).

From Meat Week during Great Lent and Paschal Week to Fomin Sunday.

The rite of betrothal is performed in the porch of the temple or at its threshold, while the sacrament itself - the rite of wedding - is in the middle of the temple, that is, in the temple itself. This indicates that the place for the betrothal is not actually a temple, but a house, and it is a family or private affair. Betrothal is the most important act of marriage among all peoples with its careful conditions, contracts, guarantees, etc. In ancient times, it was only a civil act. But since Christians had a pious custom to begin every important work of their lives with the blessing of God, here too the Church gives them a blessing for betrothal as one of the most important things in life, but blesses him not in the church itself (entering which it is proposed to “put aside all worldly care"), but only on the eve of the temple. Thus, everything that is worldly and carnal in a marriage is removed beyond the threshold of the temple and the sacrament (M. Skaballanovich).

In some places in Western Ukraine, betrothal, in order to strengthen its significance, is accompanied by an oath of allegiance, taken from the Treasury of the Metropolitan. Peter Mogila and read like this: “I, (name), take you (name of the bride) for my wife and promise you fidelity and love (and the bride also adds “and obedience”) marital; and that I won’t let you go until death, so, Lord, help me, in the Trinity One, and all the saints.

That is, when censing, he will mark the cross with a censer; this is how incense was performed in ancient times with a censer, which was not on a chain, but on a special holder.

The rite, when the bride and groom with lighted candles are solemnly introduced by the priest from the narthex into the temple, in general, resembles that solemn removal of the bride by the groom or his friends to his house, which, along with the betrothal, was the very essence of the marriage ceremony in the Old Testament religion and in Roman religion. Here the meaning is that the Church offers the groom to take the bride to the house of God before his house, in order to receive her from the hands of God.

“The bride and groom are asked before God about the voluntariness and inviolability of their intention to enter into marriage. Such an expression of will in a non-Christian marriage is its most decisive moment. And in Christian marriage, it is the main condition for a bodily (natural) marriage, a condition after which it should be considered concluded (why Jewish and pagan marriages are not remarried in Christianity). But as regards the spiritual, gracious side of marriage, the work of the Church is only now beginning. That is why now, only after the conclusion of this “natural” marriage, the church ceremony of the wedding begins” (Prof. M. Skaballanovich).

The priest utters the second of these prayers facing the newlyweds and with the words: “May he bless you,” he blesses them.

On vacation, the priest reminds the newlyweds the piety of marriage (an indication of marriage in Cana of Galilee), the holy purpose of family life, imbued with care for the salvation of people (remembrance of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena as distributors of orthodoxy) and the purpose of marriage in preserving chastity, purity and virtuous life (remembrance Great Martyr Procopius, who taught twelve wives to go to martyrdom for the faith of Christ with joy and joy, as if to a wedding feast).

There are no instructions in the Ribbon to bless the second-married with candles. But according to the existing practice, before the betrothal, they are given lit candles, which mean the light of the grace of the sacrament being performed and the warmth of the prayerful feelings of the spouses (Manual according to the Charter of Nikolsky and Church Vestn. 1889).

Liturgy: Sacraments and Rites

01 / 05 / 2006

For many years now everything great strength and the wedding ceremony gains popularity. Some of the newlyweds pay tribute to fashion, others approach this sacrament with full responsibility, taking this step quite consciously, the lights believe in spiritual power and understand the meaning of the ceremony. God gives the young his blessing on the bonds between spouses, the birth of children and their upbringing in Christianity.

Modern youth knows about the sacrament of marriage from books and videos that can be viewed on the Internet today. In Russia, this ritual was performed in ancient times. At the wedding, this action was the most important, and without a wedding in the church, marriage between a woman and a man was not recognized. In those days, it was believed that only before God could young people become spouses. For the first time, a person learned about the sacrament of the wedding from the book "Genesis", dedicated to the marriage of Isaac to Rebekah. You can find out how their wedding ceremony took place today from the video.

Information also came to us from the writings of the Holy Fathers and the surviving documents, which stipulated the rules of the rite. It is almost impossible to trace all the changes in the Orthodox Church that have taken place over the centuries. But historians managed to highlight the main points.

• Marriage crowns were placed on the heads of the young. For the first time they began to do this in the East in the IV century. At first, fresh flowers were used for these purposes. Later crowns began to be made of metal. In appearance, they resembled a crown.
• In the western part Byzantine Empire during the wedding ceremony, marriage covers were used.

Crowns and covers meant holy faith in the Lord God. It is believed that until the 7th century, the marriage between spouses took place with blessed rings and a sacred prayer, similar to a modern chant. rite Orthodox wedding the church did not separate until the 9th century. A civil marriage was concluded between the spouses, after which she participated in the process of worship in the church. In this rank, they were joined to the Mystery of the Saints of Christ, which meant a symbol of marriage. The newlyweds took full responsibility for the family, guided by the state laws of that time.

At the end of the 10th and beginning of the 11th centuries, the first custom appeared in the Orthodox church wedding, according to which the bride and groom received candles. They began to lay crowns on their heads and the accompanying words were uttered - "Christ crowns." Then the priest read a prayer, and at the end of it he joined the hands of the young, saying the words - "Christ welcomes."

Over the following years, the process of the wedding ceremony changed. Starting from the 13th century, it was accompanied by the words: "The servant of God is getting married." After 2 centuries, new traditions appeared: a certain prayer was read, and the crowns were in the church, and not in the house.

Modern wedding ceremony in the church

The government authorizes the wedding ceremony. It can be held immediately after the registration of marriage or on any other day. By church customs not everyone can do it.

• Orthodoxy does not give consent to the procedure to unbaptized people, grooms under 18 and brides who are under 16 years old.
• If the bride or groom professes a different faith, you must obtain permission for the wedding. At the same time, the husband or wife must give a written commitment to raise children according to Orthodox laws.
• The Church does not approve of marriages between blood relatives(kinship up to the third generation inclusive). The permission of the head of the diocese will also be needed if spiritual relatives wish to get married. These may be godparents of the children of one married couple.
• The ceremony can be performed no more than three times. But even the second time at the wedding there are certain difficulties.

The wedding takes place only on the basis of a marriage registration certificate. There are certain days on which the ceremony can be performed. During the multi-day fasts and church holidays, marriage is not concluded. Some families get married after the birth of their first child. Others want to test their feelings and put off the process for several years.

Order of church marriage

As soon as a decision is made to hold a wedding ceremony, the day of the wedding should be discussed with the priest. The wedding can be filmed and photographed. You should also discuss with the priest where the photographer can be during the ceremony and what can be filmed. Preparation for the wedding should be carried out in advance. In this case, some points should be taken into account.

It is very important to prepare mentally for a church marriage: to take communion and confess. Before the wedding, you should fast for 3 days. On the day of the union of family ties before God, it is not recommended to smoke or take alcohol.

Rules of conduct in the temple

The wedding guests and their guests must adhere to certain rules:

• Women must wear a headdress. The clothes of the groom, bride and guests should cover their shoulders and legs. Women are not advised to enter the church in trousers.
• Bright makeup is unacceptable, it should be close to the natural look.
• It is advisable to enter the temple in advance, 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony.
• Mobile phones should be turned off.
• During the wedding, moving around the temple is not allowed.
• On the left side of the hall are women, on the right - men.
• It is not supposed to stand with your back to the iconostasis.
• The right hand is used for baptism.

The wedding lasts for an hour. Not all guests can withstand such a long procedure. Therefore, it is better for them to stay outside the temple or at its entrance. The rules must be strictly observed by all people present at the wedding in an Orthodox church.

Debunking procedure

Unfortunately, not all couples able to save the marriage and they have to break it off. The Church has a negative attitude towards divorces and the process of debunking, as such does not exist for her. But in some cases, the Orthodox Church may give permission for a second wedding. This applies to widows and widowers. Reasons for dissolution of a church marriage can also be:

• Change of one of the spouses;
• Inability to conceive a child;
• Forced marriage;
• Threat to the life of children and spouse;
• mental illness;
• Getting rid of the child without the consent of the husband to this action;
• Various types of serious diseases, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, AIDS, etc.

Permission is given only to the spouse who is innocent of the breakup of the family. But before you remarry, you must repent and confess.

IN modern time An increasing number of couples are limited to marriage only in the registry office, bypassing the church. Some do not recognize this ritual, others refuse it for religious reasons, while others simply do not understand why they need to get married. If you belong to the third type of future newlyweds, then our article will be of interest to you.

Even less than a century ago, church marriage and state marriage were inseparable. The couples went through a wedding ceremony, after which they were officially considered husband and wife. IN modern America this practice still exists: by submitting an application to a certain authority (in some states it is a court), you receive in return a referral for the ceremony. The referral can be addressed to the municipality or to the church. Thus, after the wedding, Americans can automatically become spouses.

In Ukraine, the procedure is more complicated: you cannot get married if you are not registered in the registry office. When you can get married - immediately after registration. In the church, you must first present a state-issued marriage certificate. But we will talk about the features of the implementation later.

Read also:

What is the meaning of marriage? What does it mean to be a married couple? And why are religious people so eager to marry before God? The church claims that a wedding is the consecration of a Christian marriage. It is believed that after the ritual, the spouses will be united not just by love, but by the Holy Spirit himself. The meaning of the wedding is that no one else can separate the souls of lovers - even after death they will remain together.

Preparing for a wedding is much more complicated than simply filing an application at the registry office. After you choose a suitable church, ask the priest for help - he will tell you what is needed for the ritual and write it down for the desired date. Next, we will talk about the main stages of preparing for the wedding and the rules that should be considered by future spouses.

Choosing the Right Day

Choosing a wedding day should not only focus on the time of year. Best to open church calendar and see what days this or that post falls on. Marriage during these periods is strictly prohibited. In addition, one cannot enter into a church marriage on the days of major holidays - at Christmas, Easter, etc.

Confession

According to church canons, before the wedding, the couple is obliged to confess. For many people, this process is incomprehensible, awkward and even frightening. In fact, there is nothing wrong with it. You do not even have to speak out loud, as it happens in foreign films, because you are confessing to God.

In the Orthodox Church, confession takes place as follows: the priest stands in front of the lectern and reads a prayer. Then he invites those present to confess. At this time, each parishioner can mentally ask the Lord for forgiveness for their sins. The purpose of this rite is repentance. Upon completion, the priest will read another prayer, you put your lips to the cross - and the confession is over.

Wedding Attributes

To conduct a religious ceremony, you will need to buy some things in advance. What do you need for a wedding? In addition to wedding rings, these are: paired wedding icons (of the Savior and the Mother of God), candles, a bottle of Cahors wine and a wedding towel. In most cases, you can purchase icons and candles directly in the temple. If he is engaged in your holiday, he will take care of everything himself.

Fast

Before entering into a church marriage, you must fast for at least 3 days. This means giving up animal food and entertainment.

Witnesses

The choice of witnesses for the wedding should also be approached with all responsibility. They must belong to the same religion, be baptized and wear pectoral crosses in confirmation. It is believed that witnesses should not be a couple, since after the ceremony they will become spiritual brother and sister. In relation to the spouses, they can be blood relatives, there are no prohibitions on this. The roles of witnesses at the wedding are compared with godparents - only they are responsible for the well-being of the new family.

It is believed that from the moment the bride and groom cross the threshold of the temple, they appear before God himself. From this moment on, they must be silent and listen to everything the priest says. In their hands they hold icons (the groom - the Savior, the bride - Mother of God). The bride must have a veil. Witnesses hold crowns over the heads of the spouses. Warn them in advance so that the crown does not touch the head.

Read also:

The ceremony is divided into two parts: the engagement and the wedding itself.

Betrothal begins with prayer. The priest blesses the groom three times, and then the bride. In response, young spouses must cross themselves. They are then given lit candles as a symbol of their love.

After reading all the prayers, the priest takes the rings and hands them to the bride and groom. Unlike the ceremony in the registry office, where the spouses exchange rings, in the church, the priest first helps to put them on. After that, the young should exchange them as a sign that they are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their husband / wife.

In some variations, the priest does not put on the rings, but takes them out on a tray and offers to exchange rings three times - the bride and groom move the rings three times along the tray, and then put them on each other. In religion, wedding rings are not just jewelry. It is a symbol of the eternal unity of the family.

Next is the wedding. The priest takes the bridegroom's crown, marks him three times with them, and then lets them kiss the icon of the Savior. After that, the same ritual is carried out with the bride - she is allowed to kiss the icon of the Mother of God. In conclusion, crowns are placed on the heads of the spouses. Now they are husband and wife before God.

In general, the entire ceremony can last from 40 minutes to an hour.

Who can't get married?

There are certain conditions for a wedding. If you fall into one of the following categories of people, the church will refuse to perform the ritual for you:

• those who have not registered their marriage in the registry office
• unbaptized or bride and groom belonging to different religions
• married for the 4th time
• responsible for the dissolution of another's marriage
• those who were not given their blessing by their parents

In addition, there is an age limit for the ceremony. The lower threshold is the age of majority, i.e. the minimum age from which you will be signed in the registry office. There is also a maximum limit. For women, this is 60 years, and for men, a little more - 70.

Finally, I would like to remind you that it is never too late to get married. Even people who have been married for many years often come to the desire to become families before God. Perhaps our article has helped you realize this need.

Today's my post is dedicated to the wedding in the Orthodox Church, the meaning of which is still unclear to many. The consequences of godless decades are making themselves felt. But any lost knowledge can be restored if there is good will. Let's try together to briefly begin the path to understanding the meaning of the rite for an Orthodox person.

Why is this rite necessary?

Religion and traditional values ​​are increasingly penetrating into our lives. People strive to revive those customs and rituals that were created by our ancestors, strive to revive the age-old wisdom of generations.

It happens that in a family people are just beginning to come to faith. The desire to get married may at first be dictated simply by the existing fashion. Then it can lead young people to the penetration of faith and further churching.

Many may wonder why get married if now this ceremony is optional and does not lead to any legal consequences?

But let's think about what a stamp in a passport means for a person. How much he protects a married couple from infidelity, helps to save love. Marriage, legalized by earthly power, is now easy to conclude. But it is no less easy to terminate it. Because of this, many have a false sense of the frivolity of such relationships.

Much more important for a believer is the oath of love and fidelity taken before the face of the Almighty. The sacrament of marriage carries a deep sacred meaning. Lovers, uniting themselves by the bonds of church marriage, are changed not only spiritually, but also physically, “so that they are no longer two, but one flesh” (Matthew 19:5-6.).

The oath given in the church has a much deeper meaning for the life of the young than the signatures put in the registry office. To prepare for the wedding, the church sets strict requirements. It is often necessary to undergo special training, which will help to better understand the importance of the event.

Being a frequent witness of the newlyweds passing the ceremony, I constantly observe the transformation of those who are getting married. There is a feeling that young people acquire some external resemblance. But this is just a reflection of the deep spiritual transformation taking place in them.

The sacrament of the wedding, in addition to the outward splendor and beauty of the rite, requires that those who are getting married be ready for mutual sacrifice. People donate to each other the time measured to them in this mortal world, receiving in return the love and blessing of the Creator. This feeling is carried out from under the cover of the church by couples who have passed this rite. Apparently, this is the answer to the question of why people get married.

Difference from secular marriage

The secular marriage, which the newlyweds enter into, partially bears in itself external, everyday functions, which in the past were part of the church marriage.

It is no coincidence that the Russian Orthodox Church requires documentary confirmation of the official registration of relations in order to undergo the sacrament of the ritual. However, for believers, a secular marriage can never replace a church marriage.

The commandment of the Lord, to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth (Gen.9: 1), which he gave to the sons of Noah, older than those received by Moses on Mount Sinai. The rite physically embodies an important part of the sacred meaning of earthly existence.

Without a wedding, there is no marriage before God, it is after passing the ceremony that the young become husband and wife in the Christian sense, receive the supreme blessing for living together, giving birth and raising a new generation of Orthodox Christians.

Often, mature couples who have been married for many years come to the realization of the need for a wedding. Even if peace and love reign in your family, the wedding will give your life together a deeper spiritual meaning. Let your children have grown up long ago, and you are already in advanced years, it is never too late to receive a church blessing.

The deepest meaning is also in the joint assistance to the spiritual growth of the husband and wife, strengthening them in faith, perfection.

What is needed for the ceremony

Let me remind you that you need to prepare for the wedding. It is necessary to specify in advance the time and date of the ceremony. Do not forget to confess and take communion before the ritual.

The Church recommends preparing yourself by fasting for the passage of the ceremony. It is important to come to the altar, having cleansed the body and soul. It is impossible to hide something from the Creator. Only the spiritual feat of the couple, their desire to spend the rest of their lives in joint service to the will of the Almighty - the salvation of their souls.

Do not forget also about some things that you will need for the ceremony:

• two wedding rings;
• icons of the Virgin and the Savior;
• wedding candles;
• white towel.

Please note that this ceremony among Orthodox Christians is not performed on any days. Weddings are not held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, during the four main fasts and on the first week of the celebration of Easter.