Свадебные традиции Осетии и Англии

Done by…………………………………………………….Liza MsoevaForm 10Teacher L.B.Tidjieva        Alagir 201502016 Alagir secondary school №5  Research work   Theme:” Ossetian and English wedding Traditions” A wedding is a celebration of two loving people who become one. This is the day of the happiness. Every wedding regardless of the ethnicity of young people begins with the main rite called “matchmaking”. The most respected people in families are chosen as matchmakers. The day of the matchmaking is agreed in both families beforehand. After the second toast the main matchmaker tells about the purpose of their arrival. To observe the etiquette which is passed from generation to generation, the bride’s parents at first don’t give the consent. The bride’s father thanks the guests arrived in honor to his daughter and asks for time to discuss the marriage with the members of the families. That is, he makes them understand that probably the wedding will be held and fixes the day of the next visit. If the bride’s family refuses the proposed marriage, it is considered as a great insult to the groom’s family. The agreement must be stipulated in the bride’s house, if the consent is obtained, the matchmakers leave a certain sum of money which was agreed in advance.   After that they sit down at the table to celebrate the future kinship of two families. and to discuss all details of the wedding. According the tradition there must be a head and a neck of a bull and three pies (piroga) on the table. After taking the consent everybody shakes hands. Some time before the wedding all the hassles are discussed the groom together with his friends visits the bride’s house bringing gifts and sweets. At the table the guests wish prosperity, love and longevity to a young couple. Before the day of the wedding all details are solved. Two best men, kukhylkhasag and amzuardgin, who are the main persons at the wedding, are appointed. The best man is a person who sees the bride after the feast, he gives permission to her to put on the wedding dress. The bride is dressed by her three best friends.  When the day of the wedding comes the groom’s best friends and the elder of the family go to the bride’s house in a wedding procession. Relatives and guests of the bride’s family accept them with three pies and beer. The elders say a prayer wishing well-being and longevity. Then everybody is invited in the house.   After the feast the best men redeems the bride. This ceremony is accompanied by laughter and jokes. The wedding procession is not released without another ransom-arak, beer, money and sweets. At last the bride departs to the groom’s. Before the bride enters her future home, she is given a baby-boy in her hands, for a boy will be her first child. Then she crosses threshold of the house with her right foot. After dances the bride is lead to make rite of removing a veil. Usually a young man do it. He touches her head three times with a kind of flag which was sent from her house, telling necessary words. Then he removes the veil and the flag is hidden behind the stove where it will be all the time. After removing the veil the bride gives honey, brought with her, to the women sitting in the room. They wish the newly-married couple were as sweet as this honey and butter. Then one the neighboring boys snatches the bowl with the honey. After that the bride is taken to her room and dances, merry jokes continue. Late in the evening the groom goes to the bride’s house. After the feast he thanks the women who cooked dishes and set the table. He gives glasses of wine to the women, they drink, and the groom puts money there. The celebration lasts till the night. In the second morning all the kids come to see the bride and she gives them toys and sweets. In the afternoon the bride’s relatives bring her dowry and the wedding feast continues. Till nowadays the groom was not allowed to attend the wedding in his house, he was at his friend’s. But today he can see the bride on the second day.    English wedding traditions. English wedding traditions are famous all over the world. The British are the ancestors of many wedding superstitions and customs. Pre- wedding preparation The choice of a partner in England was complicated by certain strict laws. Nobody could not contravene them. So the Catholics had the right to marry Catholics, the Protestants with Protestants, mixed marriage was prohibited and condemned by a society. A famous English wedding tradition to use the services of matchmakers and marriage agencies began early in the 16th century when they first started publishing the catalogues of brides and grooms. Dating parties were held for those who wanted to meet a man or a woman to start a family. After the proposal was made the preparation for the wedding has begun. The young people had to follow some strict rules and traditions. The wedding day was chosen carefully. Wednesday was considered the most successful and suitable day for the marriage. The bride chose six girl-friends, and there was one among them who had to decorate the entrance of the house with flowers. It meant that the life of a young family would be happy and bright. The bride invented dresses for her girl-friends herself, and they were sewed at the expense of the bride’s family. Only one close friend helped the groom. He had to support him to prepare for the ceremony. The ceremony. Young people and their guests went to the church in the wedding procession, in front of which there was a little girl with the basket of flowers. The procession was accompanied by musicians. Before entering the church a little test was arranged to a young couple: they had to jump over a small bench, set across the entrance. It promised to overcome all the troubles and litigations in future family life. An English wedding tradition according to which a bride occasionally lost her garter and men had to lift it fast, has taken root in many countries. There was another tradition: unmarried girls dreaming to marry tried to catch an old boot of the groom thrown from the wedding procession. The feast began after the wedding ceremony, where a big cake played a main role. After the ceremony the young couple left for their home. The tradition to carry a new wife into the house on his hands protect from the misfortune. If the bride tripped on the threshold, according to the legends, the family life would be miserable. Superstitions. There are a lot of wedding signs. Here are some of them. Wedding superstitions of the bride. If the bride sneezed in the morning on the wedding day, the life of a young couple was long and happy. If the bride was crying before the wedding, it meant the happiness. If the bride tore the wedding dress, her mother-in-law was unkind. According to the European tradition, the white colour of the dress symbolizes joy, purity and innocence. Wedding superstitions of the groom. If the groom stepped in the puddle in front of the bride’s house, he would abuse of alcohol. Before the wedding celebration the groom mustn’t see the bride in a wedding dress. The groom and the bride should not eat from the same plate. If the groom is older than his bride, their marriage will be strong; if under her age, the marriage will be merry.  Similarities and distinctions between Osset and English weddings. After analyzing different sources of information and comparing Ossetian and English weddings, I identified their similarities and differences. Similarities. 1. The matchmaking. 2. The best friends. 3. The white wedding dress. 4. The ransom of the bride. 5. The wedding ceremony is accompanied by music. Distinctions.1. The English wedding ceremony takes place in the church. The Ossetian one doesn’t. Even in ancient days the highlanders didn’t have the registration of the marriage, the Ossets remained truly to their word.2. The English groom and bride are together at the wedding ceremony. But at the Ossets the groom shouldn’t see his bride.3. The English groom carries his bride into the house on his hands. But the Ossetian bride enters the house herself, crossing the threshold with her right foot.4. The British think about the wedding day carefully. Usually Wednesday is a lucky day/.The Ossets appoint this day on Saturday or Sunday.5.A multi-tiered decorated cake plays a main role at English wedding feast. And at the Ossets’ the main things at the feast are three pies (piroga), meat and beer. The survey  During my work I made a survey among my classmates. They had to answer my following questions. Do they like our wedding traditions? Do they like an Ossetian wedding dress or a European one?. What kind of wedding do they prefer most of all? The analysis of research showed the following results:   Conclusion.  After examining the extensive material from different sources of information on the subject of my work, comparing wedding traditions in Ossetia and England I made the following conclusion: the Ossets and the British understand the meaning of the wedding differently. When studying and comparing wedding traditions, I found a lot of distinctions and at the same time the similarities. The main common feature that unites the motives of the marriage is the relation to it: the celibacy is condemned; the care of the children is one of the main objectives of a married life.   A wedding is always a memorable event, the beginning of a new phase in the life of every person. So many countries, so many customs and traditions. To believe or not to in traditions and superstitions everyone must decide for himself, but it is worth to know the history of their origin. Literature. 1. Goncharov E.E.-“ Wedding ceremonies of the peoples of the world”. 2. Agnaev G.- “ Traditions and customs of Ossetia. 3. http//instream.com.ru. 4. http//weddingdetails.com.traditions/england. 5. http//slovari.yandex.ru 6.http//lingvo X5.ru Thank you for your attention!