How young unmarried girls are buried. Why were unmarried girls necessarily buried in their wedding attire?

I’ll say right away that this will be a real Friday-the-13th post, creepy and scary. But despite this it is strictly scientific. All photographs are taken from the website of the Department of Ethnography and Museum Studies of Omsk state university(ethnography.omskreg.ru/page.php?id=1020) .

We will talk about the wedding ceremony of the dead. All photos will be under the cut; it is strongly not recommended for impressionable people to look!

So, the Germans maintained the ceremony of marrying the dead for a long time. This is what T.B. writes about this ritual. Smirnova.

The custom of “Totenhochzeit” among the Germans of Siberia
Field studies conducted in Siberia indicate a very widespread custom of "Totenhochzeit" ("Wedding of the Dead") among the German population up to the present day. Materials on funeral rites and customs were collected in ethnographic expeditions starting in 1989 in the southern regions Western Siberia. The general scheme of "Totenhochzeit" is as follows: in the event of the death of a girl, she is treated as a bride, dressed in a light dress, and a wedding wreath with a veil - Rosenkranz - is placed on her head. Deceased unmarried young men were dressed in a wedding suit - a decoration of flowers and ribbons - Strauss - was attached to the lapel of the jacket on the left side. This custom is explained by the fact that marriage is obligatory for any person. Therefore, if he did not have time to start a family during his lifetime, he needs to go through this stage before the funeral. Distinctive feature This custom among the Germans is complete absence age limits for dead brides and grooms. If in most nations the ritual of posthumous marriage is arranged for girls and boys of the age at which it is customary to get married, or at least those who have reached puberty, then the Germans have no age restrictions. The Germans in Siberia organize “Totenhochzeit” for everyone who is not married - from infants to old maids and single men of any age.
In the materials of the expeditions, in addition to oral information about the obligatory burial of young people in wedding clothes, there are photographs depicting such funerals. It is possible that the long-term preservation of the custom of “crowning the dead” among the Germans of Siberia is due, among other reasons, to the role assigned to the wreath in the wedding ceremony. An obligatory element of a German wedding is the ritual of removing the wreath from the bride. Among the Germans of Siberia, this custom is widespread to this day. Previously, after removing the wreath, it was customary for the newlywed to put on a cap; later, instead of a cap, they began to use a scarf, but the ritual itself did not actually change. At midnight, the newlyweds are seated in the center of the room. The guests stand around and sing a song (usually a song about beautiful youth “Schon ist die Jugend”). The preservation of the wreath in the wedding rite resulted in the preservation of its meaning in the funeral rite. But, of course, the main reason for the long-term preservation of the custom of “crowning the dead” among the Germans of Siberia is the preservation of the archaic in conditions of isolated development.
T.B. Smirnova, 2008

1. Funeral of an unmarried woman. The deceased was a virgin, therefore, despite her age, she was buried in wedding dress and a wreath. D. Nikolaipol, Isilkul district Omsk region.

2. Funeral of a single man. On the chest of the deceased “Strauss” is a wedding decoration made of flowers and ribbons. S. Grishkovka Altai Territory. Late 1920s

3. Funeral of a young man. The coffin is filled with flowers, and there is a wedding bouquet on the deceased’s chest. The girl sitting next to him was the deceased's fiancée. Omsk. 1941

4. Funeral of a young girl. A deceased woman in a wedding dress and wreath. In most cases, they were buried without shoes, because “you need to go to heaven barefoot.” S. Gladen of the Altai Territory. 1957

5. Family funeral. The boys have wedding bouquets on their chests, the girls have a wreath on their heads. On the left is the father of the children, he is in ordinary clothes. S. Kusak, Altai Territory. 1950s

6. Funeral of a 7-year-old girl in a wedding dress and wreath. S. Novoskatovka, Omsk region. 1995

7. Funeral of a 7-year-old girl in a wedding dress and wreath. Around the coffin are children saying goodbye to the deceased. S. Ananyevka, Altai Territory. 1965

8. Boy's funeral. Flowers at the head of the deceased. S. Novoskatovka, Omsk region. 1954

9. Funeral of a 3-year-old boy. On the chest of the deceased is a wedding bouquet with short ribbons. S. Khortitsy, Omsk region.

10. Funeral of a boy, age - 9 months. There is a bouquet without ribbons on the chest of the deceased. Flowers at the head. S. Khortitsy, Omsk region. 1964

11. Funeral of a girl in a wedding wreath, age - 6 months. D. Ekaterinovka, Altai Territory. 1970s

12. Funeral of a girl, age - 1 month. The wreath is worn over the cap. S. Khortitsy, Omsk region. 1980s

The death of young unmarried girls coincided in earthly life with marriageable age, with a turning point in earthly life - marriage. This served as the basis for comparing and combining the funeral with the wedding.

Not only Russians, but many peoples had the custom of dressing a girl who died in the prime of her youth in a wedding dress, preparing her for burial, like a bride for a wedding. At the funeral of the deceased girl, they even imitated the wedding ceremony and sang wedding and wedding songs. Both the girl and the guy were given a wedding ring on the ring finger of their right hand, while a married man and a married woman were not given a ring.

Nowadays, there is also a custom of burying young girls in, and drinking champagne at their wake, simulating a failed wedding. It was as if the clothes were not real, but only a replacement, not sewn, but only basted. It was necessarily sewn by hand, and not on a machine, the thread was secured, the needle was held forward; otherwise the deceased will again come for someone to his family. The shoes of the deceased were also an imitation: leather shoes, as a rule, were not buried, but were replaced with cloth ones. In cases where boots were put on, the iron nails were pulled out of them.

Currently, in the custom of burying people in new, unworn clothes, there is an echo of the belief that the newness of the clothes of the dead is synonymous with purity, sinlessness of the soul, which should appear pure in the next world.

Girls who died before they could get married are placed in a coffin in wedding dresses. This is a custom that came to us from the ancient Slavs. IN otherwise, according to beliefs, their souls are doomed to eternal wandering. It was believed that then they were dangerous to the living. Therefore, they escorted the girls in wedding attire.

There was another explanation: the deceased girl becomes Christ's bride. Therefore, she should look appropriate.

The ancient wedding ceremony and its connection with the funeral ceremony are described in the “Slavic Encyclopedia” by V.V. Artemova. Thus, it was believed that before the wedding a girl dies and is reborn into a married lady. Historians do not rule out that the roots of the ritual of burying unmarried girls in a wedding dress may be connected precisely with this.

In addition to the dress, they also chose shoes and sometimes jewelry. The hair was not tied up. Often a wreath was placed on the head (nowadays it is often replaced by a veil). But the ceremony was not limited to attire.

The groom has arrived

The “groom” was also at the funeral. As a rule, it was one of the young people who came to say goodbye to the deceased. The “groom” put on his wedding clothes and followed the coffin. There was a wreath on his head, which was then thrown into the grave.

In some villages, the “betrothed” was a stone or a fruit tree.

If a girl was buried and such a ceremony was performed, cheerful music was played instead of funeral songs. Those present also danced in circles and ate a “wedding” loaf, which was specially prepared for this. Sometimes it was placed on the lid of the coffin and eaten in the cemetery.

Girlfriends

In some villages in Rus' there was a tradition of completely imitating the wedding ceremony. So, there was a matchmaker. She always had a candle and a sword in her hands.

The deceased's friends had black ribbons tied to their heads. The deceased herself was given a ring made of gilded wax.

According to historian A.A. Nosov, such a ritual, first of all, was associated with an understanding of the essence of death in Rus'. Yes, death in at a young age was perceived as a transition to another entity, where the course of life would also continue. And she will get married in the next world.

The procedure for conducting Orthodox funerals has evolved over many centuries. big amount traditions that are strongly recommended to be observed. Some of them raise questions. For example, why is a young girl buried in a wedding dress? Where did the tradition of dressing unmarried women in white outfits come from?

A beautiful white dress evokes bright associations, because it is in this outfit that the bride is presented. However, from time immemorial, a tradition arose of dressing in wedding dresses not only girls who were to become wives, but also those who would never be able to get married.

In ancient times, it was believed that if a girl leaves the earthly world without experiencing marriage, then her soul is doomed to wander forever, torn between the world of the living and the Kingdom of Heaven.

People believed in the ability of such souls to cause serious harm to relatives who remained alive. They were equated with the souls of the unbaptized and suicides. And to avoid this, the young girl’s funeral was held like a wedding.

"Dead Wedding"

To make the funeral as similar as possible to a wedding, they chose a guy who was to play the role of the groom. He had to be dressed in ceremonial attire and take a place in the funeral procession next to the coffin of a young girl.
If it was not possible to find a guy willing to play such a role, then they used an ordinary stone or a stump of a fruit tree, on which a man’s hat was put.
The girl was dressed in a white dress and complemented the outfit with light boots. Her peers or girlfriends specially wove wreaths. One of them was put on the head of the deceased (in the modern interpretation, a veil or veil is used), and the second was put on the groom. After the coffin was lowered into the grave, it was either thrown on top of the coffin or hung on a cross.
Sometimes such funerals were accompanied by cheerful music. People were required to dance in circles. Relatives baked a loaf of bread, pieces of which were treated to everyone who came to the funeral.

Other explanations

In addition to the belief about a restless soul, there were several other reasons for the straining of an unmarried girl into a wedding dress when she was sent on her last journey:

If life circumstances were such that young people were unable to carry out their plans for marriage due to their unexpected death, then the bodies of the deceased were dressed up in wedding attire so that their souls could unite when they met in heaven.
White color has always been associated with purity and purity. And when a girl passed into another world who did not have time to know true love, and therefore did not marry, she was considered the bride of Christ.
Almost every girl dreams of marriage, and when the realization of this dream became impossible due to sudden death, then the parents of the deceased at least in this way tried to make the dream of the deceased come true.

We have described only the most common explanations for observing this tradition. Of course, modern funerals are not accompanied by cheerful music and dancing, but young girls today are often buried in wedding dresses.

Death has always been shrouded in many mysteries and rituals associated with it. We are unable to find out why this or that person died, and the death of young people who, it would seem, still have everything ahead, seems especially bitter.

The funerals of young girls, in particular, are accompanied by distinctive rituals: they are usually buried in white sundresses or wedding dresses. Where did this custom come from, what does it mean and is it necessary to bury unmarried girls in wedding dresses?

History of “wedding” customs at funerals

Our ancestors also adhered to the custom of burying unmarried women in wedding attire. According to pagan beliefs, the soul of a deceased person who did not have time to marry her chosen one will remain homeless if the deceased is not buried in a wedding dress.

However, there are other explanations for this phenomenon:

The color white in Rus' has traditionally been considered a symbol of moral purity. An unmarried girl was also considered “pure”, and her soul, according to the beliefs of the Slavs, was supposed to go to a mountainous place. That is why she was dressed in white elegant clothes - according to anthropologists and archaeologists, not necessarily wedding clothes.
Girls who passed away before their own wedding were considered especially unfortunate, so their relatives dressed them in wedding attire before burial, as if embodying an unfulfilled event.

How was the funeral of a girl in Ancient Rus'?

Even after the adoption of Christianity in Rus', people continued to organize unique funerals and memorials for unmarried women, stylizing them as a wedding: they dressed the deceased in ceremonial wedding dresses and jewelry, covered the table with a white cloth, and set out a lot of dishes for guests to treat. A frequent treat was a large loaf, poultry or fish dishes, ritual pies and stuffed pies, and wheat kolivo. Low-alcohol, naturally fermented drinks – berry wines and mead – brightened up the funeral atmosphere.

A young man with whom the deceased had a close relationship or, if there was none, one of the young residents of the village was invited to the gloomy celebration. It was he who took on the role of the groom, took a place at the head of the table and at the coffin of a young girl during the funeral procession.

The parents of the deceased wove wreaths from plants and flowers - one was intended for the girl, the other for the “groom”; the latter was thrown onto the coffin when it was lowered into the prepared earthen pit. There is evidence that instead of an invited groom, a large log or stone was often used, on which human clothing was put on. In remote villages of Russia such traditions are preserved to this day.

What about “bride”? She was dressed in white formal clothes, with elegant boots on her feet, her hair was braided and a wreath, kitschka or embroidered fabric tiara was placed on her head. Such clothing was supposed to give rise to bright associations and make the funeral less gloomy and sad. Mourners were rarely invited to them - on the contrary, guests sang folk and ritual songs to drown out the pain of loss.

Today, such traditions are a thing of the past, and it is not customary for unmarried girls to be buried in wedding dresses - a long white sundress or just an elegant dress in light colors is enough.