The tradition of blessing newlyweds before the wedding with relatives has existed for a long time. But today, many parents still adhere to the obligatory blessing of their children for marriage. This requires a certain observance of well-established rules.
It is necessary
Towel (towel), an icon with the face of Jesus Christ, an icon with the face of the Mother of God, a loaf with salt
Instructions
Step 1
The blessing of the bride and groom happens to each one individually in his own home. That is, when a son or daughter announces that they are going to start a family, parents or those who raised the newlyweds and are responsible for them immediately bless if they agree with their decision.
Step 2
The groom is blessed as follows. His parents stand next to each other. The father must hold in his hands a family icon depicting Jesus Christ. The groom kneels one or both knees before the parents. The father baptizes him with an icon three times and gives it to the groom's mother. She repeats the same movements. According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, the groom consecrates himself with the sign of the cross, kisses the icon.
Step 3
The bride in her home is blessed in the same way as the groom. The difference is that her relatives are holding the icon of the Mother of God in their hands.
Step 4
If it happened that the young people announced their decision together to their relatives, and the situation requires the blessing of the couple now, then the parents of the groom or the bride, or both, are blessing the future family, standing side by side.
Step 5
After the wedding of the newlyweds, the parents, according to Orthodox canons, must bless again. Today, such a stage takes place among the guests at the wedding celebration. The blessing after the wedding or marriage registration occurs according to the following scenario. Before entering the house or place where the wedding will be celebrated, parents bless them with a family icon and present them with a wedding loaf, in the center of which is a salt shaker with salt. The newlyweds bite off one piece of bread from the loaf, sprinkling it with salt.
Step 6
In atheistic families, the blessing lies in the parting words of parents to their children. The icon is not used in this case.
