The wedding ceremony of the Bolshebykovo village is a vivid example of the South Russian wedding ritual. It is celebrated on a distinguished scale with highly explicit stages, parallel rituals in the houses of the bride and groom, and a large number of participants with strictly defined responsibilities taking part in the wedding game.
For the past four decades, the rite has existed in a simplified form. In 2001, at the initiative of local residents, a full wedding ceremony was held with the help of a Moscow folk ensemble “Russian Music”.
The wedding ceremony of the Bolshebykovo village was based on fragments of the traditional culture brought from other regions in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the settlers moved to the developed territories of the southern Russian steppes.
There appeared a consistent domestic folklore tradition that included all the main characteristics of the “Russian Baroque”: the variety of elaborate forms, the splendor and abundance of color. These features of the local style can all be found in the wedding ritual.
For the past four decades, the rite has existed in a simplified form. In 2001, at the initiative of local residents, a full wedding ceremony was held with the help of a Moscow folk ensemble “Russian Music”.
The wedding ceremony of the Bolshebykovo village was based on fragments of the traditional culture brought from other regions in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the settlers moved to the developed territories of the southern Russian steppes.
There appeared a consistent domestic folklore tradition that included all the main characteristics of the “Russian Baroque”: the variety of elaborate forms, the splendor and abundance of color. These features of the local style can all be found in the wedding ritual.
