Курсовая работа: Traditions in Russia

2.1. Ancient representations about a birth, death and the introduction into a marriage

The concept of life cycle includes the most important stages of human life, such as birth and childhood, marriage and death, and traditions of life cycle are understood as the traditions directly connected to these events. In a basis of the majority of traditions the idea of transition between the worlds that is made by the person being born, dying or marrying. The feature of these Russian traditions synthesis of pagan and Christian elements is a specific one.

The birth is represented as arrival of the child to the terrestrial world and is considered to be the beginning of a new life in another world.

Circumstances of a birth of the child allow defining his destiny, therefore frequently speaking, that the child was born under the lucky star, as stars were perceived as a receptacle of souls died, but at the same time and as a symbol of the female beginning, and also contacted a prediction of the future. But the most known are the representations, connected to unusual circumstances of coming of the baby into the world, for example, so called “birth in a shirt”.

There are some versions of an origin of these representations. The first is connected to the fact that sometimes children are born « in a shirt » - with the bubble that covers a body or a head of a newborn child. The Russian call this environment "a shirt". It is considered, that the person who has been born in "a shirt" will be very happy and successful all his life. It is connected to that that in an antiquity people saw magic links between the person and his clothes, and the word "clothes" is historically connected to such concepts, as hope and destiny.

Besides the social factor also takes place here, because 1) adult people wear clothes, therefore the child who has been given birth « in a shirt », is not a usual child, but one from the world of ancestors; 2) a newborn child will be successful, as he was born not naked, as all children, but already in clothes (as in poor families not all children had a clothes, "shirt" was considered a symbol of well-being).

There is also an explanation connected to ancient religious representations about the spirit-keeper. When the soul descends on the ground to take up human shape, it is followed by its spirit-keeper; in the beginning it stays in a shirt sometimes it happens that it is twisted around a head of a newborn child.

Mention of an essence assisting to the child to proceed in our world, have found reflection and in a traditional explanation of where children come from (the stork has brought).

The marriage was also considered to be a transition from one world into another, as a new birth of the girl for a life in the other world. Earlier pre-wedding traditions, such as the offer and engagement had great value. So, before the introduction into a marriage it was necessary to ask the parents of the bride for a hand of the daughter and sometimes the bride herself for her agreement.

Funeral traditions also reflect representations about transition of soul of the dead into another world and are connected to various aspects of this transition. For example, it is accepted to bear the dead from a house legs forward so that it could not find the way home, put a wineglass of vodka and bread because 40 more days the soul is on the ground.

2.2 Wedding traditions

It was accepted to marry to Russia quite early. It happened, that the age of the groom was from 12 till 13 years. In an early marriage it was perfect natural, that the groom and the bride did not know each other up to a marriage. The general moral concepts of that time did not allow young people of both sexes to see each other and talk. The relatives solved all this. Usually fathers and mothers of the groom personally chose a girl, informing the son about it when wedding was already prepared.

But sometimes parents of the bride did the first step. Wishing to marry the daughter, parents sent to the groom a person close to them, the matchmaker, if parents of the groom agreed started courtship by usual order.

First they looked, whether the bride is good, whether is clever. The groom could not see the bride before wedding. If subsequently the deceit with the bride opened, the marriage could be terminated, but it happened very seldom.

Sometimes the groom insisted on the right to see the bride himself but then it was already almost impossible to cancel the wedding.

After that there was an arrangement - the first part of a marriage holiday or the introduction to a celebration. The parents of the bride appointed a special day. Parents sat down against each other and kept silence for some minutes, so it was accepted. The arrangement was made, the special note where was written, that during such time wedding will take place, and for the bride will get a concrete sum of money.

The money or some useful things, such as a bed, a dress, domestic utensils and ornaments, people, money, the real estate were always the important condition of Russian wedding. Nothing was required from the groom. This arrangement had legal value. If the bride was from a poor family and could not bring anything to the new house the groom himself transferred parents the bride some sum of money - the ancient custom did not allow to take the bride without anything given.

On the day of a celebration (on the eve or in the morning) the matchmaker of the bride was sent in the house of the groom to prepare marriage to a box. There was a belief, those valiant sorcerers and witches can bring a spoil and to overtake malicious spirits in that house, where wedding is being prepared. Different things were done to prevent it. It was necessary, that on a ceiling of the room for the newly married there was no ground that, thus, the marriage bedroom did not resemble anything a tomb. In the room chests with grain, flanks were brought.

Before the wedding in the church visitors and a newly-married couple were invited to the table, but sitting next the future spouse the groom did not see the face of the bride as she was wearing a dense coverlet - a prototype of a today's veil.

After wedding a feast was arranged, the bride’s face was already open, and she should cry, and women and maidens sang sad songs. Before leaving a wedding feast the husband, as a token of the authority, struck the wife’s back. It symbolized that the young woman was given from one "owner" to another.

After that in due time the young husband withdrew the young wife. Having remained alone, the young should execute one more ancient custom: a ceremony of taking off the shoes. It is a very ancient ceremony, which has reached to Russian from pagan times. It was, that the wife, as a token of humility, should take off the husband boots. In one of a boot there was put a coin. If she managed first to take off that boot in which there was a coin, it meant, that there will be a happiness for the young family, otherwise it meant, that she should please the husband and obey him all her life.

After wedding during several days (sometimes about a month, depending on a solvency of families and local customs) celebrating took place.

In modern Russia church wedding has began popular again, but it is not an obligatory part of wedding. But modern wedding ceremony consists of a plenty of traditional actions, starting from old custom to transfer the bride through a threshold and finishing with different games and competitions. There are specific traditions in every city, too. So, in Petersburg there’s a tradition to come on the wedding day to the quay of the Neva and to some famous monuments, to leave flowers there, to take photos and drink champagne.

The traditions connected to life cycle are one of elements that are characteristic for all cultures. Thus, distinctions in these traditions allow seeing the national originality of customs of the country.

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3. Signs as a part of Russian culture

3.1 Role of signs in human life

Wу can’t make a step without signs. So popular proverb says. And the word sign occurs from a word "to notice", i.e. to observe. As a result of supervision of what occurs in the world around us people collect life experience. This knowledge comes from generation to generation who carefully stored them and trusted them as to the sacred book.

The most part of sighs came up to us from immemorial time, not having lost the knowledge. Everything, that is connected to signs, incorporated somewhere deeply in our sub consciousness. Frequently we recollect them mechanically, unconsciously or simply for fun. But, undoubtedly, in signs a set of exact knowledge and practical wisdom of our ancestors is saved. They cover the characteristic, the natural phenomena that often take place and other details of our everyday life. In signs it was kept much, that were in old national holidays and customs, they help to forecast weather, to bring up a crop. Except all it in signs there is a unique poetry in which we can see the very mind, heart, an outlook of the Russian people, their vital way, their originality.

Some signs, which are considered Russian, have appeared not in Russia. Many of them have remained since olden days, as the inheritance of our ancestors, people with whom we had to find common ways of living and exchange customs with other peoples. Till now there are the signs similar with Roman ones. These are such signs as usage to wish health when the person sneezes, ringing in ears, belief to that to spill out salt on a table – not for better, etc. All this is identical with former Roman customs.