"Winter Date" at Russian Foods .com

Size:		approx. 6.5"
Metric:		16.25 cm
Consists of:		5 pieces
Finish:		glossy (lacquer)
Availability:		ships within 5-10 business days
Origin:		Russian Federation

Product Details

As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.

More Info on the Item / Related Story

RUSSIAN WEDDING

In pre-Revolution Russia weddings were usually held in autumn (in October) and in winter before Lent, up to Shrovetide. The whole ritual of the Russian Wedding can be divided into three parts: the period before the wedding, the wedding, and the period after the wedding.

The main rites of the traditional Russian wedding:

the bridegroom sent a match-maker to the bride's parents
the parents of the bridegroom visit the parents of the bride and have a talk
the bride-show, where the bride shows what she has made before getting engaged
"sgovor" (the reaching of an agreement about future wedding)
the pre-wedding period usually ended in a devichnik (a girl-friend's party) or the bridegroom's party. The participants of the party were: Druzhka (a man who knew the ritual of the wedding ceremony well); tysyatsky (an honored member of the bridegroom's family or Godfather), the boyars (noblemen) - other relatives)
the bridegroom will not get the bride unless he pays ransom for her
the newly-weds have to kiss in public when their guests propose a toast and cry "Gorko!" ("Bitter!"). This means that they would like the newly-weds to kiss, and they pretend they can't drink the wine without sweetening it with the kiss.

Other interesting facts about the Russian wedding:

According to the Russian tradition, the bride must cry (before and at the wedding ceremony) even if she loves her bridegroom. Russian wedding laments are very poetic.
After the wedding, the bride could no longer wear her hair uncovered.
The Russians have a lot of ritual wedding songs.
The bride and bridegroom ride to church in separate carriages. After the marriage ceremony in church, the newly-weds go home in one carriage.
The parents of the newly-weds meet them at home with bread and salt and an icon, and they bless the newly-weds.

Nowadays Russian weddings follow new sets of wedding rituals. There are a lot of "Wedding Palaces" (Dvortsy brakosochetaniya) in the country. The newly-weds are congratulated by the city administration, then they visit the places of interest of their city, pay their tribute to those who perished in war, visiting the Eternal Fire. Some of the newly-weds have a marriage ceremony in church, which, however, is not obligatory (but rather optional) for official marriage registration. Not many of the above-quoted traditional Russian wedding rites are followed nowadays.