A wedding ceremony is a beautiful and complex ritual. Unfortunately, more and more of its details go out of fashion and are lost in time. Weddings in big cities are especially stingy with tradition. In the villages, people still adhere to the basic requirements of wedding ceremonies and are sure to choose a landed father and landed mother for the young.
Who is a landed father?
This position is one of the most honorable and responsible at the wedding. A seated father selects a person close to the family of the bride or groom who is respected and can serve as an example for the future husband. Often the godfather occupies this position.
A single man cannot play the role of a planted father at a wedding. This is considered a bad omen. Only a married man, and preferably a happy married man, is honored to bless the bride and groom before leaving for the wedding ceremony.
Where did the tradition come from?
The meaning of the word "planted father" is rooted in ancient times. When the population on earth was much smaller, young boys tried to marry girls from villages that are as far away from their place of residence. So there was a greater chance that the bride and groom are not relatives.
To get to the house of her narrowed, the bride had to overcome a long way. Therefore, the girl went on the road earlier and arrived at the destination a few days before the appointed date. Naturally, she could not live in the groom's house, so a family was chosen who agreed to shelter the girl under her roof before the wedding. A landed father is the master of such a house.
Another origin theory
The second theory, where the concept of a planted father came from, is of mystical significance. According to ancient beliefs, the bride, entering into marriage, as if dies and is reborn as a married woman. For this reason, they put on a white dress - a kind of funeral shroud. Well, if you are reborn, you need new parents whose functions are performed by the landed father and landed mother.
It is believed that these parents protect the young themselves, their marriage and family happiness. They do not allow them to leave, and by their example they show what life should be like. That is why a landed father is a married man. It is also desirable that he was wealthy, had no habit of abusing alcohol, and was not seen in the novels on the side. The same requirements apply to a planted mother.
What responsibilities does a landed father do?
A landed father at a wedding together with a landed mother blesses the bride or groom before the wedding. He must be present in the church, but leaves earlier in time to meet the young fully equipped. The landed father's duty is to offer young images, and the landed mother provides bread and salt for the rite.
In some villages, the planted father also buys a bandwagon - a rushnyk, which is laid young under the feet. In others, this function is assigned to the landed mother. Parents who are landed can also perform the duties of their father and mother at the wedding if they are not alive or absent for some other reason.
In gratitude for the honor, the landed father arranged a dinner or supper in his house one of the first days after the wedding. Interestingly, such a tradition exists not only among Orthodox Christians, but also among Catholics and Protestants.
The main function of landed parents
The landed parents played an important role in the life of the newlyweds. They have always been welcome guests in the home of a newly minted family. You could turn to them for advice, share sorrows. In fact, they continued to act as second parents even after the wedding.
Just like godparents, the planted father and mother protect and take care of their named children all their lives and preserve their marriage. After all, if the family breaks up, they will be guilty. And no one else wants to call such irresponsible people to the wedding as planted parents.
In today's world, less attention is paid to traditions. Far from all weddings, you can see the landed father and mother. Some newlyweds even prefer to do without each other and friends. The thought involuntarily begs, but is this not the reason for the frequent divorces in modern society? If there are no parents planted, there is no one to protect the marriage, and it easily breaks up at the slightest difficulty. So maybe it’s worth following traditions?