Most unbelievable Russian marriage traditions [2021 reviews]

Russian marriage is something mysterious for most of you while it is full of traditions and superstitions. You often ask us what kind of wedding your woman expects to have – the traditional wedding of your country or her own.

In a current article we will tell you everything about Russian marriage traditions right in this post. You will find out everything about marriages and weddings in the country of your Slavic woman and can easily select the most interesting ones for your future wedding. ➔

Let’s talk about the ceremony first:

Russian marriages can be hold in many forms, but your marriage will be recognized only after official registration. Just in case you are going to marry in the country of your Slavic bride, you need to know that there is a registration office where your marriage should be officially registered. 

And now everything depends on you, whether you want to simply sign the papers and have a small marriage registration event or have a much brighter official ceremony. If you choose the first variant, your ceremony will last only 15-30 minutes. If you pick a festive ceremony, it will last much longer.

In that case, you will feel the first Russian marriage tradition while the ceremony itself is very interesting and can be followed by lots of other events. Find out more about these Russian marriage traditions below.

Useful TIPS:

Preparation of documents for the marriage registration
How to prepare a visa for your foreign bride.
How much does it cost to marry a Russian woman?

 

1.Betrothal is one of the most popular Russian marriage traditions

Necessary to admit that betrothal is not obligatory for couples in Russia or Ukraine. It depends on your wish. But that tradition is one of the most sacred and most beautiful ones. One of the most interesting things about it is that you may have this ceremony on the date of the registration of your marriage or even in many years.

Married couples may have betrothal after 10, 15, or 20 years of marriage to make their love even stronger. But if you decided to have it right on the wedding day, this is not a problem and you will remember that day forever. This is where the couple stands at the church to be blessed by the priest.

The ceremony is very lengthy and you won’t have a chance to relax during it. It lasts from one to several hours and requires special preparation. The ceremony really seems to verify whether young people are ready for long married life.

Kidnapping is one of the weirdest Russian marriage traditions

If you have your Russian wedding in Ukraine or Russia, do not call the police if your bride disappears. This is another Russian marriage tradition. The bride’s friends kidnap your bride or her shoe and you need to pay a real or symbolic price to get her back.

It doesn’t mean you will have to pay lots of money (although this is also an option), but you may:

  • Tell the poems;
  • Drink a certain amount of vodka shots;
  • Do whatever they might tell you;
  • Be ready to dance, sing, or do the craziest things ever.

And do not think that you may refuse. The bride’s friends do not accept refusal. Since you love your wife and want to get her back the soonest, you will have to do what they want.

Ꙭ Recognize your husband by his kiss

 

You might think Russian marriage traditions are weird but what would you say if the bride will have to recognize you by your kiss? This is a very popular tradition in Russian weddings and this is the way people check how well you and your bride know each other. 

But don’t worry, your bride won’t kiss other men. She will need to identify you by the kiss on her hand. So make sure to kiss her properly, so your beloved would not confuse your lips with someone else’s.

It is a tradition to show how well you know each other and how perfectly you match each other. So your bride will be blindfolded and different men, including you, will kiss her hand. She should guess which of the kisses was from you.

 

The bride’s ransom – are you ready to buy your bride back?

Do not be scared, you do not have to pay a dowry when getting married in Russia or Ukraine. Although you would need to do it before the wedding in some countries, this is not the case here. The random of the bride is a fun Russian marriage tradition.

It is different from kidnapping by her friends. Yes, exactly, you may need to search for your bride at least twice during your wedding. Her parents will “steal” her from you right before the ceremony until you complete a range of challenges.

The challenges are designed by the bridesmaids and require you to show your love to your bride, your strength, and, actually, you might be even embarrassed by them. Complete all the tasks because otherwise, you will need to pay real cash.

The ransom may include:

  • Cash;
  • Chocolates;
  • Flowers, etc.  

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Predicting the baby’s gender is another Russian marriage tradition

Yes, we know that your bride is not pregnant yet. But this is one more tradition in Russian weddings. To define the gender of your future child, a glue-stick, a large drawing of a baby wearing a diaper and a bow, and rings of pink and blue paper are needed.

You and your bride are blindfolded and invited to tie rings on the bow. This is a sort of a game, and if there are more pink pieces, then you should expect a girl, of blue ones, then you should wait for a boy.

Of course, this is not serious and just for fun. This is just a game prepared by the master of the ceremony to entertain you and your guests. Russian weddings are a lot of fun, so you will surely not be bored with yours.

Who is the head of the family?

Another Russian marriage tradition is defining who will be the leader in your family – you or your bride. For that purpose, you will be offered a huge bread called Korowai and both you and your bride will need to bite a piece of it.

The one who bites a bigger piece is considered to be the head of your family. This is a very old tradition, and, of course, it is also more for fun than for real. It is well known that in Russia and Ukraine, a man is the head of the family.

Do not think that you will need to do all the above-mentioned at your wedding with a Russian woman. This is just an example of how people entertain at their weddings. Modern people started to have more quiet and traditional wedding ceremonies instead of all that.

 

Some other Russian marriage traditions

Russian marriage traditions are really old and they can be endless. The ones we offered here are simply the most popular and widely used during weddings. However, the list of such traditions can be really huge:

  • Proving your love by tying a knot on the kitchen towel;
  • Distributing the household chores by picking different staff being blindfolded;
  • Filling the bride’s glass without spilling the water, and many others.

If you choose to have a wedding in the country of your Slavic bride, don’t be afraid you will need to follow all of these traditions. They are just up to you and are not a necessity. You can use some of them or do not use any at all. Everything depends on your wish and the wish of your bride.

Your wedding may last more than one day!

Yes, it may also happen. If you want to know everything about Russian marriage traditions, you should know that Russian or Ukrainian people used to celebrate their weddings for two or even three days.

Yes, marriage is a big festival in these countries and people want to celebrate it as long as possible. But again, this tradition is still kept in villages or very traditional families. Modern young couples have different views and tend to have a more modest ceremony to save money for a honeymoon.

Modern couples prefer to rather buy accommodation than wasting money on huge weddings and hundreds of guests. So step by step, the tradition of big weddings is fading away in Russia and Ukraine.

 

Conclusion: Russian marriage traditions are unbelievable but true!

We from best-matchmaking have told you everything about Russian marriage traditions. Lots of western guys consider them so great that they borrow these traditions and include them in their weddings. Other people think such traditions are crazy. But they surely do not leave anyone indifferent.

If you want to find a Russian bride ➔ sign up with our site

➔Сhoose Matchmaking plans at reasonable prices. We will take care not only about your search but also about your Romantic tour and special event for your beloved. Choose your own Russian marriage traditions! 

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  • Ekaterina

    44 y.o, Zaporozhye, Ukraine

Now Please let us know your opinion about Russian marriage traditions. Have you attended one before? Was it cool and interesting? What ever it is - leave your comment  ⬇bellow⬇

Written by Katrina El, a practicing psychologist, professional matchmaker and founder of the Slavic marriage agency Best-Matchmaking.com.

Learn more about the matchmaking service by Best-Matchmaking.com

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