Marriage is an important part of a Christian's spiritual life. Its colossal significance is evidenced by the fact that the conclusion of marriage - the wedding - is one of the seven holy sacraments along with baptism, confession and the Eucharist.
Unlike baptism, confession and communion, the sacrament of marriage is not obligatory for a Christian; nevertheless, it occupies a special place among the sacraments. This is both the youngest and the oldest sacrament.
The origin of the wedding
The first Christians did not have a wedding: waiting for the Second Coming of the Savior in the coming years, they saw no reason to start a family. But as time went on, the Savior did not appear, and it became clear that the only sure way to preserve the Christian faith for centuries was to create a Christian family.
Initially, the conclusion of a Christian marriage looked like the communion of the bride and groom. In the 3rd century, according to the testimony of the theologian Tertullian, a ceremony already existed with such details as joining hands, transferring a ring, crowns, covering the bride with a wedding veil. The final rite of the wedding took shape in the 10th century.
This origin of the wedding, it would seem, contradicts the idea of the holy sacraments as something given by God, and not established by people. But this is an apparent contradiction: the very first blessing of human marriage by God took place in Eden. The Savior confirmed the understanding of marriage as a human union blessed by God by blessing the marriage in Cana of Galilee.
The meaning of the wedding
Every detail of a church wedding is an expression of the Christian understanding of marriage. From the point of view of the Church, marriage is not just a civil union of psychologically compatible people, it is a spiritual school of love, patience and humility. Achieving the ideal of love is impossible without self-restraint, without suffering, but suffering elevates the human spirit, revealing in full measure the image and likeness of God in man. Therefore, crowns, which play an important role in the wedding ceremony, are interpreted both as martyr crowns and as a symbol of royalty.
The main meaning of a wedding is to bring down God's grace on a nascent family, therefore, wedding rings, before the priest hands them over to the young, are placed on the holy throne.
Many details of the wedding emphasize the integrity, inviolability of marriage: the bride and groom step on the same board, drink from the same bowl - thus the spouses are interpreted not as “partners”, but as parts of a single whole, “one flesh”, the dismemberment of which will not be a legal procedure but a human tragedy.
There is an opinion that the Orthodox Church declares the subordinate position of women in relation to men. The wedding clearly shows that this is not so: the bride and groom make the same promises, answering the questions of the priest. Both must confirm their firm and voluntary intention to marry, as well as the absence of marital obligations in relation to third parties. And although the priest asks the questions, the young should remember that they give the answer before God, before whom it is unacceptable to bend the soul. Having given such a promise, it is no longer possible to excuse that “it didn’t work out”, “this marriage was a mistake” - after all, before the face of God, people confirmed that marriage was their conscious choice!
The wedding is surrounded by numerous folk signs. Often, the relatives and friends of the young couple present at the wedding watch with trepidation which of the spouses is the first to step on the boards, whether the candles are evenly burning, trying to guess about the future of the newlyweds from these details. Of course, all these superstitions have nothing to do with the Christian faith. But the most dangerous superstition associated with marriage is the belief that it should "automatically" ensure a happy marriage. From the point of view of a Christian, marriage is a daily joint work of spouses, and this is the main thing that people who have made the decision to get married need to remember.
