The country, located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, is famous for its distinctive culture and unique traditions, some of which are still observed today. Incredibly beautiful wedding customs are the pride of Georgia, and a Georgian wedding is a rich and spectacular holiday.
Choosing a spouse or spouse
Family and marriage in Georgia have always been taken seriously, even sacred. Therefore, parents began to deal with the issue of choosing a bride or groom for their child even when their offspring was in the womb. Having agreed among themselves, the two families carried out the so-called cradle betrothal, this rite was repeated when the children reached the age of 10-11. The refusal of the bride from the chosen groom was the reason for the blood feud between the families. Years passed and fathers began to respect the right of their children to choose their own husband or wife. In modern Georgia, the family practically does not participate in this responsible choice, but the marriage must be approved by the parents. Both families try to learn as much as possible about each other in advance and only then give their consent.
If a Georgian meets a girl whom he would like to see as his wife, then he will do everything possible and impossible to achieve her. He looks after very beautifully, gives his chosen one freedom and is ready to close his eyes to many things. But this attitude changes radically after the wedding. For a Georgian, a girl is one thing, a wife is quite another. Strict traditions still exist in Georgian families.
Wedding traditions
Starting a family consists of three stages: matchmaking, betrothal and wedding. There is a beautiful custom in Georgia: when the bride enters their joint future home, the groom climbs onto the roof and releases the white bird. After that, the young are given a wedding glass filled with wine. First, the groom takes a sip and puts the wedding ring in the glass. Then the bride takes a sip. After that, the groom takes out a ring and hands it to his beloved, uttering words of love and fidelity.
Then the bride begins a solemn "inspection" of the groom's house, because now she has to become the mistress here. At the entrance to the house, accompanied by guests and witnesses, the young “for luck” break a beautiful plate. It is also customary to give them wooden ornaments that personify the "tree of life". Grains are scattered in the corners so that there is wealth and good offspring in the house. Walking around the house, the bride must touch the cauldron - a symbol of home and comfort, and also go around the pot of oil or grain three times.
It is not for nothing that the Georgian wedding is called a rich and magnificent holiday, because its first rule is a huge number of invited guests, which sometimes reaches several hundred. The fact is that to refuse to come to the wedding means to inflict a big offense on the family and start a long-term feud. It is not customary to shout "bitterly" here, but the toastmaster will not let anyone get bored. The abundance of colorful Georgian toasts turns the feast into a noisy and cheerful holiday.
Georgia is a Caucasian country, so there is also a bride kidnapping ritual here. And although now this abduction is rather formal and takes place with the consent of the bride herself and her parents, many still call this ritual the most beautiful and romantic wedding tradition. This is often done in order to avoid the considerable expenses associated with organizing a Georgian national wedding. After all, not every family can afford such a magnificent and rich holiday as required by customs. After the abduction, you can get by with a modest feast for close relatives, and the marriage will be considered concluded.
