Each state has its own canons of beauty and family traditions. Ancient Russia was no exception: the principles by which brides were chosen in the old days are often puzzling today. And the rules of family life are frightening at all. The suspicion of infertility was also very dangerous - for this the husband had a legal basis to send his wife to the monastery.
Blood with milk
While European ladies, by hook or by crook, strove for aristocratic pallor, Russian women preferred to emphasize their natural rosy cheeks and rosy cheeks. Taboo was imposed not only on marks from cuts and other imperfections on the face, but also on "flies" and birthmarks. Sometimes, in order to sit up in girls, one large mole on the cheek was enough. Therefore, they were whitened and masked in all sorts of ways, trying to make them invisible. Any illnesses and physical disabilities were also considered a good reason to cancel the wedding.
Rosy-cheeked and puffy Russian beauty.
There was a special "fashion" for brides, and in order to wait for matchmakers, it was desirable to correspond to it. The first thing that was appreciated in any girl of marriageable age was pomp. In Russia, a broad-hipped and corpulent woman was considered a written beauty. It was also said about such people that they were "full of health." The passion for extra centimeters on the hips was easily explained from a practical point of view. In an era when medicine was at a very low level, wide hips were considered a kind of guarantee that a woman could carry and easily give birth to a child. In addition, being too thin often raised suspicions of serious health problems. And no one was in a hurry to acquire a wife who was notoriously sick and unable to work a lot.
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Do you want to go out? Get your husband's permission
In ancient Russian patriarchal society, a woman was traditionally assigned a subordinate position. Usually, the lower her class was, the less she took part in the political and social life of the country. Before marriage, the girl was completely "owned" by her parents, who made all the decisions for her and selected a suitable party. After marriage, the responsibility for the woman passed to the spouse. Any business, up to the possibility of leaving the walls of the house, required his permission. To visit church, go shopping, or keep in touch with someone outside the home, it was imperative to seek the approval of the head of the house.
The standard of beauty in Ancient Russia was a girl with smooth and even skin without flaws.
At the same time, the family nest was allowed to leave, only fairly prepared. The women tried to make up their eyebrows thicker with surma, to apply a fair amount of white and blush. Sometimes it looked so deliberate that it seemed as if the face was sprinkled with flour, and bright red traces of beets remained on the cheeks.
How can you not boast of your beautiful wife to your guest?
There was a tradition to show your wife to important guests, especially if she was famous for her beauty. To our time, many notes have survived, in which a description of this custom appears. Greeting the guest, the man, through the servants, imperceptibly signaled to his wife to dress up and come out to them. On this occasion, a woman put on her best clothes and met an unfamiliar man with her head submissively bowed. This allowed him to examine her in more detail and express his admiration for the mistress of the house. If the approval seemed to the husband sincere, the guest was served a glass of a strong drink.
Ruddy cheeks and a lush body - the key to a successful marriage.
Because of a tired wife, it's time to take monastic vows
In Ancient Russia, divorce was not honored. It was possible to get rid of a bored spouse in a limited number of cases: when an attempt on life or adultery confirmed by witnesses. Another good reason was the long absence of a husband or wife, whose whereabouts were unknown. However, the latter happened extremely rarely and required solid evidence of veracity.
With practically no chance of an official divorce, people came up with various ways to part amicably. One of the most popular and often met was the voluntary departure to the monastery. When there was no hope for peace between the spouses, one of them could go to holy places to serve God. It was assumed that prayer and an ascetic lifestyle would help resolve the problem, and peace would return to the family.
For adultery, a woman faced severe punishment.
However, often a person who decided on such an act remained in the monastery forever. If the husband took monastic vows, the wife was allowed to remarry. Laws have traditionally been more loyal to men. Suspecting his wife of infertility, he could, on his own initiative, send her to a monastery, and six weeks later he could find a new wife for himself.
Do not defile icons with carnal joys
With special zeal in Ancient Russia, they treated the fulfillment of the conjugal duty. His primary purpose was the desire to conceive a child, and not to get physical pleasure. This was largely due to the high percentage of infant deaths, which forced families to give birth to as many heirs as possible.
Traditional Russian wedding.
Despite the fact that sexual intercourse in church marriage was considered a legal matter, they prepared for it with special care. Before starting, all the faces of the saints were hung in the room and the crosses were taken off, so as not to offend the Lord with carnal joys. According to an unspoken rule, it was undesirable to attend church on this day. But if circumstances forced me to go to the temple, first it was necessary to thoroughly wash the whole body and change into clean clothes.
They treated adultery quite differently. A woman caught in fornication was publicly lashed with a whip and sent to a monastery, where she was forced to spend several days in prayers, and eat only water and bread. After returning, the lecher was faced with a second punishment. This time from her husband, who was supposed to once again punish her with a whip. It turned out to be extremely problematic to evade the execution of the duty, because for being too kind-hearted, the punishment would have already overtaken the spouse.
It so happened historically that in Russia there have always been many orphans.
