Virginity is a symbol of purity. In Christian Russia, the groom could dissolve the marriage if on the wedding night the bride turned out to be unchaste. For a long time, the girl's premarital innocence was the key to the good name of the family.
In the days of paganism, the idea of what "modesty" was was different. Suffice it to recall the rituals of the ancient Slavs: here there are joint bathing of girls and boys, and jumping over the fire (no one wore underwear!), And the obligatory deprivation of the bride's innocence before the wedding. However, with the advent of Christianity, everything changed, the so-called cult of virginity appeared.
And if it is wrong?
In Russia, girls who failed to maintain their innocence before marriage were expected to be disgraced - for example, the shutters of the house were smeared with tar - and punishment. The accusations could be false, but how can you prove your purity before the wedding? So the girls had to repent, crawling on their knees around the church three times. And take punishment. The most common punishment was putting on the collar. It was hung around the neck of an immodest bride as a symbol of "brutality", animal instincts. Sometimes one of the participants in the action climbed onto the roof and poured water on everyone from there, which symbolized the girl's readiness to “bestow” herself on anyone.
In the Kiev province, the punishment took place during dinner at the groom's house. The guests sat down at the table, and the bride was supposed to crawl under it on her knees. While everyone was eating, the future mother-in-law beat the girl in the face until the groom dropped: "Enough." After that, he became the full owner of the young woman. In Lithuania, a "riotous" girl was put on a chain at the door of the church.
The "demonstration" of the bride's purity was very important. The newlyweds retired while the wedding feast was going on - the more guests, the better - and long before it was over, the bride's shirt (or sheets) with fresh evidence traces was brought to the table.
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Symbols of innocence
The main color of beauty and joy in Russia was red (hence the "red girl"). Therefore, the wedding dress, which was worn on a white long shirt with sleeves, and the ribbons were red. Similar in color - scarlet - the veil was worn by the brides of Ancient Rome. They wrapped the girl's head with it, and it meant innocence, passion and tenderness for the future husband. The brides of Ancient Greece covered their heads with a yellow cloth - it served as a symbol of the sun, happiness and purity.
And this happened
The bride's chastity has been treated differently at different times. If the ancient Slavs did not pay attention to this, and the Christians, on the contrary, considered it the main condition of marriage, then among other peoples it was considered shameful to offer a virgin bride to the groom.
In ancient Greece, a girl who was preparing to become a wife had to go to the temple of the Great Goddess shortly before the wedding (in Hellas it is Aphrodite, in Babylon - Ishtar, in Phenicia - Astarte) and surrender to any stranger. By the way, the man had no right to undress her, otherwise he would be accused of desecrating the temple.
In Oceania, the future husband left the bride to his friends before the wedding. They spent some time away from the settlement, and only after that there was a celebration. But this is not the most amazing custom! Among the Zakayev tribe (the island of Sumatra), the newlywed was deprived of her virginity by her own father, who came to the aid of the bride's uncles through father and mother, regardless of age. Sometimes up to 20 men between the ages of 12 and 70 could be near the newlywed!
Magazine: Daria Biography No. 9, Author: Julia Krasotkina