Algirdas Patackas, Aleksandras Žarskus THE CULMINATION OF THE MARRIAGE TRANSFORMATION Even
in modern times (from the 1930s onwards) any Lithuanian peasant could have
been able to explain the ritual of drinking the "bride's blood".
He would have said: "This is how the bride is killed". We are
surprised and for him this would go without saying. E.Gizevijus
described the ritual of drinking the "bride's blood". The
special drink, homebrewed brandy mixed and boiled with honey and raisins,
would be served on a platter decorated with herbs. The platter would be
put in front of the bride and she would pass it around the table. Every
guest tasted the drink with a spoon until the platter was returned empty
to the bride. Then everyone would stand up and move slowly towards the
garner. The slow gait, movement, behaviour, the absolute silence, as if during a funeral, would testify to
the significance of this very moment. After coming to the porch, the women
started the lamentation song that made the bride and everybody else cry.
Then, the door of the garner would be opened and the bride would bid a sad
farewell to everyone separately. Then she went to the door, turned once
more to her beloved ones and said the words as if for the last time:
"At the very brilliance of my young days I bid farewell to you all".
Then only the lamentation would be heard. The bride would sit down in the
chair in cold resignation with the stunned look as if prepared for the
deadly stroke. The
"deadly stroke" is the moment of putting the headdress without
which "no woman can appear in public". This ritual symbolizes
the loss of all the young and careless days of sisterhood. However, every
loss is also a discovery, every farewell is also a welcome, and in every
death there is a motif of the victory against death. The bride rises now
with all the greetings. The lament ends and all eyes are sparkling with
joy. This song is heard: "And the weeping turned into mirth, death
opened up like life".
At
those times every bride was ready for this period. During the Rasa
celebration all the young people of a village would arrange the symbolic
preparation (banishment, destruction) of the bride (witch). In Slavic
countries, it was characteristic to drive out a girl decorated in herbs
and garlands and then to share her decorations. Lithuanian girls would
make kupolė a pole of ribbons,
herbs and garlands and a few days before Joninės celebration would put it at the edge of the ryefield and
protect it from lads. Then they would share the greens. This tradition can
be found now only at Church. On Corpus Christi Day people break birches
and then, during the last vespers, share them. Also, there is a Slavic
tradition of decorating a birch instead of a girl (witch) and then
destroying it. This kind of kupolė
(birch) destruction or the banishment of the witch (bride, birch) was the
symbolic experience of the essential change (transformation) in nature as
well as in human life. Nowadays,
one can notice the desacralization of this ritual. The drink is now called
"bride's tears" or even "bride's soup". This can be
compared to the "vertical section" of the tradition, which
discloses that it's becoming trivial. When a ritual loses its sense, it
loses its life and any other effect can destroy it.
E.Gizevijus
has mentioned the "absolute silence" as the necessary factor of
wedding ritual. Wedding orations also require silence: "Cease all
talking gritting, dancing; be silent just for a Mary's minute". At
the eve of the wedding, usually on Saturday, the bride's house is silent and sad. The
bridegroom spends the evening also quietly. The next morning before the
wedding ceremony it is even more;
as the members of a wedding
first walk silently three times around the table. The bridegroom cannot
talk while taking the bride to his house until he reaches the threshold.
Silence is also necessary during birth and death transformations. What
could it represent? In
every transformation, there is a turning point, a culmination, the most
dangerous moment at which everyone is struck and frozen as if stuck in
between earth and heaven. But also, one's consciousness has to be kept
vigilant. This is the state of concentration, when all the external senses
cease, while a person accumulates his inner powers. At
this essential moment of transformation a bridge is built to pass over by
the newly-weds. The word "bridge" has a linguistic root similar
to the verb "cease" (tilti
- tyla - tiltas) and it is
sacred in our language. V.Toporov wrote: "In the mythic-poetic
tradition, the bridge is the symbol of the relationship between different
points in the sacred realm. The bridge is understood as a certain part of
the road, yet unknown and not guaranteed. It is usually built in the
presence of a traveler; at the most urgent and dangerous moment of travel
when the road ends and the threat of dark powers is the most evident.
/.../ The bridge opens the way from one time and space into another.
Sometimes it can be vertical and unify heaven and earth, God and human
beings, top and bottom. /.../ In the Slavic tradition, one's destiny is
revealed near the bridge. The fairytale hero would always pass over the
bridge after he has slaughtered the dragon". Old
marriage rituals were the symbolic transition (bridge) of the newly-weds
into an essentially new period of life. The image of the bridge is also
seen in making bots during the Christmas Eve. Girls build a bridge (of
logs) to find out if they will marry. The
image of bridge is also found in plays, e.g. "Sycamore bridge" (Sycamore
is the mystic, sacred tree of Indo-European nations, especially attached
to watery places). There are similar games not only in Europe, but also in
Africa, New Guinea, Burma, India. It is within the image of the bridge
that all cultures come together. However the word "bridge" in
other cultures reflects more its technical purpose, e.g. Russian: "moct"
- "mocmut " (to cobble); German: "brucke" - "brucken"
(also to cobble, to build), English: "bridge". The Lithuanian
variant expresses the sacred (sacral) aspect of a bridge.
The
archetype of a bridge to guide the newly-weds through the most dangerous
moment of transformation is so important that even nowadays bridegroom
would always carry the bride over the bridge. It
is important to note the motif of bridge destruction. Our ancestors would
always burn the sacred bridge, which meant not
coming back, guaranteeing the successful transformation. They knew
that the most dangerous thing would be to get stuck in the transformation
process.
Bridge
builders had a leading role in all the wedding rituals. As V.Toporov noted,
"bridge builders were not only professional, but also a confessional
group, belonging to the class of magicians. "Bridge builders (also
called "sycamore people", because a bridge could be made of gold
and silver as well as sycamore) arranged all the main human
transformations: Baptism, Wedding, and Funeral.
The
title "Pontifex maximus" given to the Pope by the chief magician
of Ancient Rome discloses the connections between our "bridge
builders" and modern clergy. The translated version of "Pontifex
maximus" is "Great Bridge Builder". No one remembers, why
the Pope is the great bridge builder" and why "pontifex" is
the synonym of clergy. But the purpose of Baltic bridge builders answers
this and also manifests the universal values, which cannot be limited by
any formalities.
The
Devil is a concept of Christianity. The old Baltic (Lithuanian) culture
had no personified evil, though the Slavic religion mentions its own idol,
Veles, as representing the Underworld. It may be argued that the
Lithuanian image of the devil originated from the "soul out of place",
the so-called "vėlė",
which has its linguistic associations with the word devil "velnias".
"Vėlė" was
understood as a kind of energetic, informatory field, a ghost, a soul who
is stuck in the death transformation process. The image of the devil is
understood both as this kind of soul and also as a Christian evil spirit.
Thus, the Lithuanian devil is likely to signify the inner state, rather
than the personified evil. This is especially characteristic for the image
of the devil in old fairytales and legends. The above-mentioned concept of
the devil can be proved by the fact that the devil is afraid of the
so-called "suffering of flax". Also, the role of the devil in a
wedding party described further in the text must be regarded as an
internal mather.
In
his study "Chthonic world of Lithuanian mythology" N. Vėlius
discusses the role of the devil at the wedding. We may apply the material
in order to distinguish the features of devil. It
is said that in order to get rid of the devil, one must describe him as
the "suffering of flax": "the devil is afraid of the
blossom of flax and if someone gets lost in the forest and wants to be
protected from the devil, it is necessary to count the sufferings of flax".
In older fairytales the devil had not only to listen, but also to suffer
the same as flax, i.e., to become a seed of flax, to be sown, to grow, to
be cut, laid out, retted, buried, scutched, etc. And the devil would run
away not because of the cock's crow, but because of his inability to bear
the suffering". Thus,
we are faced with the notion of "flax suffering", which is very
important in the Lithuanian mind and requires a deep study. Our generation,
grown in town, needs a special explanation about "flax suffering".
Our ancestors regarded the way flax would become linen as the image of
transformation from one form or quality into another. There are quite a
few Lithuanian songs describing, how flax becomes linen or wheat becomes
bread.
However,
we should also discuss how a symbol is important in our life. According to
K. G. Yung, "the symbol is the mechanism of energy that is
transformed". There
are a lot of symbols, which have a transformatory (anagogic) effect. They
have been applied by most ancient cultures or religious schools. "Flax
suffering" was one of those symbols characteristics of the Lithuanian
mind. It may be called an archetype. These symbols relate on individual
mind to the one of society. It is the human mind, which governs mental
energy. But it cannot make right decisions at crucial moments of human
life, such as at e.g. wedding. Thus, the mind of society is considered
then. It becomes operative after certain rituals of changing one's mind (e.g.
silence) are followed. Thus,
according to K.
G.
Yung society's mind can operate in two directions. It can
either elevate one to spiritual heights or push one down into physical
desires. Society's mind has both devilish and heavenly aspects. Its strong
influence and even control over human actions is also reflected in most
folk literature. Modern
psychologists are now rediscovering those old means of effect. R.
Assagiolli, the author of psycho synthesis, encourages people to try the
psychological exercise of "flax suffering". His patients
identify themselves with wheat grains or coffer beans and follow the
phases till they become an organic part of the human body (as cake or
coffee drink). This kind of self-involvement (psycho synthesis) helps the
patient to apprehend his/her identity in all the changes of life and to
sense the unifying center of mind - an essential "I". Thus,
old songs cannot just be classified into work songs or wedding songs. They
are an effective experience, which influences the human mind and human
appearance in the world. Songs teach people not to fear transformations,
because they are our reality, the natural and existential laws. There is
existence only where changes are occurring. At the same time, people learn
to sense the essence (psycho synthesis), i.e. to integrate themselves into
the whole and to preserve their identity in all the transformations.
Children's songs for play or going in circles prepare for transformations.
The
question remains why the devil is afraid of flax suffering. Flax becoming
linen is a constant change into a new quality. The transformation neglects
what is old and this brings suffering, which is impossible for the devil
to bear.
It
is evident that "flax suffering" and marriage is the same kind
of transformation, which would lead to a new quality only through "death"
(leaving the old behind). If the devil is afraid of the flax
suffering-transformation, he must also fear the wedding transformation.
This fear of suffering or change reveals the nature of the Lithuanian (christianized)
devil. The prototype of devil - vėlinas (a soul stuck in the process of transformation) is afraid
of leaving his uncertain state and it makes him suffer. The domain of the
devil is always uncertainty and chaos. Any attempt to restore harmony
harms the devilish nature. If the period of bride preparation brings chaos
to families and even people's internal life, then the devil is at his
might. When this uncertain period ends with the transformation of marriage,
harmony is restored. There are quite a few fairytales, e.g. "Escape
with the help of a little kid", which repeat marriage rituals. The
above-mentioned fairytale tells how a little child helped a girl to escape
from devils. Nowadays, the bride does not run from devils, she becomes the
"bride stolen by devil". N.Vėlius parallels the goat with the
matchmaker, who had a leading role in performing wedding rituals. Also
there was one more person, the so-called marčelga,
who was likely to share the responsibilities of the matchmaker. Semantic
similarities of the word "Marčelga" allow us to consider this
person as a bridge-builder, who had to "build bridges" at the
most dangerous moments that groom and bride experienced on their wedding
day. "Building bridges" meant organizing the most important
rituals of marriage transformation.
Also,
N. Vėlius mentions the fairytales: "Maid - Witch", "The
Bride of Dragon", "Dragon is the Room of Newly-weds",
"Faithful Servant" and others, in which is told, how all the
devils of the bride's self
are pushed out by the matchmaker (the so-called "old person",
"saint", "faithful servant") on the first wedding
night. And only then the newly - weds can live happily together. Isn't
this the way a fairytale expresses the essential duties of a matchmaker (as
bridge - builder or fairytale hero)?
Fairytale
wisdom astonishes people. But it is very difficult to understand fairytale
morals, and only because they touch upon the ethical norms which people
have forgotten or do not want to acknowledge. That's why children may be
the best fairytale listeners, as they are not disturbed yet by the
disintegrating ability "of thinking". Wedding
transformations include a very important ritual: the action to begin a new
life. Our ancestors saw a big danger in this human trial of morality, when
spiritual light was confronted with physical desire. The
fairytales of other nations also describe this threatening aspect. Usually,
the first nights trial is sustained by the faithful servant of the main
hero. Instead of prince he has to sleep with the princess, otherwise he
himself will be dead. This "exchange" of bridegrooms is a quite
frequent motif in fairytales, thus, consequently V. Propas, a folklore
researcher, draws the conclusion that "it is a fairytale norm for
someone with magic abilities to take bride's virginity instead of the
bridegroom doing so". This is the way modern thinking turns out. But
fairytales do not intend that. The groom's servant only tames the princess
and "drives" all the devils out of her and then sends her to the
groom. Religion and old cultures have tried to harmonize husband and wife
relationships through rituals and traditions. Thus, the duties of the
groom's servant might be regarded differently. He might have served the
newly-weds as a teacher of morality, who disclosed the secret of starting
a new human being. This is just one of the attitudes which were reflected
in traditions, e.g. the ruler of the territory where newly-weds lived
could make use of the right of the first night given to him. Of course,
the level of communitys spirituality decided this kind of tradition. Nowadays
researchers always emphasize the very fact of the first night. Most of the
fairytales and old customs concentrate on one's preparation for it. Indian
scriptures do not mention the first night event either. It could be put
off till next year. The wedding festival was followed by the ritual of the
three-day-abstinence: "For three days, the newly weds must not eat
salted food, also must sleep on the ground and then for one year, twelve
days or six nights, or at least three nights, must abstain from sexual
relations". Also, a Russian fairytale shows, how the faithful servant
warns the groom: "Be careful! During
first three nights, she will attempt your strength; she'll put her arm on
you and she'll press you stronger and stronger; you won't manage to
withstand". This period of self-abstinence served the purpose of
preparation to begin a new human being: "the longer the abstinence,
the bigger probability of having better offsprings." A
few customs of first night trials have survived. One was found in the
district of Vologda (Russia) in 1975-1977. On their first night, the
newly-weds had to abstain from a sexual relationship. If they succeeded,
the bride would refuse the bowl of water, which the mother-in-law would
bring to her in the morning. Then she would light a candle, one for the
bride and one for the groom, as a sign of honour; and then only the next
morning would come again with the bowl of water. Another
description about first night customs was made in Byelorussia near the
Polese marshes: "For two weeks, the newly-weds sleep as brother and
sister. And only after their first, post-wedding visit to church, they can
sleep as husband and wife". But in the Ukraine (also near Polese) a
different custom is found. It allowed a male member of the wedding party
to sleep with the bride on the first night. It could also be a son-in-law,
a father, a godfather's son or the groom's elder brother. Of course, this
night could be spent differently. This depended on the spiritual maturity
of a person. Thus, the first night event was not part of wedding rituals;
or, at least, it was not necessary. The
folklore researchers have not found any direct allusions about the
abstinence on the first night though the fact that a bride's nightdress or
bed sheet was not checked in the morning might be a strong argument.
Indeed, if some guests visited newly-weds in their bedroom it was for the
purpose of making predictions: if they found a grain of wheat, rye or
barley, it meant a first baby-boy; and if they found oat, the first child
would be girl. Nowadays, this kind of "visit" could turn into
the custom of checking the bride's virginity. We
can define three possible reasons why one would not look for the proof of
a bride's virginity:
1)
when a nation's morality has achieved such a level that preserved
virginity is a natural thing and does not arouse any doubts,
2)
when the first night event is not to occur during the wedding and when the
newly-weds abstain from sexual relationship,
3)
when a nations morality is so low that it makes no sense to "check
the bride's virginity". The
last variant reflects nowadays situation. The first and the second variant
are interrelated and show that there was no special checking of the
bride's virginity in Lithuanian weddings. Then,
what could be the reasons for the checking custom? These two are possible:
1)
The nation's morality is in a transitional period. Ethics is on the
decline already, but people still try to preserve it using formal customs
of public doom.
2)
When the prevailing masculinity is characteristic of the nation, and
virginity is required only from the bride. In
Lithuanian culture masculinity does not prevail. Thus, the modern wedding
custom to check the bride's virginity is determined not only by
neighboring cultures, but also by the declining morality of the nation. The
older the customs of the first night event in the Lithuanian tradition,
the more mystery, respect and sanctity is there in them. M. Pretorijus (XVI
c.) and B. Buračas (XIX c.) describe a special preparation required for
the newly-weds: "The Matron of honour explains
how to live a family life. Then she crosses and blesses
them and wishes them fruitful and happy life. The Male member of the
wedding party makes the bed for the newly-weds and kisses their bedclothes".
Sometimes a big loaf of black bread was put under the pillow. The
sacredness and mystery of the first night event was also reflected in
words: "Do a blessed work", as the last wish before the night.
Also, the custom of fasting necessary before every big festival testifies
to the sacred attitude toward the bride and groom's first night.
Newly-weds had to abstain from food and drink; and in Indian tradition the
husband had to be abstinent before every ritual of the successful
beginning of a new human being. The
bed of newly-weds was also special. It was put in the corner of the
granary near the door. Nobody could move it, because its one side and end
was bricked into the wall and there was only one
leg in the middle of the granary.
Though this bed did not seem very practical, people tended to follow the
ritual. The leg in the middle of the granary symbolized the Tree of the
world, a life and knowledge (Arbor
mundi). Thus, the first night event occurred in the axis of the tree
of life. It was an event that disclosed the mystery of someone coming into
the world of space and time. The physical copula builds the vertical
bridge (tree of life) between two worlds, where a man and a woman
co-operate with God. Even the soul that is to come to this world also
participates in the event. A married couple prepares the way, a vertical
bridge for the soul to come, and then in the mother's womb the soul is
given a body. This is the greatest miracle, when the soul united with
matter becomes a human being. A
"civilized" person sees only the secondary non-essential side of
this miracle, i.e. just a pleasure. This kind of attitude provides only
superficial knowledge, which leads into the misinterpretation of the most
wonderful existential phenomena. Modern "sexual education"
teaching how to experience the biggest satisfaction and how to avoid
undesired consequences puts a person into spiritual obscurity and also
pushes him/her to become a slave of his/her passion. The result of this is
that a lot of people do not withstand the first night trials and falls
under the devil's influence. This
is not just a nice theory. The practical side of this is community habits
and public opinion. One of the habits was for every woman at the second
month of pregnancy to give up sexual relations, because a child then could
be born with defects, e.g. spots, specks, warts. Those women who tried to
avoid pregnancy (e.g. counting their "barren" days) were
considered debauches. If mother did not nurse her baby, other people of
the community accused her of committing a sin against God and people. Even
at the time of nursing sexual intercourse was not suggested. Thus,
community habits and customs encouraged young people to abstain from
sexual relations and save it just for the creation of a new human being. However,
this level of morality can be achieved only by active spiritual love from
both sexes. The best spiritual teacher and guide for the newly-weds was
the matchmaker, who, according to old traditions, first had to be
godfather for the bride. This fact describes his responsibility to give
them all the essential cultural and spiritual values. Nowadays, the
matchmakers distinctive sign is a greasy towel at his waist. This is
how matchmakers duties have changed:
1.
teacher of ethics and morality,
2.
organizer of wedding party,
3.
arranger of "table" needs.
The
devil is an important figure at the wedding. There are a lot of proverbs
saying that the devil is braided into a maiden's hair. What relationship
could be between devil and braids? Some legends tell that God himself
taught a girl to braid. Since then, there is a saying, that a girl is good
as long as her hair is braided, but as soon as she gets married, she
loosens her hair and the devil is loosened then, too. God
teaches harmony and morals. Braiding is a sacred action that helps to
maintain both external and internal harmony. Chaos is the sign of devil's
power. When a girl puts her hair in order she restrains the devil's
chaotic activities, and any disorder in her external appearance calls out
the devil inside. Women tend to perceive the world as an indivisible whole.
That's why any discord in one place, according to a feminine understanding,
will cause a much bigger chaos around. Thus, external harmony (e.g.
braided hair) helps to maintain internal harmony, and external disorder
attracts the devil. In
Lithuanian language the word "debauchery" has the same root as
the word "loose". Indeed, in the Lithuanian mind, debauchery
meant internally loose behaviour, e.g. slovenliness, naughtiness,
disobedience to any moral rules. A person who cannot manage his/her own
vital powers is a debauchee. Only recently, this word has acquired the
meaning of sexual misbehavior. Loosened
hair is a sign of infinity and liberty. Liberty gives equal rights to
choose right or wrong. Thus, loosened hair is not necessarily a sign of
immorality or depravity. In wedding rituals, loosened hair symbolizes the
state of change - transformation. But change can be to either side: good
or evil. The Biblical Eve eating an apple is also in an uncertain state.
She will either become like God or... receive a punishment. The
bride remains in such an uncertain state after her engagement. Then her
hair is loosened and bridesmaids have to accompany her everywhere, because
the devil can catch her. The
Virgin Mary is also portrayed with uncovered head and loosened hair. This
represents her as the fiancee of the Holy Spirit (sponsus Spiriti Sancti),
but never as Mother. The girls, who take the Eucharist, also were with
their hair down. This tradition is an example of our ancestor's deep
perception about the transformation, which also unifies old Lithuanian
customs with Christianity. The
devil's role at the wedding party is disclosed through his relationship to
illegitimate children. When such an illegitimate child is started in the
mother's womb there is no matchmaker, who had to drive all the devils out
of the newly-weds. An illegitimate child begins his existence in the
internal chaos - desire. The devil (desire) is present at that moment.
Thus people say that an illegitimate child is always born of the devil.
This child would bring chaos into a community's life. Some primitive
cultures allow the killing of children that are born before the wedding,
as if they are not the children of human beings. "It's cruel", a
modern person would say. But what about the "civilized" society?
Is it better if it makes amusement of God's given privilege to create a
new human being? "Civilized" society kills unborn children, a
very big percentage of unborn. The
devil can be present even in the relationship of the married couple. If
this is not for the purpose of creating a new human being, the devil (desire)
is the ruler of the situation. We
kill the children "started" by the devil (can they be ours, if
we kill them?) and use innocent terms for this: breaking off pregnancy,
cleaning, etc. We even legalize this. The most painful thing is that
mothers, called to take care of every living being, condemns their own (maybe
the devil's) children to death.
A
transformation is an expression of how Eternal Creation and human powers
function. At the time of transformation one can rise into a higher
existential realm. The significance and purposefulness of Eternal Creation
requires irreversibility. Another part - the transitional existence and
the irreversibility of transformation - gives time a new shade of meaning.
In this way transformation may be regarded as the period of bigger ethical
responsibility and also of ethical threat. Only a person who has free will
faces an ethical threat and the possibility of evil. Danger
at the time of transformation is caused by the instability of the
transformational period and by the activity of all vital powers. When
vital (also creative) powers are at their highest, a person encounters
both good and evil. In nature, transition happens due to coincidences or
the Creator's plan. But human beings have to decide for themselves as they
are conscious and have free will. Otherwise, the threat would lose its
ethical meaning. The
instability (freedom) of the transitional period is expressed in wedding
customs. The bride has to wear loose clothes and shoes, and also to loosen
her hair. The members of wedding party should never pass a stopped mill.
They should give presents to the miller so that he could make the wings of
the mill rotate freely. If something is tightened or stopped, the
transformation cannot be successful. The
ethical threat of transformation is also expressed in the legends about
the blossoming of fern. The threat increases at the turning point of
transformation. The darkest power of human vitality does not allow the
searcher to achieve light, because if he succeeds, they will die. If he
refuses he will get nothing but misery and disappointment. How can he
protect himself? The one searching for the blossom of fern would make a
circle around himself (isolation) using the branch of a rowan-tree, take a
burning candle, a book and, what is most important, try to keep his
self-determination. One
can find it hard to give other more tangible proofs for such abstract
speculations. But there is one: our national clothes. The flax, from which
women would weave a headdress for the bride, had to be especially clean
and carefully prepared. Then before weaving the women prayed, fasted and
put on clean clothes. The ornamented linen, used for the first night of
the newly-weds, was kept till the wedding of another daughter. Also, the
wedding nightdresses were preserved for the funeral. This
is the material expression of a spiritual culture. A
very important part of clothing was head cover. It showed what age a
person is and which social group s/he belongs to. Women in Lithuania wear
their headdresses till their first baby was born. Thus a headdress was
necessary at the time of the wedding transformation, when good and evil
are equally present. This possibility to choose good or evil was also
reflected in the ornaments of headdress. Usually, it was divided into two
parts: harmony (e.g. riders guarding the tree of life) and chaos (e.g.
animals destroying the tree of life). Later on, women preferred wearing
kerchiefs. Certain
customs were followed at the wedding in order to protect the newly-weds (esp.
their fertility) from witchcraft and other evil influences. Nudles were
pinned into clothes crosswise; grains, poppy-seeds, salt (also a silver
coin) were put into shoes; bread and salt were slipped into one's bosom or
garlic put into mouth; net was turned round one's foot or the twigs of a
rowan-tree were given to the newly-weds. Also, there was lighting of the
candle or passing through the burning straws. These were not some magic
means, but a cleaning of surroundings, making it sacred. But the best way
of protection, of course, is not just to follow the customs, but also to
let the inner light guide through the transformation. This will help one
understand the essence of the ritual and prevent us from idle "magic". What
was told about the first night customs seems too unexpected for a modern
man. He lacks the sense of sanctity, though his heart is longing for
harmony between body and soul. It's time for us now to discover the
essence and to testify to it in our daily life. Good traditions should not
be just imitation or following of religious teachings. They must come from
our spiritual life, from our living wisdom. Let us always search for our
essence. We are the sparkle of divine vitality. It depends on us, if we
become eternal light or remain a sparkle. Let us lighten our mind to make
the light of our soul brighter and brighter. Then we will not know any
threats.
|
Back - VYDIJA