FEATURES OF THE MARRIAGE ETIQUETTE IN RUSSIA IN THE XVI CENTURY

Modern Russian society is currently experiencing a crisis of family and marriage relations due to global changes in the system of values. The transition to industrial and post-industrial society on the basis of market relations and, as a consequence, a renewed system of moral guidelines leads to the abandonment of traditional values, formed in pre-revolutionary Russia, the younger generation does not feel trust and respect for the institution of marriage, its dissolution becomes the norm.

For marriage traditions XVI century is a turning point in the marriage etiquette of the Russian people. With the advent of the Romanov dynasty, marriage traditions underwent a significant change. With the help of basic historical approaches, we will consider how the choice of a bride, matchmaking, marriage and other aspects relevant to marriage in this period, and how responsibly the population treated it.

The moral and ethical values of the era dictated the necessity and obligation to marry. This was especially true for women: it was believed that if a girl was not married, she had some flaw associated with her appearance or internal, psychological health. However, for men marriage was also an important stage in life despite the fact that society retained patriarchal foundations, an unmarried man remained subordinate to his father in the parental home and did not have a full list of social rights [3, p. 58].

Before the 17th century Russia was a rather closed state, the people had almost no idea of what was going on abroad. Religion was unified - Christianity, non-believers were socially condemned and considered heretics [1, p. 32].

The area of marriage, like many spheres of life in medieval Russia, was strongly influenced by religious orders. The Orthodox Church dictated the canons of marriage. With the adoption of Christianity in Russia, marriage gradually became a human obligation and a norm of his life. It was during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Russia that this understanding took root in the minds of the people. Now a legal marriage becomes such only with the rite of marriage in the church [3, p. 58].

The future marriage was usually agreed upon in advance by the parents of those entering into marriage. Such an agreement did not allow the bride or groom to independently choose a marriage partner, and mutual love was not taken into account. However, the groom could choose his own bride and negotiate with her parents, if he was mature and rich enough.  The wedding negotiations were mostly conducted by women (mother, eldest daughters, sisters) [5, p. 4].

A man in the Middle Ages became an adult and began to lead an independent life quite early. The age of marriage for men and women was set differently by the Church [3, p. 59]: a woman could marry from the age of 12, a man from 14. However, in reality marriages were concluded so early rarely: for girls usually the age of marriage was 14-16 years, for men much later 20-24.

Since religious traditions had a great influence on the marriage process, the day chosen for the wedding should not violate the church rules. For example, one could not get married on Christmas Day, Dormition Day, Lent, etc., during the period from Christmas to Epiphany [7, p. 805]. Under the ban were also the fasting days of the week - Wednesday and Friday.

In addition to religious rules, the choice of time for weddings was also influenced by agricultural traditions [3, p. 59]. So, weddings tried to play in the autumn-winter period, that is, the time free from the burdens of farming. It was believed that if a wedding was held in summer or spring, the couple were hiding something and married out of necessity.

The marriage of kings was also subject to the norms of the church, it took place in several stages: first the marriage should bless the metropolitan, who until the end of the XVI century was the head of the church [8, p. 92]. Next was the inspection and selection of the bride, when from the huge number of applicants brought from all over the state, only the worthiest were chosen: mostly from among Orthodox subjects who had good health and the ability to childbearing [8, p. 92]. Then there was the stage of matchmaking and the final stage - the wedding, accompanied by the distribution of favors during the inspection of various monasteries.

Royal marriage in Russia was considered a matter of state importance: the need to strengthen the international status and the continuation of the dynasty. Therefore, this matter was treated with special importance.

Tsar wedding lasted from two to four days, starting strictly on Sunday or Thursday. On the first day the newlyweds didn't see each other, the Tsar stayed in his palace, and his future wife in the Golden Chamber. Thus, there was a waiting for the wedding process [2, p. 106].

By the time of the arrival of the tsar and his bride in the Faceted Chamber it was magnificently decorated, with observance of all traditions. The floor was decorated with expensive "overseas" carpets brought from Persia or Turkey. The table, decorated with precious tableware, was covered with several tablecloths (the first was for the wedding ceremony, the second was for the Tsar and the Tsarevna in their bedrooms, the third was for guests) [2, с. 106].

Despite the Christianization of all aspects of Russian life, pagan traditions were preserved. So, a symbol of prosperity, marriage, the sun and the month were bread, cheese and salt, which were treated to the king and his bride at the entrance to the Chamber.  After the cronies bestowed gifts and treats upon the guests and the king, the bride bade farewell to her parents.

And finally, it was time for the most important ritual - the wedding, the young couple went to the Cathedral of the Annunciation. In the presence of parents, the bride and groom had to give their consent three times [6, p. 349]. Then there was an exchange of rings, the bride fell to her husband's shoes, which was also a symbol - of submission and obedience, and he, as a sign of protection and love, covered her caftan [4, p. 49]. After the wedding, the king and queen returned to the wedding feast. In the morning the young couple washed in the bath - a symbol of purification and the beginning of married life, and then had breakfast in their chambers.

At the end of all the main stages of the wedding, the newlyweds continued to receive congratulations and have a feast. On the fourth day the patriarch came to the newlywed tsarina and the tsar to conduct the rite of giving [7, p. 809].

The content of the work allowed to find out that marriage etiquette in Russia in the XVI century had its exceptional features associated with the strong influence of Christian norms, which at that time were exposed to all aspects of people's life; features associated with the traditions of the Russian people, which were formed over the centuries, as well as pagan customs, archaic beliefs that have not gone from the people, despite the active Christianization.

Thus, religious rules changed the norms of morality and the way of life of both men and women. For both sexes marriage became an obligation, despite the preservation of patriarchal foundations of society: if a woman is not married, it means that such a woman has external defects or mental trauma; if a man is unmarried, such a man cannot have a full list of social rights and must remain in subordination to his father.

The sixteenth century is a turning point in the marriage etiquette of the Russian people. With the advent of the Romanov dynasty, marriage traditions underwent a significant change. Subsequently, wedding traditions would be increasingly subjected to Europeanization. It was the XVI century that became the time when marriage was maximally penetrated by national traditions, customs and traditions, which had been forming for many centuries.