Blessing is considered an integral part of marriage. Thus, the parents give their consent to the marriage and wish their children a happy and long life together. Since ancient times, it is believed that if the bride or groom did not receive a blessing from their parents, then the marriage will be unhappy and the family can disintegrate.
How to bless a newly-married couple with an icon?
According to the existing traditions, the parents bless their daughter two times: during the matchmaking and before leaving for the registrar. Parents of the groom bless the newlyweds after marriage.
For the ritual, it is important to know what icons bless the bride and groom, since images of saints are an indispensable attribute, without which the process turns into just saying wishes and kind words. Basically, two images are used:
- The icon of Kazan Mother of God is the most revered image of the Virgin. This icon is most often used in the rite of the blessing of the daughter. They consider her intercessor and patroness of all life on earth. There is a huge amount of evidence about how the Kazan Mother of God helped people solve their problems. Before the marriage, the icons are asked to protect the new family from various problems and an evil eye, as well as give healthy children.
- The icon of the Savior of the Almighty is the most widespread image of Christ. The blessing of the groom's parents often passes with this icon. On it, Jesus is depicted with the Gospel in his hands, which indicates a righteous path, and with the other hand he blesses the people who turned to him with prayer . Before the image ask for family happiness and prosperity. It is this icon that needs to be introduced first to the newlyweds' house.
In the rite, you can use both icons, and only one of them. As an option, you can buy a wedding couple or a fold, where the two icons are connected to each other.
What an icon of the blessing of the young is now known, it remains to understand how the rite itself passes. In advance, parents should prepare not only the image of the saint, but also the towel, on which he will need to be kept. In the room where the blessing passes, there should be only close people. The mother of the bride takes an embroidered towel in her hands, and her father gives her an icon, which he must also take with a towel and in no case with his bare hands. To bless the young icon, it is best to use the image that is in the house, but if there is not one, then you need to buy it in the church shop, where all the icons are consecrated. The mother must keep the icon face to face with the young.
Now we need to look at the topic in detail, how to bless the newlyweds with an icon and what you need to say at the same time. There is no specific text that parents should memorize as a prayer, since instructions must come from a pure heart. Please note that the speech should not be too long. The text is a kind of reference point for the future, in which parents wish young people happiness , prosperity, peace, harmony, etc. In the speech, not only wishes, but also instructions should be sounded. During the pronunciation of the words, the mother and father must three times cross the icon of the young, and then give them a kiss. After the completion of the rite, the icon and towel are transferred to the young ones, who must keep it as a relic, and it, in turn, will play the role of an amulet.