TRADIȚIILE LIPOVENILOR DIN REPUBLICA MOLDOVA PENTRU PERIOADA PREMARITALĂ, PEȚIT ȘI CUNUNIE
PRE-WEDDING TRADITIONS, MATCHMAKING AND WEDDING AMONG THE OLD BELIEVERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Summary/Abstract: The family traditions of the Old Believers are inextricably linked with church customs, which contributes to the preservation of morality, spiritual health and the viability of the community. In the pre-wedding period, young men and girls, naturally, sought to communicate, to get to know each other better, to pick up a mate, and for this there were various pretexts and methods (parties “vecherinki”, entertainment for the Easter holidays, when they hung a swing, etc.). In urban areas, they also met in the church. The article presents the traditional features of matchmaking (there were no special matchmakers, if the bride agreed, she gave a pledge – an embroidered scarf, etc.) and wedding (putting a “kichka” on the bride and breaking the glass from which the bride and groom drank, etc.) among the Old Believers of Moldova. A lot has changed and simplified over the past few decades. Some of the traditions have been preserved, but often in a different form. The departure from wedding rituals “in the old way” accelerated starting from the 70s and 80s. The article highlights the difficulties associated with the existence of a ban on creating a family with relatives “by blood” or “by cross” up to the seventh generation. As a result, marriages with people of a different nationality have ceased to be rare (however, they must accept the Old Believer faith).

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