Sofya Ernst explains why our ancestors viewed marriage as "a wedding to adulthood"

How wedding ceremonies and marriage were understood in traditional culture, why birth was described as "a wedding to life", and why marriage itself was seen as a transition to a new social status with new rights and responsibilities was the focus of a talk by theatre and film actress, producer and founder of the "Istok" House of Culture Sofya Ernst at the National Centre RUSSIA. Her presentation took place as part of the open dialogue "Forms of Love: Literature and Art" during the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts".

Sofya Ernst explained that, as part of their work exploring traditional culture, she and her team chose to focus specifically on wedding traditions. In her view, a wedding is a multicultural event where rituals, folk songs, traditional costume and cuisine all come together, bringing together every element of traditional culture. Together with her team, Sofya has studied a great variety of wedding rituals practiced by different peoples; during this study, the team came across one particularly striking definition of a wedding.

"In one culture, birth is described as a wedding to life, death as a wedding to death, and marriage as a wedding to adulthood. Studying folk culture and wedding traditions shows that this event is far more than simply the union of two people in love, as we often think of it today. It marks the transition to an entirely new social status. It is not only the union of two individuals, but also the coming together of two families and two family lines. It is an important and deeply significant event," the speaker said.

Sofya Ernst noted that before the Revolution, entering into marriage brought not only new responsibilities but also new rights for both bride and groom. She referred to research showing in detail that, in noble, merchant and peasant families alike, marriage opened up new opportunities: a merchant could begin trading independently of his father, a peasant could establish a separate household, while in noble families husbands and wives acquired new inheritance rights. Preparing for marriage was also a long and carefully structured process, involving formal matchmaking, engagement negotiations, the participation of a matchmaker, detailed discussions of the practical aspects of the future union, and verification of the agreements reached on the first day of the wedding celebrations.

According to Sofya Ernst, this understanding of marriage encouraged young people to see it not only as a romantic occasion but also as a responsibility towards one another and towards their families. Studying traditions from different regions, her team discovered that despite the diversity of wedding customs, they all shared one central idea: family is not the "happy ending" of a fairy tale but the beginning of a very important shared journey, where love is inseparable from mutual respect, commitment and a willingness to embrace adult life together.

The discussion on literature, art and family values also featured Yevgeny Zharinov, Professor at the Moscow Pedagogical State University, Doctor of Philology, writer and translator; writer, philologist and cultural studies scholar Nikolai Zharinov; and Yelena Davydova, Director of the M'ARS Centre for Contemporary Art. Together, the participants explored how books, theatre, cinema, contemporary art and folk traditions help people reflect on love, marriage, raising children and continuity between generations.

The open dialogue "Forms of Love: Literature and Art" formed part of the educational programme of the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts", held at the National Centre RUSSIA. The festival brought together newlyweds, families, cultural figures and public leaders around the themes of family values and strengthening the institution of the family.