Wedding traditions of the Khanty and Mansi: a jingling dress and a staff with notches

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Ahead of the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts", we explore the wedding traditions of the indigenous peoples of the North: the Khanty and Mansi. They carefully preserve their customs. A wedding is an event filled with deep meaning. A staff with notches, a bright bridal dress that jingles like a bell — every detail has its own significance.

Matchmaking

Everything begins with matchmaking. Among the Khanty and Mansi, it takes place in spring. The chief matchmaker holds a staff wrapped in red cloth. It is a dossier on the groom: the notches indicate how many reindeer will be given as bride price, while the carved figures show who the future husband is: a hunter or a fisherman, and which clan he comes from.

The bride’s parents are given a headscarf. If they do not return it, it means they agree to the marriage. Preparations for the wedding take a whole year. Throughout this time, the bride sews her dowry and wears the headscarf given to her by the groom’s family. After the wedding, the wife hides her face from strangers.

Wedding outfits

The Khanty and Mansi do not have a bride’s or groom’s costume as such. Instead, they have festive clothing worn for major occasions. The groom wears a bright shirt decorated with beads. The bride wears a dress that must jingle: beads, coins, beadwork and even small bells are sewn onto it. It is a decoration, a protective charm and a way for the groom to recognise his betrothed. On the wedding day, the bride wears three dresses one over another and an odd number of headscarves — three or five.

Wedding ceremony

When the outfits are ready, the celebration itself begins. The eldest woman in the family burns a piece of red cloth in the fire as a way of thanking fire for the warmth and protection of the home. At the wedding feast, the bride does not sit at the common table, but stays behind a special canopy with her friends. This is required by the custom of avoidance: she must not show herself to the groom’s elder relatives.

Departure to the husband’s home

After the celebration, the dowry is loaded onto sledges. The wedding sledge is covered with red cloth and decorated with bells. Before departure, a special ritual is performed: the wedding sledge circles the tent three times sunwise — quickly, with the wind in their faces.

The newlyweds then set off for the husband’s home. The young wife becomes part of another clan. For the first few days, she grows accustomed to the new hearth and only then begins to run the household.

Traditions at the All-Russian Wedding Festival

The diversity of Russia’s wedding culture can be seen on 8–9 July in Moscow, at the National Centre RUSSIA. This year, the theme of the All-Russian Wedding Festival is "United in Love". The event will bring together couples from different peoples who are in love. Two couples from Yugra will present the traditional festive dress of the Khanty people.

Read news about the National Centre RUSSIA in Yugra on its official accounts on VK, Odnoklassniki, MAX and Telegram.