The wedding is a wonderful event in the life of every person, which marks the emergence of a new union of two loving hearts. The Orthodox Church has long attached a sacred significance to the wedding ceremony. It was established a special sacrament of the marriage or wedding, in which the newlyweds give before God vows in fidelity to each other and receive the blessing from above for a happy life together and the birth of children. The obligatory attribute of this ceremony was the wedding icons. What icons should I get for the wedding? What images would be appropriate to give a young family? The answers to these and other similar questions can be found in our material.
Church wedding marriage was the only kind of legal cohabitation of a man and a woman on our land, beginning with the times of Kievan Rus, and ending with the revolutionary events of 1917-20, when the state registration was introduced. Over the past nine hundred years, separate marital traditions and foundations have been formed that relate to the wedding images. What is the wedding couple of icons ? .jpg)
These are two images, made in a single icon-style style and design, only one depicts Christ the Savior, the second - His Most Pure Mother with the God-Bearer. Most often, the image of Our Lady of Kazan stands as the icon of the Virgin Mary , although there are no church instructions on the type of the icon of the Queen of Heaven in this case. According to the rules adopted by the people, in the image of the Mother of God, the parents blessed their daughter for marriage, and their future matchmakers, respectively, the icon of the Lord Jesus Christ - their son. The wedding couple of icons should be the first images in the home iconostasis of a new family. Sometimes, instead of new icons, parents could pass on to their children family icons that were kept as a hereditary relic.
Nowadays, there are many different variants of the wedding couple of icons. These can be simple lithographs framed, or exclusive written images in precious vestments. However, the main thing is not in the appearance of these icons, but whether the prayer in the young family will be performed before them. Usually the wedding couple is chosen and purchased by the newlyweds, although sometimes such icons can be a gift from parents.
If you are invited to a wedding and want to give a young family an icon, then for this case there are several options. First of all, these can be images of those saints, who are especially venerated among the people, for example - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker . In addition, there are some family icons, for example, the image of the Holy Family , which usually depicts the boy Jesus, the Virgin and Joseph the Betrothed. This icon should become for young people an example of how to arrange a family life - in harmony, love and mutual assistance.
In addition, it is customary to give the newlyweds an icon of the holy martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv, who are known in the Christian world as an example of their intercession for those who observe marriage vows and strict punishment for those who violate them.
In general, there are no canons on this issue, there is only the established tradition. Therefore, if you want to present to the wedding some other icon, for example, the image of Our Lady honored in your province, there are no obstacles to this. The main thing, do not forget that wedding icons are not charms that guarantee a happy life together. Before them one should pray and ask for Divine help, and also lead a life worthy of the grace received in the wedding.
