A wedding is a touching and cheerful holiday, consisting of a string of rituals and traditions. One of the funniest traditions is bride ransom. It is carried out when the groom picks up the bride before the wedding ceremony.
Some newlyweds consider the ceremony a relic of the past and refuse to carry it out, while others are looking for modern scenarios. In this publication, we will look at what contests and tasks for the groom to buy the bride at a modern wedding can be like.
The Importance of the Bride Ransom Tradition
Specialists dealing with national traditions and folklore consider the ransom of the bride to be an original tradition. Quite often there are opinions that, since the days of ancient tribes, the groom had to pay a ransom for a bride belonging to another tribe. But this approach is closer to paying the kalam. It still exists in many countries.
In kalym, it is the amount of money paid by the groom to the bride’s family that is important. In ransom, the amount is not so important, the rite has a different meaning, although witnesses and bridesmaids try to bargain from the groom for more money, sweets, and champagne.
In Ancient, people were afraid of evil spirits, which induced corruption and envy. Therefore, rituals were invented to protect a person from their influence.
In terms of its importance, the ceremony of redemption of the bride ranked second after the birth and baptism of a baby. Prepared, and then a whole performance was played.
The task of the participants in the ceremony is not so much to test the groom’s desire to build a family with the bride but to happily escort her. It was believed that the more joyful and louder the ceremony is, the greater the distance it will be possible to scare away any evil spirits. Therefore, the newlyweds were greeted with a noisy crowd of young people, relatives, and neighbors of the bride.
How was the ceremony performed in the old days?
During the ransom ceremony, our ancestors arranged three types of checks for the groom. The first check was carried out for valiant prowess. It was accompanied by young boys and neighbors of the bride.
For example, they blocked the road with a large log and offered to use a saw to clear their way. While the newlyweds and the witness were sawing the log, the young men cheerfully and most importantly loudly commented on the process and urged them to work faster in every possible way.
The second check was for stinginess. In the courtyard of the bride, a lot of children were waiting for the arrival of the newlyweds and everyone wanted a ransom in the form of sweets. The third test determined the intellectual abilities of the newlywed. The elder brother of the bride or a respectable relative asked the groom three riddles. A witness helped him to answer them, and sometimes kind people suggested.
After passing three checks, the groom entered the house of his beloved, where he had to find her among the fake brides. This was done to completely confuse the evil spirits.
Having found the betrothed, the groom should have bought revenge near her. He paid a man from her family a few coins and a couple was seated on one pillow under the icons, and guests were invited to the festive table.
Scenarios for bride buyout contests for the groom
We bring to your attention three interesting scenarios of the modern bride ransom ceremony.
Fairy
Quite often, a ransom in a fairy-tale style is made according to some kind of fairy tale, and we suggest using only the most striking characters – Water and Baba Yaga.
In the courtyard of the groom, witnesses are awaiting, and next to them are three stones. Each has a written version, the reasons for the wedding: for love, under duress, out of necessity. The girls greet the hero of the occasion and report: the path to the bride lies through a fairy-tale forest, and the way to him will be shown depending on the chosen stone. A good fellow will be able to redeem a stone from them for sweets and champagne or hard currency.
Having received the ransom, the girls point the newlywed to the entrance. Near him sits the Water One, and the road is blocked by a piece of green cloth, on which are scattered coins and circles of red cardboard.
The waterman greets the fellow and asks why he wandered into the swamp. The groom replies that he is going to the bride. The waterman nods and says: A fee is charged for the passage through the swamp, otherwise, he may drown. He is offered candy and money, but he does not agree with them but wants to be served.
Vodyanoy says: I have a lot of berries growing in a swamp glade, but it’s already difficult for an old man to pick them. Here, pick up all the berries, then I will let you and your friends through the swamp. But it is necessary to understand the berries. Poisonous – red.
If you pick up a poisonous berry, you will have to buy medicine from me. Since the swamp is magical, I’ll blindfold you, and let my friends tell you. As soon as the groom picks up a cardboard mug, the witness buys a vitamin for him.
The merman, having received the collected coins, removes the cloth from the aisle and says: You have done well with my tasks, so go to your beloved as soon as possible. A girl dressed as Baba Yaga is waiting for the groom’s company on the staircase. She greets everyone: Stop, groom! You’re in a hurry for your daughter-in-law! And you entertain your grandmother, solve riddles, and if you don’t know the answer, you’ll buy from me.
- Wife and husband, brother-in-law and sister with brother are walking along the path. How many relatives are walking through the forest? (3 persons)
- Before whom does the rich man and the poor man take off his hat? (By the hairdresser)
- What is often not in your bride’s purse? (Order)
The groom answers and Baba Yaga says to him: Savvy, you are great. Your beauty is already longing for you, and you will find her by the door on which the heart is drawn. Go on, go like a tablecloth! The groom rises to the apartment, where a poster with a painted heart hangs on one of the doors.
Modern
Modern ransoms are usually associated with some kind of life situation. We offer a meeting between the groom and the traffic police inspector. A brick sign is installed near the entrance. After the traditional police greeting, he makes a claim to the groom for violating traffic rules. Since he did not see the sign, it is important to establish the reason.
He sniffs if the intruder is drunk and invites him to take a sobriety test. The inspector and his assistant put a rope on the path and invite the groom to walk along it blindfolded.
The groom starts to walk, and the assistant inspector moves the rope to the side. If the groom starts marking time or goes straight, then he will be assigned a retake in a year or offered to resolve the issue here and now. The groom pays off.
The next test is for the stability of the groom’s psyche. An appeal to the bride is preliminarily written on a piece of paper, but without spaces, and the groom must read it without hesitation. The slightest hitch is a mistake. It can be corrected by coming for a retake 2 weeks later or paying off today. The text is as follows: MY LOVE, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, PURE CARING IN ALL BELOMSLIGHT …
The inspector gives the groom a radio-controlled car, with the words: if you are drunk only from love and you have a stable psyche, then you should check your driving skills and point to a section of the yard with previously scattered children’s cubes. At the starting point, the initials of the newlyweds are written and a heart with an arrow is drawn, and the finish line is a wedding.
For each cube hit, the inspector assigns a point. Having reached the finish line with a certain number of balls, with a minus sign, the groom is offered to walk a bachelor for another year and learn to ride. The groom and his friends begin to persuade the inspector and give a bribe.
The inspector turns to the groom: I am convinced that you want to marry today, and if so, then I will not deprive you of the right to family life. Love, happiness, and prosperity to you!
Original
Girls love when they are compared to flowers, so why not arrange a ransom in the form of a flower kiosk. When the groom arrives at the house of his beloved, he sees a signboard, a table with flower pots, and girls-saleswomen with badges in front of the entrance to the entrance.
Approaching the table they greet him: Hello! We are glad to welcome you to our flower kiosk. Choose bouquets and indoor plants to your liking. The groom replies that he only needs a bride and says the name.
The seller praises the groom’s taste. After all, he chose the most beautiful and expensive flower. It is sold exclusively to a member of the amateur florist society. Is he a member of the community? The groom confesses that he has no membership, but is ready to join the society right now, and gives the girls cooked sweets and champagne.
The girls accept gifts but are warned about the need to pass the exam, which consists of 3 tasks. The assistant takes out a paper flower, on the back of each petal, a task is written. The groom is asked to tear off the first petal with a task.
He can read: Prove love with compliments. The groom will be given 7-8 cardboard cards with a written letter, and they will voice the task: which letter you see, say a compliment to this one, but if you fail, then pay the money.
The second task is to find the fragrance of the bride among the 3 handkerchiefs sprinkled with perfume. The next task is to name the month of birth of the bride and her mother. The groom of the past assignment, congratulations on a successful purchase, and remind of the impossibility of returning the goods!
Outcome
The essence of the bride ransom ceremony is not to get as much money from the groom as possible, but to create a noisy and cheerful atmosphere for the meeting of the newlyweds to protect them from evil spirits and envious anger.
You should also pay attention to the small number of competitions. According to professionals, 2-5 contests are enough, and the entire ceremony should not take more than 30-40 minutes.
We wish you a happy ransom and wedding!
Eric Cameron is a passionate relationship coach and counselor with a focus on helping couples reconnect and build strong and lasting relationships. He has years of experience working with couples and helping them to understand the intricacies of healthy relationships. He also provides guidance on how to maintain a healthy relationship and deal with difficult topics. Eric’s approach is tailored specifically to the couple’s needs and he has a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon.