Journal · Wedding traditions
An embroidered shirt at a wedding is more than clothing: it is a talisman, a family history, and the brightest way to say “yes” in Ukrainian.
It is hard to imagine a traditional Ukrainian wedding without embroidered clothing.
For centuries our ancestors paid special attention to wedding vyshyvankas, and above all to the wedding rushnyky, without which even a modern wedding does not happen.
It was long believed that the bride had to prepare a dowry of embroidered clothing: several wedding rushnyky, several men’s and women’s shirts. These things were given a sacred meaning, because the symbolism of the embroidery carried the meaning of a talisman for the future fate of the couple.
Before starting the work the brides-to-be prayed, and only then began. The embroidery itself had to be extremely neat, because many knots in it, or a broken needle while working, were signs of a hard fate for the young couple.
Every region of Ukraine had its own embroidery traditions, though the meaning of the vyshyvanka was the same everywhere: it was the strongest talisman of the family.
Today embroidered things have not lost their relevance. For weddings people embroider not only rushnyky but also often choose embroidered clothing as the wedding outfit.
The essential attributes of a Ukrainian wedding
As already mentioned, the main embroidered items at traditional Ukrainian weddings were always the rushnyky. They were laid under the feet of the couple in church, used to tie their hands, used to carry out bread and salt, laid under the korovai, and draped over icons.
A girl who wanted to marry embroidered a rushnyk long before the matchmaking: she had to prepare in advance, because if her answer to a suitor was positive she brought out the rushnyk, and if she refused she brought out a pumpkin. Most of the rushnyk traditions survive today.
The couple also married in vyshyvankas embroidered specially for the wedding. Even in poor families the traditions were kept and special clothing was prepared.
The main wedding rites took place with embroidered things: parents blessed their children with icons covered by rushnyky, matchmakers were met with bread and salt on rushnyky, and the korovai was carried out on them too.
The symbolism of embroidery: colours and ornaments
The colour of the thread carried meaning:
- white threads meant purity, innocence and the energy of life;
- black meant wisdom, knowledge, information, the strength of the earth and wealth;
- red was the undisputed favourite of wedding embroidery, because it symbolised the power of love and of the family line, and served as a talisman;
- blue symbolised femininity and water.
The ornaments were no less deep in meaning:
- flowers symbolised the energy of life;
- geometric figures stood for strength and fertility;
- grapes for joy and the founding of a family;
- clusters of guelder rose for immortality and the universe.
Modern expectations for wedding vyshyvankas are less strict, yet they remain an essential attribute of almost every Ukrainian wedding. The makers of the Hoyra author’s studio combine tradition and contemporary trends in their work, along with the individual wishes of clients.
