Who was not married in Russia: 8 flaws that deprived a girl of hope for family life

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Girls at all times dreamed of a happy family life. Parents and matchmakers looked after future wives for their sons, but no one particularly asked the newlyweds for their opinions. Brides were chosen carefully, examining the likely spouse almost under a microscope. They were ready to put up with minor flaws, but some girls had almost no chance of ever starting a family. Well, if only it is not a retired soldier, for whom the parents were reluctant to give their daughters "without flaws."

Bad hostess

Parents and matchmakers, first of all, looked closely at how ready the potential bride is to housekeeping. If a girl was lazy, could not take care of the cattle and manage in the garden, she would not see a good husband. In addition, the girl had to be clean and neat, and matchmakers were not sent to those who did not know how to take care of themselves.

Disobedience

The ideal wife was supposed to be submissive, and therefore they were in no hurry to marry too lively girls. If the potential bride was grumpy and did not obey her parents, her chances of family life tended to zero. It was almost impossible to hide these shortcomings, because there would certainly be someone who could tell a lot of interesting things about the “sweet” young lady.

Hereditary sorceresses

If a girl's family had sorceresses or sorceresses, and even more so a sorceress, then she could not even dream of marriage. They were respected, invited to the holidays, treated with respect, but never considered as a bride.

Mark on the face

Moles, and even more so birthmarks on the face and body, became a serious obstacle on the way to creating a family. It was believed that such girls carry the mark of the enemy of the human race and are capable of causing damage to the entire family. Such shortcomings were carefully hidden, and if the truth was accidentally revealed, they could immediately be put on the list of witches. By the way, any health problems, even a banal runny nose or a scratch, could be the reason for canceling the wedding.

Thinness and infertility

Today, slender girls are popular with the stronger sex, but in ancient times it was believed that a fragile woman could not bear and give birth to a healthy child. Curvaceous forms were elevated to the cult, and thin girls were ranked either as sick or very poor. If the potential bride had an older sister who had no children in marriage, then the younger one could not count on marriage, she was counted among the "barren flowers."

Century

The optimal age for marriage was considered to be under 18 years of age. The older the girl got, the less hope she had of becoming a bride. In this case, matchmakers and parents of potential suitors reasoned simply: if no one married her before this age, it means that something is clearly wrong with her.

Dowry

They began to prepare the dowry for daughters in Russia almost from the very birth, and already at the age of 9-10 the girls themselves joined in the preparation of "good", which was passed along with her to a new family after marriage. Poverty was considered a huge vice and poor brides were extremely reluctant to marry, as a rule, those for whom young ladies “without flaws” were not given. That is why the future brides spent so much time at needlework, they sewed clothes and bed linen, embroidered tablecloths and bedspreads. In addition, it was believed that a dowry would require too much expense.

Lack of innocence

Even a girl who did not enter into an intimate relationship of her own free will was considered "spoiled" and was not married. If the absence of innocence was revealed after the first wedding night, the newly-made spouse could well return the young wife to the parental home in disgrace. If he decided to leave the girl as a wife, then he had every right to scoff at her and even beat her all his life.

Fools

As expected, girls who had mental problems could not count on marriage, and their parents did not harbor any empty hopes. They were concerned about something else: taking care of their daughter and looking after her, for there were many who wanted to use an unhealthy woman for their carnal pleasures.

To remain unmarried was the worst misfortune for a girl in Russia. In the old days, choosing a bride was approached very carefully, and getting married was much more difficult than today. In addition to external data, there was many criteria by which the suitors chose their chosen one. To be an enviable bride, one had to possess many skills, although even this did not guarantee a successful marriage.