Each nation has its own interesting traditions for celebrating their wedding night. And although they sometimes seem strange to us, they still have the right to be in connection with the peculiarities of the development of culture, the history of a particular country.
Responsible Role
At that time in Europe there was a custom called the “right of the first night.” Its essence is that the feudal lord had the right to deflower any girl from his possessions who got married. That is why, after marriage, the bride spent wedding night not with a newly made husband, but with a feudal lord. If he did not like the bride, he had the right to refuse the first night, or sell this right to the groom. In some countries this tradition continued until late XIX century.
How did this tradition begin? According to one hypothesis, in this way the feudal lord confirmed his right of ownership.
According to another version, the gentleman took on this “difficult” role so that the husband would get a “proven” wife. Some historians see elements of sacrifice in this tradition (virginity was sacrificed to a deity, while the role of the deity in some countries was played by a priest).
Some peoples believed that the blood that appears during deflowering brings evil and disease. Therefore, the ritual was entrusted to a tribal elder or a sorcerer - that is, a strong person capable of resisting the machinations of evil spells. And only after this “purification” ritual was the newlywed given to the groom.
There was such a custom in Scandinavian pagan cults. With the onset of darkness before the first wedding night, the priest of the god of fertility Frey took the bride (of course, a stranger) into the forest, lit a fire and sacrificed a pig. After this, he performed the ritual, and then brought the bride to the groom. It was believed that after this mystery, a woman would be able to give birth to many healthy sons.
Among some tribes in Africa and South America, the act of deprivation of virginity was even performed by women (healers or the wife of the tribal leader).
Celebration of the first wedding night
Very interesting tradition existed in Scotland - there friends and relatives in every possible way prevented the newlyweds from spending their wedding night. They immediately did not allow the young couple to have privacy, and if they succeeded, they made noise and shouted, preventing them from enjoying each other. They could feel all the delights of their wedding night only when the guests were tired of the fun and fell asleep.
In Greece, a child must run around the marriage bed in order for healthy children to be born in the family in the future.
In Germany and France, friends and relatives did the same as in Scotland - they made noise under the windows, placed alarm clocks in the room.
In the Philippines, newlyweds were completely forbidden to have sex on their wedding night, and this is due to the fact that a child conceived on the wedding day could be born sick through alcohol consumption by the future parents.
The Chinese tradition of spending the first night differs from the European one, since here great importance added beauty to the room where such an important event was to take place. The room was decorated with flowers, red and yellow candles in the shape of dragons, the main purpose of which was to drive away evil spirits from the newlyweds. Before entering this room, the newlyweds had to drink wine from glasses that were tied together with a red ribbon.
The most exotic traditions existed in Africa. There, in some tribes, after the wedding, the husband knocked out his wife’s two front teeth on their wedding night. Thus, the husband informed his fellow tribesmen that this girl was married.
Particular attention was paid to whether the bride was a virgin before the wedding or - no, they did not betray. In some regions of Russia there was even a “trial marriage”, which could end in a wedding only after the girl became pregnant.
If on the first wedding night the young husband could not cope with marital responsibilities, a replacement was found for him in the person of a close relative (brother, godfather, older relative).
What's happened first night right? This is an ancient custom that involves the bride having sexual contact with another man rather than her husband. This could be a tribal leader, a landowner, a feudal lord, or some other person on whom the newlyweds depended. This dependence was expressed in different ways. Serfdom, debt obligations, religious foundations, an ancient tradition, strictly observed.
For a modern person, this action is a rather humiliating and unpleasant fact at the very beginning of family life. But in ancient times, people looked at such things differently. The village girl knew from an early age that it would not be possible to take her virginity. future husband, and, say, a count living in a large and beautiful castle standing on a hill near the village.
At the same time, the grandmother and mother of the child also underwent a similar procedure at one time, so the young creature did not see anything shameful or terrible in it. The girl was even flattered by the thought that she would spend the whole night with a gentleman of noble blood. If, moreover, she is obedient and manages to please her, then it is very possible that she will be given some kind of gift.
As for the groom voluntarily giving his bride to another man, here again we need to understand the mentality of the people who lived in that distant time. If a person was born a peasant, then he died a peasant. And if a person was born a nobleman, then he died a nobleman.
There was a gulf between different social groups or classes. Representatives of the lower class did not at all consider themselves equal to representatives of the upper class. The peasants looked at the noble gentlemen with sincere respect and servility. Therefore, the groom considered it an honor to give his bride to an important gentleman of noble blood. He would be horrified if, say, the count renounced his right. This would be a terrible shame for both the young husband and his wife.
In democratic times there was no such custom. He was not known in Ancient Greece And Ancient Rome, since in these states there was no strict distinction between social groups. Any soldier could become an emperor, and an ordinary city resident could become a philosopher. The same thing was observed in Kievan Rus. In many cities, veche was practiced, and the common people appointed princes or removed them. Therefore, honor and respect were earned not by origin, but by specific deeds.
But in Western Europe the picture was completely different. The feudal lords, who lived in their castles, had unlimited power over the peasants. Each such duke or count had his own armed detachment, and any disobedience was punished most severely. Knights even often ignored the king’s authority, let alone their attitude towards commoners. Peasants were the same property as cows or sheep. There was no talk about any sense of self-worth.
When did the right of the first night appear in European lands? It is difficult to name a specific date or even a century. Everything is lost in an endless series of years and centuries. But this custom ended around the 17th century. In Switzerland, he ordered to live long at the beginning of the 16th century, in Germany 100 years later. In France they forgot about it in the middle of the 15th century. A little later, this practice was stopped in England.
Much also depended on the nobles themselves. Enlightened and smart people they themselves abandoned the shameful practice, and the ignorant and sensualists were happy to engage in this business, until legislation stood up to protect ordinary people.
The origins of the custom are, as a rule, sought in the tribal and communal system. This was a time when people lived in tribes, and a woman was the property not of an individual man, but of the entire community. Then the institution of marriage began to develop, but some ancient traditions remained. It was they who became the reason for the right to the first night of the powers that be.
This practice prevailed among the Germanic tribes. They conquered Rome, settled on the lands of the empire, but were significantly behind the local residents in their social and moral development. Having adopted everything advanced and new from them, they at the same time retained their primitive morals, which changed little over the next 1000 years.
As for other parts of the planet, the right of the first night was practiced among the peoples of Africa and South America. But Africans were not like the arrogant feudal lords of Medieval Europe. It was not the tribal leader who deflowered the bride, but the most respected guests at the wedding. Moreover, there could be several of them. They all had sexual intercourse with the girl.
But this does not mean at all that a full-fledged sexual intercourse took place, as it appears in our time. Guests simply “entered the bride and left.” It was a ritual rite associated with ancient customs and traditions about which we know nothing.
Virgin pleura And menstrual cycle always seemed to people as something mystical, connected with higher divine powers. Therefore, the grooms, due to their inexperience, were not trusted with such important question like deflowering. This responsibility was taken on by experienced men who knew how to properly and painlessly deprive a woman of her virginity.
Therefore, group intercourse at weddings can be seen as friendly participation and paternal care for young people. The groom had practically nothing to lose. Over the years, he gained experience and then took part in such rituals himself. There was no humiliation or desecration of honor here. Everything was done in front of everyone and evoked only a feeling of deep satisfaction and respect.
Africans and Indians treated sex as a natural physiological process. They never limited themselves in bodily joys and were not embarrassed by the presence of other people. But Europeans perceived the process of intercourse completely differently.
The Catholic Church has always preached abstinence and restraint. The priests took a vow of celibacy, and the rest of the citizens considered intimate life as a necessary but sinful part of human life. Without sexual intercourse it is impossible to conceive a child, so the spouses, having done the most important thing, stopped all sexual contact until the need for the next baby arose.
Back in the 19th century, this practice was considered the norm. True Catholics have always been ascetics and adhered to strict morals. As for Orthodoxy, there were more liberties. Even common baths were practiced, in which both men and women washed together. But this does not at all indicate sexual promiscuity, but simply speaks of a certain mentality of our ancestors.
Keeping one's passions in check was considered the highest manifestation of fortitude. Those who threw themselves at every skirt did not enjoy respect, since they seemed to those around them to be spiritually poor and weak-willed.
The right of the first night was not at all a sign of degradation and immorality. This was an ancient custom, and people treated it with respect and understanding. Another thing is that already in later times, some landowners in the same serf Russia, using their power, persuaded young peasant women to cohabitate.
But this had nothing in common with the ancient custom. Rather, one can see a connection here with current times, when bosses sexually harass their employees. They threaten dismissal if they refuse. Some ladies themselves are not averse to entering into intimate relationships with management in order to ensure a problem-free existence for themselves. So each time has its own concepts of morality and ethical standards.
The first night or the right of the first night (Jus primae noctis, Recht der ersten Nacht, Herrenrecht, Droit de cuissage, Droit de prélibation) is the customary right of feudal lords to enjoy the first wedding night of their serf women when they marry.
This most shameful manifestation of serfdom is the subject of controversy among scientists: some researchers (Schmidt) completely reject the existence of such a custom as a legitimate phenomenon, but the majority cite a number of facts indicating the undoubted existence of the “right of the first night.” It was widespread in almost all European countries; its remnants reach our century. Even those who belonged to the clergy, as feudal lords, widely used this right, as there are many indications from a zealous researcher of this issue.
For example, the canons of the Cathedral of Saint-Victor in Marseille were officially allowed to use the first wedding night of their serf girls. The same Collin de Plancy cites the fact that the right of the first night was sold by one owner in Orleans for 5 sous, and by another feudal lord for 9½ sous. There are different opinions regarding the origin of this right. Some, like Voltaire, see it as an inevitable consequence of slavery: “a man who can control another man like an animal, who has power over his life, can just as easily sleep with his wife.”
V. Polenov. Sir's right.
Others explain the origin of the right of the First Night by the fact that serfs could marry only with the permission of their master. Villan, in order to obtain such permission, had to make some “concessions”; some gentlemen gave their permission only under certain conditions, and from isolated cases, little by little, a custom developed that turned into law.
No matter how fair this kind of explanation may be for individual cases, the fact of the existence of the right of the First Night in different countries and among different peoples indicates a more ancient origin of this custom. Bachofen, Morgan, Engels see the right of the First Night as a remnant of group marriage.
In the era when the paired family was already beginning to take shape, men still retained the right to all the women of their tribe. With the gradual development of culture, the circle of people who have the right to women becomes smaller, the exercise of this right is limited in time, and, finally, it comes down to only one wedding night, first for everyone, then only for the head of the family, for the priest, for the military leader and for the lord - in the Middle Ages.
"Jungferzins" (to give virginity), preserved until the very last days the rule of feudalism, its very name indicates that it was a direct continuation of jus primae noctis. Also significant is the ritual according to which the master, on the wedding day of his serfs after the wedding, had to step over the wedding bed or put his foot on it.
This symbolic confirmation of the right to the first wedding night includes a characteristic decree of 1486, issued by Ferdinand the Catholic, confirming the very fact of the existence of jus primae noctis; “We believe and declare,” says the decree, “that gentlemen (seniors) cannot also, when a peasant marries, sleep the first night with his wife and, as a sign of his dominance on the wedding night, when the bride has gone to bed, step across the bed and across the said woman cannot also be used by the masters against the will of the daughter or son of a peasant, for payment or without payment" (quoted in the Catalan original in Sugenheim, "Geschichte der Aufhebung der Leibeigenschaft", St. Petersburg, 1861, p. 35).
It is difficult to say when the right of the First Night fell out of use, since it did not last for the same long time in all countries. In France, this classic country of feudalism, back in 1789 there were isolated cases of the use of this right - however, cases that ended sadly for the feudal lords.
Researchers (Schletser, Evers, Tatishchev, Elagin) see an indication of the existence of the right of the first night in Russia in the chronicle’s story about Princess Olga replacing the “princely” with a black coon. The custom of giving a ransom to the landowner before the wedding persisted until the abolition of serfdom; This feed was known as the “brood marten.”
In any case, violence by the landowner against newlywed serfs in recent centuries was a fact, not a right. Prince Vasilchikov in his book “Land Ownership and Agriculture” certifies that when he was the leader of the nobility, he more than once happened to encounter facts of similar violence by landowners against peasant women. In 1855, 6 years before the abolition of serfdom, Privy Councilor Kshadowski was tried and sentenced to a fine for using the right of the first night.
Was very important point in the life of any person, especially women. As a rule, from the very first day of puberty, any girl imagines exactly how her first time of love will go. Usually, most of them fantasize about an ideal romantic place where no one will disturb the lovers. Of course, in these fantasies there are always rose petals, candles, silk sheets, champagne, fruits and very tender and affectionate man near.
It's great when everything really happens exactly the way the girl dreamed. However, not every person can expect such a pleasant event. Some ladies are forced to remember their first sex with horror. In some countries, girls experience enormous torment and unbearable humiliation in this process. Unfortunately, the ritual of defloration on some continents is still an important part of sacred rites. At the same time, the behavior of the inhabitants of some tribes is simply amazing. Some traditions remained in antiquity, but most often today their echoes can be traced in different cultures. Let's look at how deflowering is done in different countries peace.
Papua New Guinea
There is a tribe here with the interesting name Trobriand. According to ancient beliefs, for many centuries its inhabitants believe that representatives of the fair sex should lose their virginity at the age of 6-8 years. It is truly impossible to imagine how enormously stressful such a procedure is for a small child. However, the tribesmen are not particularly interested in psychology.
At this age, girls should begin to walk around the villages completely naked in order to begin to attract boys and, moreover, adult men. At the same time, absolutely any man between the ages of 10 and 70 can have sex with a child. The good news is that before this he needs to meet her parents.
However, do not delude yourself. This procedure is necessary in order to clarify whether she really is a virgin. If the parents confirm the chastity of their child, then in this case an impromptu first wedding night is held.
However, the horrors for girls do not end there. The custom of ceremonial defloration has consequences.
If a girl lost her virginity at 6 years old, then she has 2 years to try to enjoy her childhood. The fact is that after 8 years, any men who want it have the right to have sex with her. At the same time, neither the girl herself nor her relatives will be able to prevent this. However, passionate natures will be pleased that in this tribe girls are allowed to have sexual relations with any men and as many times as they like. But having dinner with male representatives is considered indecent before marriage.
Oceania
Speaking about how deflowering is done in different countries of the world, it is worth considering this terrible custom.
In Oceania, if a young girl and her boyfriend are sure that they love each other and plan to tie their lives together in the near future, then you should not expect romance. A female representative will have to go through one difficult test. It is worth noting that in this country it is not customary to have sexual relations before marriage. All girls must remain virgins until marriage. However, you shouldn’t get too excited about such wonderful traditions.
A couple of days before the marriage ceremony, the groom has the right to invite 3 to 5 of his friends to visit and provide them with his girlfriend as a mistress. The new husband's companions take the bride and leave with her outside the village, where they take turns having sex with her. After this, the whole company returns home. Friends tell the groom in detail about what they liked and what they didn’t like about their future wife. In addition, they always bring with them a bloody sheet to prove young man that the bride really was innocent before the trip to the forest.
After this custom of the first wedding night, the groom is given some time to think. In the end he accepts final decision whether he really wants to marry his girlfriend. If his answer is positive, then this is where the mockery of the fair half ends. However, if the verdict is negative, the man simply continues to look for a new soul mate, and the girl is forced to endure ridicule from neighbors and her relatives. It is considered very shameful if she could not satisfy the friends of the potential groom. In this case, she will most likely remain alone forever.
The horrors of deflowering in different countries of the world do not end there. On the contrary, in some countries customs literally reach the point of absurdity.
Sumatra
In some settlements of this island, the custom of the right of the first night still operates, according to which a girl is deprived of her virginity by her father and other relatives. This usually happens as soon as she turns 17 years old. If a girl refuses to undergo such a ceremony, then in this case she will not be able to get married.
The procedure takes place in a very simple way. On a certain day, all relatives gather in the house. And after that, the girl’s father and all the men who are her relatives take turns entering her room and sticking phallic figures or just fingers into her vagina. It’s hard to even imagine what the unfortunate woman is experiencing at this moment. At the end of the ceremony, a grand celebration begins. And these are not all the traditions of how deflowering is done in different countries of the world.
Tibet
There are still traditions here, according to which a young man can only marry a virgin, but he is obliged to preserve her hymen until one of the men shows his desire to spend the night with her. Moreover, this could be either a friend of the husband or a complete stranger. In this case, any man simply comes to the newlyweds’ home and demands to be given the right of the first night.
If the couple agrees to this, then in this case the unfortunate wife goes to her new gentleman for a few days so that he can enjoy her along. The most interesting thing is that upon returning home the girl must be pregnant. Only after she brings a child from a complete stranger does she have the right to conceive a child with her husband. At the same time, someone else’s child must be raised as one’s own.
Japan
If we talk about how deflowering was done in the old days, then quite for a long time It was believed that being a geisha in this country was very honorable. These girls never lacked for anything. At the same time, no one had the right to insult them. Moreover, they were the object of universal admiration and respect. However, before embarking on such a career ladder, future geishas needed to get rid of their hymen. In this case, a special ritual of defloration was performed. It consisted in the fact that the future geisha put her virginity up for sale. As a result, the one who offered the most a large amount at the auction, he could spend the night with the girl. This ritual was also aimed at ensuring that the new “employee” could meet a huge number of future clients.
Saudi Arabia
There is still an interesting tradition in this country, according to which the bride is deflowered right during the wedding. Luckily, at least the groom does this. However, adultery must necessarily take place in public. Guests should enjoy the process of the bride growing into a woman. However, everything is not easy here either. In this case, the groom must cover his index finger with a white cloth and break through the hymen of his future wife. After this, he must demonstrate the bloody piece of material to everyone present.
How deflowering was done in ancient times: Greece and Rome
If you believe ancient texts that were found in destroyed medical institutions, then in those days it was believed that girls were ready for bed games as soon as they turned 14 years old. Until this moment, they had the right not to wear clothes at all. Moreover, the most interesting thing is that in some settlements it was considered shameful if a woman was untouched before marriage. Before this event, she had to lose her virginity in the temple. The process of breaking the hymen was considered a ritual of sacrifice. In order to get rid of her ill-fated virginity, the young beauty went to the temple. On the way, she was supposed to meet the first person she met and give herself to him in a sacred place.
Scandinavia
In many tribes, the loss of virginity was believed to be a very important custom. As soon as a girl and a guy decided to get married, on their first wedding night she had to go into the forest. After this, she was joined by a sorcerer who lit a fire and killed some living creature for sacrifice. After this, he had intercourse with the bride.
How people were deflowered in Ancient Rus'
If we talk about our ancestors, they were not as treacherous as in some other countries. It was believed that if young people decided to get married, then on the first wedding night the groom could not always perform marital duties. If this happened, then his friend came to his aid. As a rule, this should have been a more experienced person in these matters who could easily cope with this procedure. After this, the groom could enjoy his bride, who had already lost her virginity. The Balkan Slavs did the same. True, they immediately handed the bride over to the groom’s friend. Therefore, speaking about how they took their virginity in Ancient Rus', you don’t have to blush too much.
India
In this country, the defloration procedure was performed for money by specially trained people. At the same time, the decision that it was time for a girl to say goodbye to her innocence, as a rule, was made by her mother. In the process of deflowering, the specialist used stone, wood or other materials that were given a phallic shape.
France
In this country it was believed that a husband did not have the right to share his wedding night with his wife unless his lord agreed to do so. In addition, the newly-made husband even paid money for it. At the same time, the lord could refuse a man if he himself liked this or that girl. No one had the right to argue with him.
At that time in Europe there was a custom called the “right of the first night.” Its essence is that the feudal lord had the right to deflower any girl from his possessions who got married. That is why, after marriage, the bride spent her wedding night not with her newly-made husband, but with the feudal lord. If he did not like the bride, he had the right to refuse the first night, or sell this right to the groom. In some countries this tradition continued until the end of the 19th century.
How did this tradition begin? According to one hypothesis, in this way the feudal lord confirmed his right of ownership.
According to another version, the gentleman took on this “difficult” role so that the husband would get a “proven” wife. Some historians see elements of sacrifice in this tradition (virginity was sacrificed to a deity, while the role of the deity in some countries was played by a priest).
Some peoples believed that the blood that appears during deflowering brings evil and disease. Therefore, the ritual was entrusted to a tribal elder or a sorcerer - that is, a strong person capable of resisting the machinations of evil spells. And only after this “purification” ritual was the newlywed given to the groom.