What is a towel like?
A towel is a richly embroidered and decorated rectangular cloth made of linen or hemp, about 35 cm wide and 1.5 to 5 m long.
The product is decorated with embroidery, lace, ribbon or satin ribbons.
The images on the canvas are arranged symmetrically and on two sides, with one half dedicated to the bride and the other to the future groom.
Embroidery rules
In order for a towel to become a talisman, it must be embroidered correctly and then, at the wedding, it must correctly take its place on it. In the old days, this ritual fell exclusively on Sunday - the day of the Sun, because Saturday is the day of Saturn (the planet of death). It is important for everyone to take their own side - the groom - on the plus side, the bride - on the minus. Only then does the correct exchange of beneficial energy occur. When embroidering a towel, the needlewoman leaves marks on it. It starts cheerfully, with enthusiasm (from its edge), duplicates the second half with less enthusiasm, which is why the energy is distributed polarly.
- They begin work on Thursday - the day of the supreme gods, with prayer and fasting. For positive energy to emanate from your hands, your thoughts must be pure, your mood must be joyful, and the atmosphere must be quiet and calm. It was necessary to work only when the sun was growing, during the day (while the dark forces were inactive), sitting facing the window. Then the healing energy of the amulet also grows.
- “Lucky” needles are bought on women’s days (Monday and Thursday) according to the number of flowers on the towel. You should not lose needles, nor should you leave them in the fabric after work. The unfinished towel was rolled into a tube, covered with white cloth and put away.
- Choose natural threads for embroidery, with good energy - silk or wool, then life will be real.
- The dimensions of a wedding towel are a multiple of 7. The usual length is from 1.5 m to 3 m, width is 50 (49) cm. The patterns fill ¼ of each side of the towel. Before cutting, you need to clarify what place the pattern will take.
- The canvas must be one-piece, without seams, like a straight and happy road, which is symbolized by a towel. Fabric – linen or calico, waffle towels, canvas.
- The middle of the towel should be clean, without lace or ribbons - God’s place, a connection with the cosmos, through which God’s light and power passes.
- If the towel serves as a path, there should not be floral patterns or paired birds on it (with the exception of when one kneels on it).
- It is not customary to embroider cuckoos, symbolizing widows, and nightingales, symbolizing unmarried men, on wedding towels (so that the husband is faithful to the family).
- Above the central plot, horizontal lines are not embroidered to cross out the family tree - this could invite disaster.
- Both sides of the towel must be right - without knots and loops. One side was embroidered for people, the other side for God. On the front side are thoughts, on the back are actions. They must match. If there are knots on the reverse side, then the life of the family will only be for show.
- It is not customary to correct errors, so as not to create confusion in fate.
- The colors of wedding towels are predominantly red – shades of sun, warmth, beauty and love.
- They take into work only the sketch that resonates with the soul, this can enhance the energy of the amulet.
- A towel purchased in a store can hardly be considered a talisman: it is unknown who worked on it and with what thoughts and intentions.
- Also, make sure that a stranger does not interfere with your towel: he will take part of your blessing and adjust the program, diluting it with his own information.
Wedding towels are not used so widely today, but the tradition of presenting a loaf on a special wedding towel is still relevant. It is also worth preparing a wedding towel for the registry office and for an icon for a parental blessing. We admire the photos of wedding towels in this video and choose your option.
Wedding towels carry many meanings, preserve the history of the people, they were cherished as family heirlooms, they decorated the house for holidays, a young wife always appeared in her husband’s house with a dowry, which included embroidered towels. A beautiful handmade towel is still valued today. Respect folk traditions, and they will definitely bring peace and prosperity to the family.
We have collected all the wedding signs that the bride and groom need to know in this article. We will also tell you about wedding traditions in Russia.
Magical meaning
The purpose of the towel depends on its color, embroidery and the nature of the ornament, the location of its individual elements, which in general has a magical meaning:
On the towel under the feet, on which the newlyweds stand during the wedding, there should not be images of swans, wedding rings, flowers or doves.
It was believed that young people could trample on their future happiness. The presence of floral or geometric textures is welcome.
To bless parents for the marriage of their children, patterned towels with unique bright red embroidery are chosen.
Moreover, the so-called god personifying the groom has images of grape vines and oak leaves, and for the bride, bunches of viburnum and lush roses are woven on the canvas.
The names of the newlyweds with wishes, as well as swans symbolizing fidelity and happiness, wedding rings are decorated with towels for tying the hands of the bride and groom in the registry office or church.
Here it is allowed to use any colors of threads, but the predominant color should be red, denoting love, beauty and fullness of life.
Be sure to greet the married couple with a wedding loaf with a hospitable towel.
This type of canvas is characterized by the absence of restrictions, since it can be decorated with any textures, ornaments and patterns, for example, flowers, leaves, trees, wedding rings, wishes to the newlyweds or images of animals and birds.
Thus, among the most popular symbols depicted on the towel are roses, denoting rebirth, eternity and the sun, doves, associated with peace and happiness, lilies, which are a sign of virgin beauty, innocence and purity, bunches of grapes, carrying a charge of wealth, family well-being and fertility , large families.
Tree images personify the connection between generations and clans, peacocks - renewal, development and progress, viburnum - female beauty and immortality, and the rooster symbolized health, hard work and prosperity.
Traditions and their role at the celebration
All nations have their own traditions and rituals filled with symbolism. Over time, traditions changed. But there are basic ones that are the most significant and popular.
- Parental blessing. She has many options. The parents of the bride and groom bless the couple to create a new family and give verbal guidance.
- Meeting with a loaf of bread. Parents meet with a loaf of bread in their hands, inviting the couple to break off a piece. The one whose piece is larger will take the place of the head of the family. Read more about this here.
- Removing the veil. Signifies the acceptance of a new family member (acceptance of the bride). Everything basically happens in a playful way.
- Dance of the bride with her father. Here you can get ideas on how to make dancing with your parent even more memorable.
Traditions unite families, allow them to find strength in communication between generations, give a feeling of reliability, and show that a couple belongs to a certain nation or social class.
Interesting!
Choosing a towel in a store
Getting to know their types from numerous photos and following some tips will help you choose the right towel for your wedding:
Letters for a wedding - welcome, congratulatory or special words for a photo shoot + 69 photos
Chest for a wedding - 87 photo ideas for a stylish and harmonious element of marriage
- Wedding inscriptions - symbolism and basic ideas for implementation + photos
- Choose a whole canvas without lace, fringe or hemstitch.
- Be careful, traditionally the length and width of a towel are divisible by the number 7.
- Choose universal towels with a positive set of symbols: flowers, rings, cross.
- Carefully examine the product for any cut or frayed edges.
- Under no circumstances rent such a thing, since the towel is individual and is kept after the wedding for a lifetime.
An embroidered towel for a wedding is a traditional attribute in a marriage ceremony, which has a magical meaning due to the symbolic images embroidered on it.
Take your choice of a wedding towel seriously, because, according to popular belief, it determines the course of a happy family life.
How to embroider a wedding towel: YesYes gives a lesson
Undoubtedly, you can buy all the necessary towels in the store, fortunately, now there is no shortage of these and the prices are quite affordable. You can read about this in our article below.
But if you feel such a need and necessity, you have free time and you know how to do it, then wear a towel yourself. At least one. You and your loved ones will be proud of this work!
And YesYes will help you.
Embroidery rules:
1 In a specialized store you buy fabric for cross stitch: 2.5-3 meters long and 50 cm wide. Calculate the length like this: there will be a pattern on the sides (40cm on both sides), and you and the groom should fit in the center.
2 You need to come up with your own design - everything you want to depict on the towel.
3 The pattern on both sides of the towel is absolutely identical and symmetrical.
4 You cannot embroider rings or birds on the wedding towel - you will be standing on it with your feet. It is better to use floral patterns or geometric designs.
5 On blessed towels, the ornament is embroidered ONLY with red threads.
6 For the union towel we use a floral ornament, embroider “Advice and Love” and the names or initials of the young people.
7 For the loaf, embroidered doves or larks are suitable - always in pairs, and bright, red flowers (at the bottom - large, then smaller, and at the top - unopened buds) on green branches. You can also embroider the loaf itself.
8 Embroidery should have three levels:
- below: family tree with birds
- middle: blessing for the young
- top: amulets (male and female) and names of newlyweds
Symbols and their magical meaning
Different parts of Ukraine have their own rules and traditions of embroidery. There are also a huge number of symbols; we will focus only on a few, so to speak, unified ones that will suit any embroiderer. So, what are the symbols and what magical meaning do they contain:
A bunch of grapes - happiness and well-being of a new family
Oak is a man’s amulet, a symbol of his strength and courage.
Viburnum is a woman's amulet, a symbol of her health and beauty
Red berries – longevity of family and newlyweds
A dove or a lark - only in pairs, with their heads turned towards each other and a green twig in their beaks - the love of the young and the birth of a new family
Swallow - depicts the good news: the birth of new love
Peacock or firebird - symbols that bring happiness and peace to the home
The rooster is always red - a symbol of wealth and health
Sprigs of hops - prosperity, youth, happiness, love
Rose is a symbol of divine light and the desire to move forward
Poppies - continuation of the family
Carnations – fidelity, devotion and tenderness
Mallows - purity, beauty, chastity
The words “For happiness”, “For share”, “Love and advice” are also very often used in embroidery, but they need to be placed below the main design.
Basic laws of towel embroidery:
For a towel, you need to take ONLY a whole piece of fabric, then your family life will never be torn apart. While working, you are visited by kind, bright thoughts - you think with tenderness and love about the people closest to you. Clean, well-washed hands, like clean thoughts, give positive energy to your creation. Material - natural fabric, threads - only wool or silk, there must be harmony with nature, no artificiality. If you make a slight mistake while embroidering, don’t correct it or rip it apart—that’s not customary. Try to embroider a towel on both sides
This is quite painstaking, but very important: a double-sided towel is a symbol of the harmonious unity of the spiritual, divine world and the material, natural world. The middle of the towel always remains free, untouched - the bright, pure power of God passes through it. It is strictly forbidden to sew a hemstitch or insert all kinds of lace into a towel - the towel must be inseparable. Always embroider with the same needle, so try not to break it or lose it. First, the right side of the towel is embroidered - the male side, and after that - the female, left side. Think carefully about your design and embroider the plot that is closest to you... And most importantly: it is customary to start embroidery on Thursday and only in the morning
And most importantly: it is customary to start embroidery on Thursday and only in the morning.
Photo of a towel for a wedding
- Wedding wish tree: 89 photos of great ideas and tips
- Book of wedding wishes: an original way of congratulations in the photo
Bonbonnieres for a wedding - ideas for an elegant and small gift + photo
Modern ideas
In the modern version, decorations for wedding loaves can be made from mastic or any other confectionery decoration element. You can also safely use various confectionery decorations - beads, glitter, fresh flowers, figurines, and other decor. When baking a loaf for a wedding, traditions can be combined with modern ideas.
