Russian folk wedding charms, festive sundresses & ancient kokoshniks go on display in Rostov Veliky
How were weddings held in the Russian countryside? What did the matchmaker do? How were children brought up? The Russian Museum and the Rostov Kremlin have opened a joint exhibition devoted to wedding and family customs.
The exhibition, located in the historical interiors of the Stables Court of the Rostov Kremlin, offers a journey into the world of Russian culture.
The exposition brings together more than 200 rare exhibits. Most of them are from the St. Petersburg Russian Museum’s collection. Among them are authentic Russian wedding costumes and a matchmaker's costume, paintings by Vasily Tropinin and Alexei Venetsianov, lacquer boxes and other items created by masters of folk art.
It’ll be especially interesting to see old holiday outfits of girls from different parts of Russia.
In the Arkhangelsk region, the wedding costume consisted of a red ‘sarafan’ (‘sundress’), a ‘kokoshnik’ (‘headdress’) and a silk shawl. The bride always had an embroidered handkerchief in her hand – a gift to the groom.
In the Nizhny Novgorod region, girls wore a brocade ‘sarafan’, a shirt with embroidery on the arms, a ‘dushegraya’ (‘short caftan’, which literally translates as ‘soul warmer’), jewelry around the neck and a bandage with ribbons on the head.
The ‘Russian Tradition’ exhibition is being held within the framework of the national ‘Culture’ project. After Rostov the Great, it will go on display in St. Petersburg and then in Ryazan.
In the Rostov Kremlin, the exhibition will be open until September 14, 2025.
