As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.
Doll 1 - Bride and groom are sitting at the table. On the back of the doll one may see a stained glass and the sun. Doll 2 - Groom's parents are dancing. The back of the doll shows a curtain that was used to divide a large room into several parts (smaller rooms). When a larger room was needed the curtain was opened. When a smaller size room was sufficient, the curtain was used to hide something behind it. Doll 3 - Bride's girlfriends are dancing. On the back of the doll the bride is pictured re-dressed as a housewife (it was imperative to wear an apron that symbolized her as a skilled housewife). Doll 4 - Bride's sister is dancing, while a young man is playing a balalaika. Doll 5 - Guests are dancing. Doll 6 - House where the wedding is taking place. Doll 7 - Russian forest where the house (in which the wedding is happening) is located.
RUSSIAN WEDDING
In pre-Revolution Russia weddings were usually held in autumn (in October) and in winter before Lent, up to Shrovetide. The whole ritual of the Russian Wedding can be divided into three parts: the period before the wedding, the wedding, and the period after the wedding.
The main rites of the traditional Russian wedding:
Other interesting facts about the Russian wedding:
Nowadays Russian weddings follow new sets of wedding rituals. There are a lot of "Wedding Palaces" (Dvortsy brakosochetaniya) in the country. The newly-weds are congratulated by the city administration, then they visit the places of interest of their city, pay their tribute to those who perished in war, visiting the Eternal Fire. Some of the newly-weds have a marriage ceremony in church, which, however, is not obligatory (but rather optional) for official marriage registration. Not many of the above-quoted traditional Russian wedding rites are followed nowadays.
