Youth Christmas ritual game ‘Tsyareshka Marriage’ originates from traditional pagan merrymaking in the pre-Christian times. The game is held during the solstice according to the traditional ceremonial marriage rules of Christmas youth entertainment.
The main purpose of these games with erotic overtones was for the youth to become closer to each other for future marriage. But at some point married couples could also take part in the Christmas merrymaking to have a little break from each other and at the same time to test their feelings.
Tsyareshka Marriage’ used to be performed in the Vitsebsk region, Minsk region, as well as in Latvia, but now it is mostly played in Belarus in the villages of Veleyshchyna, Tsyareshka, Selishcha and in the farmstead “Pryazyornaya” in the Lepel district.
Because of the cold, ‘Tsyareshka Marriage’ was canceled or postponed in several villages of the Lepel region. In spite of the tough conditions, dwellers of the “Pryazyornaya” (Lakeside) farmstead decided not to interrupt the local annual Christmas tradition and played the Tsyareshka noisily with the locals, guests from Minsk and abroad.
The celebration started with the bread loaf, round dance around the fire with Christmas star, then the people moved on to selecting Baba and Ded, who are traditionally responsible for the games and for bringing closer their members during the ‘Tsyareshka Marriage’.
The participants were divided into pairs, treated with a traditional glass of vodka, so that the male and female halves are bolder for games and dances.
Later began the most unleashed part of the games: guys caught up with girls through a “trickle” to grab them, and if they succeeded, they were allowed to kiss the girl, then the couples sat on a bench back to back and tried to turn their heads to the same side to kiss and thus show that they love, understand and feel each other very well.
The ‘Get the cherry’ game is one of the funniest in the “Tsyareshka Marriage”: the man runs up to jump over the hands of the other two guys to then reach out and kiss a girl standing on a bench.
The “Tsyareshka Marriage” symbolically ends with an imitation of the wedding feast, dances, songs, jokes and Christmas guessing until the morning.
