Four women are standing close to each other; the second one on the right is my grandmother Maria Bronislavovna Rushteiko. She is 26 years old in the picture. Women are standing in front of a military tent, but this photo is not connected with the army and military exercise or some other army events. It is connected with the wedding. The wedding took place in the village of Skragi in Shchuchinsky district in 1985. Wedding celebrations were very significant events in the history of the family at that time, so all relatives, even the most distant ones, were invited to the events. If anyone was not invited, it could lead to resentment for whole life. That’s why, at such celebrations there were a large number of guests. Moreover, the wedding was held "on two sides" (at the bride’s and the groom’s place). On Friday, guests gathered in the bride’s house, after that the bridegroom came, he had to “bargain” with the bride’s girlfriends (they were called “maid of honor”) and with the matchmaker, and then “redeem” his bride. If the groom did not have enough money, sweets, champagne, etc., his friends ("best men", "friends") helped him in the ransom of the bride.

After that the sweethearts went to sign to the registry office, and then the guests sat down at the table. On Saturday morning the feast was continued, and the process of “giving presents” by the bride’s relatives began. After lunchtime the newlyweds, “best men” and “maid of honor”, the matchmakers and the closest relatives went to the groom. And there the wedding lasted for two days (on Saturday and Sunday).

Due to the fact that a large number of guests were invited, they could not accommodate them in the house, and it was too expensive for rural residents to hold such a celebration in a cafe or restaurant. Therefore,  when the weather was good (approximately from April to September), weddings were held in large soldiers' tents, which were rented either in military units, or from enterprising people who purchased such tents as decommissioned property, and then used them.

That tent could accommodate 100-150 people. Wooden tables and benches were put inside the tent. Often they could be taken complete with a tent, sometimes the owners made them themselves. As the boards were unprocessed, they were covered with fabrics not only tables, but benches as well.

The photo shows that the windows in the tent were opened using curtains rolled up from army material (the same as the fabric of the tent). The curtains were raised so that it would be light in the tent during the day, and in the evening they would switch on specially conducted light. In the photo we can notice that pieces of white gauze are fixed on the windows. What do you think it’s for? The answer is simple: as the wedding was in the countryside and there was livestock in all yards, gauze was hung on the windows to protect the tent from flies. Also in the photo (it’s top right) we can see the green branches of the tree that decorated the tent inside and outside.

Four women are standing in front of the tent. These are the "mistresses". So called specially invited women who prepared treats for a great number of guests. Often relatives were invited as "mistresses".  In this case they did not have to pay. But close relatives couldn’t be invited to be mistresses, as traditionally there was an honorable and special place at the table for them. Therefore, they invited special -"mistresses" (outsiders who cooked well).
Well, in the village there were such "mistresses" who were famous for their skills and quickness. They were invited to this role for many weddings and they were recommended to others. For this work, the “mistresses” received from 15 to 25 rubles (it’s quite a bit of money for those times). In addition, during the feast, the mistresses were invited to go out to the guests and they were given presents such as fabric cuts or bed linen.

In this picture we can see that the oldest woman (the first one on the left) is in the apron. All the "mistresses" were in these aprons during the wedding. Probably three other women took off their aprons for taking photos. Women are wearing colorful dresses in accordance with the fashion of that time. My grandmother has a hairstyle, she has beautiful watch with a bracelet on her hand (it’s a vivid indicator that she is a well-to-do woman). The first woman on the right has beads on her neck. Other women have no jewelry at all. It is not only because they will work in the kitchen. At those times, rural women practically didn’t wear any jewelry, and they had only one or two outfits (dresses) for going out.

The wedding was such an important event in the life of the family that often it took several years to save money for it, but it was held so that all guests were satisfied.