Say Yes to the Dress
Maria Gvardeitseva
Video Art 1’17 min
2023
Photographs from VEHA. Independent archive of Belarusian photography, The Thanatos Archive and Department of Ethnology, Anthropology, Archeology and Museology, Omsk State University. Courtesy of the artist
In the past, in some countries of Central and Eastern Europe (and in some to this day), there was a belief that if a girl died before she got married, she had not come to fruition as a person and her soul was in danger of wandering forever between the afterlife and the world of the living. To rescue her from such a fate, the Slavs stylized the girl’s funeral to resemble a wedding, even appointing a young man in the role of groom. He was dressed in special attire and walked beside the coffin in the funeral procession. The girl’s body was clothed in a white dress with light-coloured shoes on her feet, and both she and “the groom” were made to wear wedding garlands on their heads. Guests at the funeral were treated to a special bread baked for weddings, songs were sung, and happy music was played. There are other readings as well...
