The customs and way of life of the Russian people are widely reflected in Russian proverbs, in particular, in the most complete collection of V. I. Dahl's "Proverbs of the Russian People"to date. Let us consider the traditional ideas of the Russian peasant community about people entering into an independent life and starting a family. In Russian proverbs, the family appears as a blood-related association of the patriarchal type. However, the male leadership in the family is sometimes challenged by the female half. And in general, proverbs about the family appear as two contradictory groups of sayings. One creates an image of an ideal patriarchal family and shows what it should be like. The second one reveals what is happening in the life of the family in reality, how the relations between its members develop. What requirements did our ancestors have for those who start a family? What was the groom supposed to be, and what was the bride supposed to be? The main advice that proverbs give to the bride's family is that parents should carefully look at the potential son-in-law so that in the future they do not have to regret the concluded union: "The Groom is like a horse: the goods are dark"; "Not for the father to give, but for the young man"; "The blind merchant is beaten with a whip". The most important requirement was that the groom must either be sufficiently wealthy or be able to work in such a way that there was no material shortage in the family: "People get married for cabbage soup, they get married for meat."; "They don't like a good guy, they like money." The groom is intended by God, so you should not think about his appearance: "If the betrothed is a freak, so it will be at the gate"; "You can't go around the betrothed with a horse (and crooked shafts)." As for age, the groom must be several years older than the bride. The proverb says: "The bride will be born, the groom will be married- page 93 nya sits down." However, do not think that the groom has alrea ... Read more