Yesterday, Today reported about a little town in Alaska called Nikolaevsk that hasn’t changed its ways very much since 1650. Actually, the town wasn’t founded then. It was founded by six families in 1968. But the people who founded it have kept their ways since their split with the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century.
Coming to America
That’s how they ended up in Alaska. When reformers changed the religion, some resisted and stuck to the old ways. They became known as Old Believers. But they faced persecution for keeping their beliefs and lifestyle and found themselves in search of a new place to live in peace. In addition to Alaska, they also ended up in China, Brazil, and Oregon.
What caught my attention about the story was that while Today’s reporter was in their village, the priest allowed cameras into the church to capture an Old Believers wedding.
Gas Station Love Story
Did you ever see either a play version or the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof? The song “Tradition” played in my mind as I watched the reporter interview the bride and groom. But it was laced with a semi-modern beat.
Even though tiny Nikolaevsk holds to many old ways, they’ve embraced modern ones too. Such as phones. That’s how it was the groom-to-be called to arrange a date with his bride-to-be at a gas station halfway between their homes. (The bride was an outsider. She hailed from Anchorage.)
Old Believers Wedding Customs
Their wedding customs were pretty unique and involved.
First off, because the bride was an outsider, she had to join the church and study its customs before the priest approved their marriage.
Tradition holds that the bride and her friends sew wedding outfits for the groom’s whole family. The wedding festivities lasts a week. During the wedding, the bride and groom both hold tight to the same scarf, which symbolizes their connection and commitment to their neighbors.
Once married, but before the honeymoon, the couple lives with the groom’s parents. There they’re taught what the community expects of them as a married couple.
I’d heard of the Amish, but not of the Old Believers. It was pretty neat to learn some of their history and customs, and to get a glimpse of their wedding traditions.
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