Note 124 — THE OLDEST PERIOD (continued 3)

“The wedding ceremony is as follows: on the Tsar’s side the first order is the father and mother, or those who are in place of his parents; the second order, the travellers,—the chief priest with the cross, the thousand-man, who is a great personage in that procession, and then the Tsar: eight boyárs. The duties of the travellers are as follows: they stay with the Tsar and Tsarítsa at the crowning in church, and at the table occupy higher places than the others; the friends (drúzhka), whose duty it is to call the guests to the wedding, to make speeches at the wedding in the name of the thousand-man and Tsar, and to carry presents; the bride’s maids (svákha) whose duty it is to watch the Tsarítsa, to dress her and undress her; the candleholder, who holds the candle when they get the Tsarítsa ready for the crowning; the breadholders, who carry the bread on litters to and from church (these litters are covered with gold velvet and embroidered cloth and sable furs); the equerry with his suite. The third order is the sitting boyárs, twelve men and twelve women, who sit as guests at the tables, with the Tsar’s parents, but do not go to church with the Tsar. The fourth order is of the court, who attend to the food and drink.”