In church liturgical practice, there are seven sacraments - sacraments, during which a special divine grace descends on a person. The wedding is one of the seven Orthodox sacraments.
During the sacrament of marriage, Orthodox believers vow before God to love one another. During this rite, the priest, in special prayers, asks for the blessings of the Lord for joint family life, the birth and upbringing of children in the Orthodox faith. The sacrament of wedding in the church tradition is called the creation of the "small Church", that is, the family.
Historically, the wedding took place along with the Divine Liturgy (until the X century). Therefore, believers before the sacrament of wedding communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the liturgy. After union with God, the spouses already embarked on the sacrament of marriage.
In the period from the 10th to the 15th centuries, the sacrament of wedding begins to separate from the liturgy. Church blessing for marriage is gradually formed into a separate order. However, the historical memory of the need for confession and communion before the sacrament of marriage remained.
Currently, many clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church advise before the sacrament of marriage to cleanse their souls from confession and proceed to the sacrament of communion. This is a pious tradition that has a beneficial effect on the spiritual life of man. The importance of the sacrament of weddings determines a certain conscious approach, spiritual preparation for future priesthood. That is why it is useful to follow the tradition of confession and communion before the wedding.
However, at present, the sacrament of marriage can be performed without prior confession and communion of spouses. This practice is observed in large cities and numerous parishes (it must be understood that weddings, confession and communion are currently separate sacraments). Thus, confession and communion before the sacrament of marriage is a useful and desirable practice, but by no means fundamental. Each person is free to decide for himself how important it is to unite with Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist immediately before creating a family.
