Fans of Chekhov's work will easily remember the story "Wedding" with the hero, around whom the whole plot revolves: they invite and wait for a certain "general". It is worth saying that for the 19th century, the presence of an eminent person, a general, at a wedding was the norm. Such a person was traditionally called the wedding general.
The origins of the tradition
In Chekhov's times, he did not perform any functions: he simply attended the wedding. As a rule, it really was a man with the rank of general, however, already retired, and accordingly middle-aged. He was not always personally known, but respected. The parents of the groom or the bride invited the wedding general to show that there are noble people in their family, that is, to raise their authority in the eyes of the guests present.
It is interesting that such a wedding rite is found only in the Russian tradition. Naturally, not all wedding ceremonies have survived from antiquity to our days, and today very few people invite such a “general” to a wedding celebration. This is more common in weddings of the rich and famous. And in the past, wedding generals did not visit commoners' homes.
Currently, the wedding general is a common noun. Any person can play this role, the main thing is that he be rich and famous, in the past or at the present time. Actually, this is its main function - to be an honored guest. It so happened that the wedding general does not have to be present at the celebration from start to finish. It can flicker and evaporate, but it can be delayed. Currently, the wedding general does not provide services for free.
Man for the image
A wedding general at a modern wedding can be on a par with a luxurious limousine, an expensive restaurant and other attributes of a rich wedding. This person is called upon to create an image and maintain the authority of the inviting family. Depending on the agreement, he can deliver a congratulatory speech in honor of the young.
Most often, the wedding general sees guests getting married and their relatives for the first time. But not necessarily. This may be the head of a company in which the groom works, a citizen of another state, an eminent academician or scientist, an astronaut, in fact a general, in general, a person outstanding in all respects. We can say that the wedding general is more of a concept than a specific person.
You can often face the misconception that the wedding general performs administrative functions for organizing the celebration. This is not true. A wedding general is a person invited to a celebration "for a picture", not a toastmaster.
The expression "wedding general" is also used today in a figurative sense when it comes to an empty, worthless person who does nothing and does not understand, more often - in relation to officials.
