Each Russian family uses in everyday life only a few definitions from the complex terminology of kinship that goes back centuries. Even shortly before the February Revolution, most of the families of the Russian Empire were quite large, almost all relatives lived together under the same roof or not far from each other. Today the situation looks completely different: traditional family values in modern Russia are followed less and less every day.
And these days, many of us have a hard time deciding who is who. In Russian families, the circle of relatives has narrowed significantly, and we already call distant relatives "the seventh water on jelly", we cannot determine our relationship, asking the question: "Who is my husband's brother?".
In order to easily remember who your husband's brother or your wife's sister is, you should get acquainted with the long-standing culture of family relationships between relatives and in-laws, each of which has its own name in Russian. It is interesting to know that the word "brother-in-law" came to the Indo-European languages from Sanskrit, where it literally meant "second husband", becauseif a woman in those distant times became a widow, her brother took care of her, and she moved to his dwelling with all her offspring.
Husband's family and new in-laws
After the newlyweds played a wedding and vowed to be together until the end of their days, a new cell of society is created, the young have new relatives both on the one hand and on the other. To figure out what the husband's brother or other relatives acquired in marriage are called, you need to remember that the relatives who appeared to the young after marriage are called in-laws, that is, relatives by marriage, and not by blood.
According to an ancient family tradition, a son must bring his wife to the parental home, where almost all of his relatives live. So who are they to the young mistress? Most young people know that the husband's parents are the father-in-law and the mother-in-law, and the son's wife for them is the daughter-in-law or daughter-in-law. The sister-in-law is the sister of the newly-made husband, but the husband's brother is the brother-in-law for the young wife.
Once the young begin to understand new kinship relationships and learn the terminology of kinship almost thoroughly, they can no longer be taken by surprise with questions such as: "Who is the husband's brother?" or: "What is the name of the husband's sister?". In addition, many of those who are seriously interested in this issue are eager to create a complete genealogical tree of their family on their own.
Why is it important to keep peace in the family
It is not uncommon for parents toa husband's sister or brother is a real headache for a young wife who has to live with her husband's relatives in the same house. In this case, do not aggravate the situation. You need to try to resolve the conflict quietly and peacefully, and it is best to move with your spouse to separate housing, there is such an opportunity.
Do not forget that such situations are not isolated and more and more young families starting an independent life, sooner or later still remember their relatives and in-laws and understand the value of the ability to get along well with sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, mothers-in-law and mothers-in-law. They all become grandparents, aunts and uncles, and what else could be more important for young parents than a large and friendly family in which a small child will grow up?
