The Prayvaganza
The Prayvaganza is a mass wedding ceremony in Gilead, a central institution of the regime that enforces its control over female sexuality and reproduction. It is a public spectacle, a ritual of submission, and a mechanism for the disposal of young women who have outlived their usefulness as daughters. The event is a culmination of the marriage process, which begins with the selection of candidates by the Aunts and the girl's family, and is designed to ensure that girls are married early, before any chance encounter with an unsuitable man might occur that would lead to what used to be called falling in love or, worse, to loss of virginity. The consequences of premarital sexual activity could be severe, including death by stoning, and the stain of it on a family could be next to indelible.
The Marriage Process and Preparation
The arrangement of a wedding in Gilead was standard, with the temperaments of the parties involved and their respective positions in society supposed to have some influence on the choices made available. The goal in every instance was the same: girls of all kinds—those from good families as well as the less favoured—were to be married early. Once a girl was deemed ready, she was removed from her school and enrolled in a Premarital Preparatory school, such as Rubies, where she was taught how to act as mistress of a high-ranking household. The curriculum included manners, elementary gardening with an emphasis on roses, flower arrangement, and how to judge the quality of food. The Aunts would present a girl's family with three candidates, complete with photographs and biographies, and the family would make the final choice. The girl herself was expected to be silent during this process, though her own inclinations would naturally be taken into account.
The Ceremony and Its Significance
The Prayvaganza itself is a public event, often held in a stadium or a church, where multiple couples are married at once. The girls wear white dresses and veils, and the ceremony is a solemn affair, presided over by Commanders and Aunts. The event is a key part of Gilead's social calendar, alongside Salvagings and other public spectacles. For the girls, the Prayvaganza marks the end of their childhood and the beginning of their lives as Wives, a transition that is often met with fear and dread. The ceremony is a performance of obedience and piety, but it is also a moment of profound vulnerability, as the bride is handed over to a man she may not know or desire. The Prayvaganza is thus a tool of social control, a ritual that reinforces the regime's power over the lives of women and girls.
The Experience of the Bride
For girls like Agnes Jemima, the prospect of a Prayvaganza was terrifying. She was told she would have a choice among at least three candidates, but in practice, her family's decision was final. When she was presented with the three candidates, she lay in bed that night with their photographs floating in the darkness before her eyes, picturing each one of them on top of her, trying to shove his loathsome appendage into her stone-cold body. She considered running away, but had no notion of geography and feared the world was infested with men who would be tempted by girls who'd strayed out of bounds. The week she was granted to choose her husband wore on, and it became clear she would be married to Commander Judd whether she liked it or not. She kept her aversion to herself and pretended to be deciding, having learned how to act. The engagement was announced, and Commander Judd appeared at the house, kissing her forehead with unpleasantly warm lips. The wedding itself would take place as soon as the dress was ready, which meant it was safe to plan it for two weeks from that day.
The Alternative: Higher Service
For some girls, the only escape from a Prayvaganza was to claim a "calling to higher service" and become an Aunt. This was the path taken by Becka, who slashed her wrist with secateurs rather than face marriage, and by Agnes, who was rescued from her engagement to Commander Judd by Aunt Lydia. The Aunts offered a life of service, literacy, and power, but it was a life of celibacy and obedience to the regime. The Prayvaganza thus represents a binary choice for Gilead's elite girls: marriage and submission to a husband, or the Aunts and submission to the state. Both paths were designed to serve the regime's goals of reproduction and control, and both were enforced by the threat of violence and social ostracism.
