|
|
 |
|
Most of the wedding traditions and customs in use today date back many centuries, some as far as the middle ages, and were thought to either bring good luck to the happy couple or ward off evil
spirits. The following is a selection of the most popular.
The Chimney Sweep
A kiss from a chimney sweep is supposed to bring good luck. It is said that the hearth of the fire symbolizes the heart of the family and because he is associated with the fire he therefore has magical associations with the family.
The Bridal Veil
The origin of the veil is unclear but it is thought that it predates the wedding dress by centuries. One explanation is that during the times of arranged marriages the bride's face was covered until the groom was committed to her at the ceremony, so it would be too late for him to run off if he didn't like the look of her. It is also thought that the veil was worn to protect the bride from evil spirits that would be floating around on her wedding day.
Traditionally the bridal veil was a symbol for modesty, respect, and virginity. The veil served as a reminder to all witnessing the ceremony that the physical relationship was entered into only after the vows were exchanged and the marriage became official with the seal of a kiss. The veil was removed after the vows were exchanged and the couple were pronounced "Man and Wife."
The Brides Bouquet.....
has always been a big feature at Weddings, for centuries flowers have stood for a variety of emotions and values. In ancient marriages the brides carried herbs to ward off and drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health. As time went on these were replaced with sweet smelling flowers. The Groom wearing a flower that appears in the Bridal Bouquet in his button-hole stems from the medieval tradition of a Knight wearing his Lady's colours, as a declaration of his love
The Wedding Ring.....
is thought to be one of the first documented symbols of a wedding. The circular shape of the ring symbolizes never ending love. All wedding and engagement rings are worn on the third finger of the left hand, this dates back to ancient times when it was believed there was a vein in the third finger of the left hand that ran directly to the heart which is closely associated with love. Therefore the ring being placed on that finger denoted the strong connection of love and commitment to one another.
|
|
The Engagement Ring.....
is a promise of marriage. Back in Roman times the man had to "barter" for his future bride. The engagement ring was security for the "betrothed." As time went on men have presented diamond rings to future brides because a ring containing a diamond was considered more valuable than a plain gold band therefore it is a stronger promise and offers more security.
Diamond rings were given by medieval Italians in the belief that the diamond was created in the Flames of Love.
Something old, something new.....
something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in your shoe. This rhyme is thought to have originated in Victorian times, although the customs are much older.
"something old" represents the couples friends who will hopefully remain close during the marriage. Traditionally this was an old garter which was given to the bride by a happily married woman in the hope that her happiness in marriage would be passed on to the new bride, and "Something new" symbolises the newlyweds' happy and prosperous future.
"something borrowed" is often lent by the bride's family and is an item much valued by the family. The bride must return the item to ensure good luck.
The custom of the bride wearing something blue dates back to biblical times when the colour blue was considered to represent purity and fidelity. Over time this has evolved from wearing blue clothing to wearing a blue band around the bottom of the bride's dress and to modern times where the bride wears a blue or blue trimmed garter.
The placing of a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe was to ensure wealth in the couples married life.
The white wedding dress.....
was made popular in 1840 when Queen Victoria wore an elegant all white gown to her wedding. Before this the royal family wore silver wedding dresses, and it was only the very rich who wore white.
Before white wedding dresses became the norm brides would wear their favourite dress for the service. During the middle ages it was usual for the bride to welcome the guests to the service by offering them a drink of ale and to prevent any damage to her dress she wore a gown over the wedding dress which was known as the brides ale gown, eventually being known as the bridal gown.
The wedding march.....
dates back to the royal marriage, in 1858, of Victoria, princess of Great Britain, and Empress of Germany, to Prince Frederick William of Prussia. Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, selected the music herself. A patron of the arts, she valued the works of Mendelssohn and practically venerated those of Wagner. Given the British penchant for copying the monarchy, soon brides throughout the Isles, nobility and commoners alike, were marching to Victoria's drummer, establishing a Western wedding tradition.
The traditional church wedding features two bridal marches, by two different classical composers. The bride walks down the aisle to the majestic, moderately paced music of the "Bridal Chorus" from Richard Wagner's 1848 opera "Lohengrin. The newlyweds exit to the more jubilant, upbeat strains of the "Wedding March" From Felix Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The best man
During ancient times when women were in short supply, the groom captured his bride-to-be from a neighboring village. The future bridegroom, accompanied by a male companion, seized any young girl who had strayed from the safety of her parental home. Our custom of a "best man" is a relic of that two-man, strong-armed tactic; for such an important task, only the best man would do.
A best man around AD 200 carried more than a ring. Since there remained the real threat of the bride's family attempting to forcibly gain her return, the best man stayed by the groom's side throughout the marriage ceremony, alert and armed. He also might serve as a sentry outside the newlyweds' home. Of course, much of this is German folklore, but it is not without written documentation and physical artifacts. For instance, the threat of recapture by the bride's family was perceived as so genuine that beneath the church altars of many early peoples - including the Huns, the Goths, the Visigoths, and the Vandals - lay an arsenal of clubs, knives, and spears.
During the marriage ceremony, the bride stands on the left and the groom on the right. The origin of this goes back to the days when a groom would capture his bride by kidnapping her. If the groom had to fight off other men who also wanted her as their bride, he would hold his bride-to-be with his left hand allowing his right hand to be free to use his sword.
Confetti
The throwing of confetti is an ancient fertility rite. Handfuls of grain or nuts were traditionally thrown because they are 'life-giving' seeds. In some European countries, eggs are thrown instead.
Before the use of paper confetti the married couple were showered with flowers, petals, rice or grains. This was to bestow prosperity and fertility on them.
The Wedding Cake.....
since early times was part of a wedding ceremony. It is thought that the Ancient Romans would bake a cake made of wheat or barley and break it over the bride's head as a symbol of her fertility and guests would eat a crumb to ensure good luck. Later on it became tradition that guest attending the wedding would each bring a small cake, they would then pile them up one on top of the other as high as they could. The bride and groom would kiss over the tower and try not to knock it down and if they were successful it meant a lifetime of prosperity.
During the reign of King Charles II it became customary to have the cake iced with white sugar.
Traditionally the bride and groom make the first cut in the cake together and this signifies the start of the sharing their lives together. Every guest then has a piece to ensure good luck. The tiered, elaborately iced wedding cakes of today are thought to be based on the shape of the spire of St Bride's church which is situated in Fleet Street, London, also known as the printers church.
|
|
Tossing the Garter.....
dates back to the days when guests would follow the bride and groom to their bridal chamber and wait for them to remove their stockings. Guests would then toss the stockings at the bride and groom and whoever managed to get one to land on the head of one of them would be the next to wed. Later it was thought customary for the bride to toss a garter (these used to be used to hold stockings up) to the men as it was thought that whoever caught it would be the next to wed, but sometimes the men would become impatient and try to take the garter off her ahead of time, the groom would then have to save the bride buy removing it himself.
Some grooms do still remove the garter and throw it as a parallel action to the Bride tossing her bridal bouquet. The tradition still remains that the single man who catches the garter will be the next to wed.
Tossing the Bouquet.....
could be considered an offshoot of throwing the garter, however it was believed that the bride could bestow good fortune to future brides if they obtained a piece of her bridal gown. In order to prevent her from losing to much clothing she would throw her bouquet in to the crowd. Tradition says that the single woman who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry and have the brides good fortune passed on to her.
Carrying the Bride over the Threshold
There are a number of beliefs on this. During the days of "Marriage by Capture," the bride was certainly not going to go peacefully into the bridegroom's home so she was carried across the threshold. Once it was believed that evil spirits lay in wait under the threshold for the bride to enter, so in order to protect his new bride the groom carried her across the threshold for the first time when entering the home. It was also once believed that if a bride stumbled when first entering their new home bad luck and harm would befall the marriage, so by carrying the bride across the threshold for the first time could prevent this from happening.
Click here to E-mail this page to a friend
Copyright Ashleigh Video 2008
|
|
