Weddings and Traditions
Weddings and Tradtions
Weddings are one of the most primeval and least changed rites of passage. Most of the customs observed today are harking back to bygone days. Everthing from the veil, flowers and old shoes to bridesmaids once bore specific and significant meanings. Today we incorporate many of the traditional olde worlde customs into weddings.
Definition of "Wedding"
Marriage by purchasewas once the preferred custom. The word "wedding" comes froom the anglo-saxon word wedd which meant that the groom would vow to marry the bride and that the barterted goods and/or currency would go to the bride's father.
The word "wedding" itself comes from the root term meaning to gamble or wager. Thus the ceremonywas little more than the purchase of a bride for breeding purposes.
Choosing the Day & Month
Although most weddings now take place on a Saturday it was considered unlucky in the past. A friday was also considered unlucky (Especially Friday the 13th). The famous rhyme advises a wedding in the first half of the week.
Monday for wealth, Tuesday for health, Wednesday the best day of all, Thurdays for losses, Friday for crosses, Saturday for no luck at all.
The following rhyme advises in which month to be married
Married when the year is new, he will be loving, kind and true.
When February birds do mate, you wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed in March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you will know.
Marry in April when you can, joy for maiden and for man.
Marry in the month of May and you will surely rue the days.
Marry in June roses grow, over land and sea you will go.
Those in July do wed, must labour for their daily bread.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see.
Marry in September shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Something Old, Something New
Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in your Shoe is a rhyme from Victorian times yet the customs have much older origins.
Something Old represents the couples friends who will hopefully remain close during the marriage. This was traditionall a garter given to the bride from a happily married woman in the hope that the happiness would pass to the new bride.
Something New symbolises a happy and prosperous futurefor the newly-weds.
Something Borrowed is traditionally somthing lent by the bride's family. The bride must return this much valued familiy item to ensure good luck.
Something Blue comes from the middle ages when the brides and grooms would wear a blue ribbon as a sign of purity.
The placing of a Silver Sixpence in the shoe is to ensure wealth in married life.
Rings
Wedding rings are an unbroken circle which is to symbolise the everlasting love and are worn on the third finger of the left hand as in roman times it was believed a vein ran from this finger straight to the heart. Engagement rings were first used after Pope nicholas proclaimed in 860AD that not only was an engagement ring required to seal the agreement of marriage, but that it should be gold to signify financial commitment from the groom. In 1477 King Maximillian presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond engagement ring and from that day to this diamonds have been a girls best friend.