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Wedding Traditions
We are all familiar with the traditions we see carried out in almost every wedding we attend, but do you really know how these rituals came about? We have compiled information from several sources for your information and amusement.
The old saying "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe" dates back to Victorian times. The "Something Old represents the link with the bride’s family and the past". The "Something New represents good fortune and success in the bride’s new life". The "Something Borrowed is to remind the bride that friends and family will be there for her when help is needed". The "Something Blue is the symbol of faithfulness and loyalty" Another possible meaning behind "something blue" is that the original color of purity was blue, not white. In Biblical days, it is said that the bride and groom would wear a blue band around the bottom of their wedding attire to symbolize purity. A Sixpence in her Shoe is to wish the bride wealth.
The bride carries a bouquet of flowers chosen especially by her for some particular meaning the flowers have for her. However, originally, the bouquet was designed for the bride to carry herbs to ward off evil spirits and symbolize the happiness and sanctity of the marriage.
According to one source, "Among German Goths, a man married a woman from within his own community. When women were in short supply, he 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." But what about the Maid of Honor and multiple bridesmaids and groomsmen? These days, brides and grooms honor their closest friends and relatives with these duties, but originally these roles had a much more dangerous meaning behind them. At one time, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked together with the bride and groom to the ceremony site dressed exactly like the bride and groom. This was to confuse and ward off any ill-wishers or evil spirits.
The tradition that the bride stands to the left of the groom during the ceremony arises from the practice of stealing and protecting the bride. The groom kept the bride on his left to keep his right hand free for using his sword.
The wedding ring is also deeply steeped in tradition. The ring is usually a perfect circle representing a love with no beginning or end and is worn on the third finger of the left hand because third century Greek physicians believed there to be a vein running directly from the heart to this finger.
There are many rituals related to fertility. The most commonly thought of is the throwing of rice. Originally, a small piece of bread was crumbled over the bride’s head. Eventually guests were encouraged to bring breads of their own and to contribute them to the stash. "Throughout the British Isles, it had become customary to pile the contributed scones, biscuits and other baked goods atop one another into an enormous heap. The higher the better for height augured prosperity for the couple, who exchanged kisses over the mound. In the 1660’s, during the reign of King Charles II, a French chef was visiting London and observed the cake-piling ceremony. Appalled at the haphazard manner in which the British stacked baked goods, often to have them tumble, he conceived the idea of transforming the mountain of bland biscuits into an iced, multi-tiered cake sensation."
Shoes tied to the bumper of a car hark back to the days when shoes were thrown at the bridal couple to ensure fertility. Shoes are said to have been a fertility booster because the foot was a powerful phallic symbol.
Finally, the throwing of the garter began in France where it was believed that pieces of the bridal attire were lucky. The bride would throw the garter and whoever caught it could expect good luck.
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