Popular Wedding Folklore
We all have modern weddings in swank venues. But no wedding is complete without our ancient traditions which have been passed on to us from the days of yore. We all wish to incorporate these details into our contemporary weddings to add to the authenticity and charm.
Bridal showers date back to the 19th century. According to folklore, a wealthy maiden faced disapproval from her father when she decided to marry a poor miller. The father who did not second his daughter’s wishes announced that he would not give his daughter any dowry. In those days, girls did not marry without dowry. So the bride’s friends showered her with gifts and put together the dowry.
The old adage goes “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence on your shoe”. The bride usually wears something old which is something that is a reminder of her link to her parent’s family. Something new is worn to represent the new ties formed. The bride also borrows something from another happy bride who passes on happiness to her. Blue stands for fidelity as well as the Virgin Mary. A silver sixpence worn by the bride on her left shoe stands for success and wealth.
In early days, when there were two rival tribes, and they wished to make amends, a daughter would be offered from one of the tribes as a bride for one of the sons from the other tribe. Since the bride’s family and grooms family were rivals, they were asked to sit on opposite sides of the church, so that the marriage ceremony could be peaceful. After the marriage the two tribes would be friends. Even today opposite sides of the church are occupied by the bride’s party and the groom’s party.
English brides stood to the left of the groom so that his right hand was free to brandish the sword and protect his wife. He would also seek help from the “best” warrior of the town. This explains why we have a “best” man today and why the bride is always on the left.
In early days, in Rome, the bride’s mother would tie the bride’s girdle in a knot and the groom could have the honor of unfastening the knot. This is how the term ‘to tie the knot’ originated.
The bride is carried over the threshold to protect her from evil spirits in the new home.
Couples in ancient times were asked to marry beneath a full moon and drink fermented honey until the next full moon. That is why the period after marriage is called “honeymoon”.
It was customary to break a loaf of wheat bread over the bride’s head. This has been replaced with the wedding cake which stands for fertility.
The guests honk their car horns when they leave the venue to scare the evil spirits out to destroy the happiness of the couple.