HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-02-12, Page 17snide¢ '86
Origins
of
wedding
customs
It happens in every wedding:
The bride and groom exchange
rings. They share cake. The bride
throws her bouquet. But do you
know how these customs began?
The Bride: A Celebration (Harry N.
Abrams, Inc.), a book by Barbara
Tober, Editor -in -Chief of Bride's
magazine, reveals their sometimes
surprising origins.
The bride throws her bouquet so
an unmarried friend can "catch"
some luck in romance, goes the
modern explanation. But the cus-
tom actually started as a form of
self-defense.
In times pasts, belief in the
mystical value of a bride's adorn -
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1986. PAGE 17.
ments prompted friends and
strangers alike to try to grab a piece
of her outfit. Eventually, some
clever bride found that by flinging
her flowers away from herself, the
crowd would have something to
fight over - and she would escape
intact!
The wedding party originally
served the serious purpose of
protecting the bride and groom
from the curses of evil-wishers.
They dressed in clothes exactly like
those of the bride and groom, sothe
identity of the happy couple was
kept secret on the way to the church
and until they were safely married.
The first piece of wedding cake is
cut and eaten by the bride and
groom as a carryover from the time
when the sharing of food or wine
often was the marriage. Teutons,
for example, were considered wed
after drinking mead together for
thirty days. (The word bridal
comes from bride -ale).
The aisle runner protected the
bride from evil spirits who, it was
thought, lived below the ground.
These demons were also feared to
lurk around doorways, hence the
bride is carried over the threshold
of her new home.
Rice symbolizes the age-old
hope that the couple will be as
fruitful as the earth. In France,
guests shower the bride and groom
with wheat; in Morocco, with
raisins, figs and dates.
We clink glasses when we toast
the bride and groom in order to
produce a bell -like sound (bells
were believed to be repellant to the
devil).
"The kiss," as a significant
moment in the wedding, dates
from the Roman Empire. At that
time, the bethrothal ceremony
consisted of a kiss and the
exchange of rings, with the kiss
being the actual legal bond.
The trousseau, or dowry, was
actually an early form of life
insurance since it was meant to
ensure that the bride could survive
without her husband if the need
arose.
We wear the wedding ring on the
third finger of the left hand
because the pharaohs of Egypt
believed a vein, the "vena amor-
is, " ran from that finger directly to
the heart.
The honeymoon began, when, in
ancient marriages by capture, the
groom kept his bride in hiding to
prevent searching relatives from
finding her. The word itself comes
from the early Teutonic customs of
couples drinking an aphrodisiacal
honey drink for thirty days, or one
cycle of the moon.
You are cordially invited to a
BRIDAL PARTY
at the Livery Theatre in Goderich
Sunday, March 9, 1986
1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
MODELLING
See the latest in wedding gowns, bridesmaids' dresses,
going -away outfits and dresses for the mothers of the bride and
groom.
The newest -- video wedding. See your wedding captured in
beautiful colour and sound.
Modelling of the latest in fine formal wear for grooms and
ushers.
Distinctive wedding photography.
New and exciting engagement rings and wedding bands.
Gift ideas for the bridal party.
Display of decorations for tables, walls, halls, etc. Paper plates,
glasses, wine glasses.
The latest in floral design.
How to keep and protect wedding gowns.
Find out about honeymoon holidays.
Wedding invitations.
Wedding cake display.
How to find your first nest.
Gift ideas for the bridal couple.
Photography by Bluewater Studio %
Goderich, Ontario
Gown by Walker's Bridal Studio
Stratford, Ontario
Free admission for pre -registered brides
For your reservation contact Audrey or Don at
Bluewater Photography
524-2881 [day or evenings)
FOR BRIDAL PARTY AND FRIENDS
REFRESHMENTS SERVED THROUGHOUT THE DAY