HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-02-09, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000.
r Bridal 2000
A brief history on wedding traditions
it's your wedding day — a day
deeply imbued with symbolism and
tradition. This includes almost
everything, from the fashion of
going away immediately after the
ceremony (honeymoon) to the
flowers adorning your bouquet.
You’ll probably adhere to more
traditions on your wedding day
than at any other time in your life.
Tradition, we all know, brings with
it a sense of security. It's hoped that
if tradition is upheld, your wedding
will go smoothly and the marriage
will be a memorable success.
A number of the traditions
upheld as common practice in
today's wedding ceremonies
originated with the ancient Greeks
and Romans. You might take for
granted the existence of some of
these rites and rituals, largely
because they originate from a time
of which you have no memory,
plus it takes generations for them to
change. As you plan your wedding,
it may be helpful to be familiar
with some of the traditions you'll
encounter. Of course, there are far
too many to cover, but here are
some to consider.
Ever since Queen Victoria wed in
white in 1840, white has remained
traditional for wedding gowns and
bouquets. All-white and cream
bouquets have become symbolic of
the qualities of purity and serenity.
The flowers themselves have long
symbolized love and joy. The
bride's bouquet — fragrant,
enchanting — heralds joy and a
future ripe with possibilities.
The all-white bouquet might
include a cascade of orange
blossoms. Inclusion of this flower
in the bridal wreath or bouquet
dates back to the Saracens, so it's
said and came to Europe with the
returning Crusaders who are
believed to have witnessed the
custom of a bride wearing a garland
— a symbol of maidenhood — of
orange blossom in her hair. It
stands for chastity and purity and,
because the orange blossom tree is
an evergreen, it also stands for
everlasting love.
The briae's bouquet is tied with
many knots — lover’s knots —
symbols of hope, love and good
fortune. When the bride throws her
bouquet after the ceremony,
whoever catches it is thought to be
the next person to marry. Rice is a
symbol of fertility and, although
replaced mostly today with paper
confetti or rose petals, is thrown at
the couple after the ceremony.
The horseshoe, which is
associated with marriage,
represents good luck. Often, the
bride will attach a tiny sterling
silver horseshoe, tied with a thin
satin ribbon, to the hem of her
wedding gown. The Greeks and
Romans believed that the U-shape
was able to protect man from evil.
The fact that the horseshoe is nailed
with seven iron nails is significant
in that it represents the seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit. Also, its
association with blacksmiths and
metallurgy is important, for the
water in which a blacksmith
washed his hands was considered
to contain powerful fertility agents.
The horseshoe is silver, because
silver, it was believed, would keep
witches away.
The rhyme "Something old,
Something new, Something
borrowed, Something blue" is very
old. Something old is the garter of a
Libraries good place to get tips
If you want to plan your wedding
yourself, there are plenty of places
where you can get help.
Your local library will have
books about wedding planning and
wedding etiquette. You may be
able to borrow a number of books
from the library at only the cost of
your library card.
There are a number of drawbacks
to borrowing books from a library.
One is that some of the books can
be quite old and out of date - or out
of style.
The other drawback is that some
of the more helpful books have
charts, checklists and worksheets
that you fill out to organize your
wedding. If you own a book you
can write in it and keep it as a
permanent souvenir of your
wedding.
happily married woman.
Something new is usually the
wedding dress. Something
borrowed can be a coin (once it
was a piece of gold that represented
the sun) but it could be any of the
wedding items, even a pair of
shoes. If the bridegroom supplies
the coin, the bride should wear it in
her shoe during the ceremony to
ensure a happy marriage.
Something blue, associated with
the ideal of protection, represents
the moon, the traditional protector
of women. To the ancient Egyptian
blue was the color of heaven.
The kiss is a way of sealing the
pledge. There is an old custom that
states that the bride must cry at the
end of the ceremony or there will
be tears during the marriage. In
medieval times brides were
supposed to cry or their virtue was
suspected.
For centuries brides have worn a
wedding veil, which was designed
to keep the "evil eye" from seeing
the bride, to deter the malevolent
glance from a jealous person
which, it was believed, could ruin a
potentially happy marriage. When
the veil was raised, it was symbolic
of the bride being free of parental
control — this still holding true
That's where it may be better to
browse through the library and then
head to a book store to buy a copy
of the book you find most useful.
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research their origins and often-
diluted meanings. Simple or lavish,
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