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Wedding Traditions
When did the traditions of bridesmaids, best man and wedding cake begin?
If we travel in time back to the days of the Ancients, we can find the origins of many superstitions and traditions. For instance, why, you wonder, does a bride need to have bridesmaids? Bridesmaids are very important to the welfare of the Bride!
If you were to eliminate bridesmaids, then who would confuse the evil spirits?
That’s right, it was thought by the Ancient Egyptians that when a couple were to wed, evil spirits would come to ruin the good mood and atmosphere of the event with trickery and black magic. The bridesmaids main function were to dress as extravagant as the bride to confuse the evil spirits.
"Best man" is of Scottish origin and goes back many centuries to the time when a prospective groom simply kidnaped the woman of his choice and carried her away with him. Such a venture required courage and audacity as well as a good deal of manpower. So the groom selected the bravest of his friends to accompany him.
If we travel in time back to the days of the Ancients, we can find the origins of many superstitions and traditions. For instance, why, you wonder, does a bride need to have bridesmaids? Bridesmaids are very important to the welfare of the Bride!
If you were to eliminate bridesmaids, then who would confuse the evil spirits?
That’s right, it was thought by the Ancient Egyptians that when a couple were to wed, evil spirits would come to ruin the good mood and atmosphere of the event with trickery and black magic. The bridesmaids main function were to dress as extravagant as the bride to confuse the evil spirits.
"Best man" is of Scottish origin and goes back many centuries to the time when a prospective groom simply kidnaped the woman of his choice and carried her away with him. Such a venture required courage and audacity as well as a good deal of manpower. So the groom selected the bravest of his friends to accompany him.
They were known as "groomsmen" - a term still used in some parts of the country to describe ushers at a wedding. The closest and most valiant of the bridegroom's associates became known as the "best man".
The wedding cake first started with Ancient Egyptians as a cake of wheat or barley and was broken over the bride’s head to signify fertility. But early Roman bakers, whose art was held in highest regard, grew offended at the waste of wheat. They began to bake small, hand-sized cakes - to be eaten, not thrown. Festive guests, fond of the tradition of pelting the bride, tossed the cakes anyway.
The Roman philosopher Lucretius offered this compromise: crumble the cakes over the bride's head, and to further symbolize fertility, the bride and groom would save a bit of the cake to feed each other. In the Middle Ages, when times were hard in England, people were less willing to throw food.
The sweet cakes evolved to simple biscuits, and guests were encouraged to bring their own. After the eating - and yes, still some throwing - the leftovers were collected into a pile, to be distributed amongst the poor. The size of the pile quickly became symbolic of the prosperity of the couple, who exchanged kisses atop the mound.
The wedding cake first started with Ancient Egyptians as a cake of wheat or barley and was broken over the bride’s head to signify fertility. But early Roman bakers, whose art was held in highest regard, grew offended at the waste of wheat. They began to bake small, hand-sized cakes - to be eaten, not thrown. Festive guests, fond of the tradition of pelting the bride, tossed the cakes anyway.
The Roman philosopher Lucretius offered this compromise: crumble the cakes over the bride's head, and to further symbolize fertility, the bride and groom would save a bit of the cake to feed each other. In the Middle Ages, when times were hard in England, people were less willing to throw food.
The sweet cakes evolved to simple biscuits, and guests were encouraged to bring their own. After the eating - and yes, still some throwing - the leftovers were collected into a pile, to be distributed amongst the poor. The size of the pile quickly became symbolic of the prosperity of the couple, who exchanged kisses atop the mound.
Ironically, it was this frugal practice that gave rise to the multitiered monolith we are familiar with today. The French chef of King Charles II witnessed the cake-piling ceremony and was appalled at the haphazard stack. Inspired to build an organized, tiered work of iced art, it became the rage of all France. Then During the reign of King Edward II, the cake was first (and since) iced white.
Why is a wedding ring worn on the third finger of the left hand?
As far as we know, the ancient Egyptians were the first to place a ring on the third finger of the left hand to signify the marriage union.
It was placed on that finger because Egyptians believed that the "vein of love" ran from this finger to the heart. They used a ring because they believed that the circle was the symbol for eternity. It represented perfection because it had no beginning and no end. Rings found in ancient Egyptian tombs were made of pure gold.
The name or title of the owner was engraved on the ring in hieroglyphs. The poorer citizens of Egypt wore rings of silver, bronze, amber, ivory, or simply glazed pottery. Because gold was precious to the early Romans, a gold ring symbolized everlasting love and commitment.
King Edward VI of England decreed that the third finger on the left hand was to be the ring finger.
In the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, the left hand was designated as the marriage hand.
From the earliest times in our history, people have always given advice to newly married couples such as "comfort each other," "respect one another," and "listen to each other." One of my personal favorites is "Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire!"
Why a White Wedding?
White weddings became fashionable during Victorian times when Queen Victoria became the first modern royal bride to wear white when she married Prince Albert. Until then, white had actually been the colour royals wore when in mourning, so the choice of colour was considered unusual at the time but caught on very quickly. While the white dress has came to symbolise purity, it was, in fact, never meant to symbolise virginity which is traditionally denoted by the wearing of a veil.
Where Did The Term "Wedding Breakfast" Originate?
If you were wondering why couples have a ‘wedding breakfast' in the afternoon, it is believed to derive from the tradition that a bride and groom would not eat on their wedding day until after the reception following the service. Hence the couple would ‘break' their ‘fast' with their guests.
Why Do Horeshoes Bring Luck?
Horseshoes are widely believed to bring luck, particularly in Christian countries, and this is why they are often given to couples or, at least, feature on invitations, floral arrangements or cake decorations. It is believed to stem from St Dunstan who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 959. In a traditional tale he is apparently asked to shoe a horse for the devil, but instead nailed a horse shoe to his door declaring the devil could never enter a place where he saw a horse shoe.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue...
The origins behind the phrase ‘something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new' are not known for sure, but the saying is believed to be about good luck for the future. The old item is supposed to symbolise the bride's family, the new item is to represent the future and the borrowed item is to show the bride has friends she can count on. The blue part is believed to go back to Roman times when it was common to marry in blue. This remained the case in Europe because blue was seen as the pure colour of the Virgin Mary. It was not until Victorian times that brides began to wear white. Originally the verse had an extra, final line of ‘and a silver sixpence in her shoe' to represent financial security.
Why is a wedding ring worn on the third finger of the left hand?
As far as we know, the ancient Egyptians were the first to place a ring on the third finger of the left hand to signify the marriage union.
It was placed on that finger because Egyptians believed that the "vein of love" ran from this finger to the heart. They used a ring because they believed that the circle was the symbol for eternity. It represented perfection because it had no beginning and no end. Rings found in ancient Egyptian tombs were made of pure gold.
The name or title of the owner was engraved on the ring in hieroglyphs. The poorer citizens of Egypt wore rings of silver, bronze, amber, ivory, or simply glazed pottery. Because gold was precious to the early Romans, a gold ring symbolized everlasting love and commitment.
King Edward VI of England decreed that the third finger on the left hand was to be the ring finger.
In the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, the left hand was designated as the marriage hand.
From the earliest times in our history, people have always given advice to newly married couples such as "comfort each other," "respect one another," and "listen to each other." One of my personal favorites is "Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire!"
Why a White Wedding?
White weddings became fashionable during Victorian times when Queen Victoria became the first modern royal bride to wear white when she married Prince Albert. Until then, white had actually been the colour royals wore when in mourning, so the choice of colour was considered unusual at the time but caught on very quickly. While the white dress has came to symbolise purity, it was, in fact, never meant to symbolise virginity which is traditionally denoted by the wearing of a veil.
Where Did The Term "Wedding Breakfast" Originate?
If you were wondering why couples have a ‘wedding breakfast' in the afternoon, it is believed to derive from the tradition that a bride and groom would not eat on their wedding day until after the reception following the service. Hence the couple would ‘break' their ‘fast' with their guests.
Why Do Horeshoes Bring Luck?
Horseshoes are widely believed to bring luck, particularly in Christian countries, and this is why they are often given to couples or, at least, feature on invitations, floral arrangements or cake decorations. It is believed to stem from St Dunstan who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 959. In a traditional tale he is apparently asked to shoe a horse for the devil, but instead nailed a horse shoe to his door declaring the devil could never enter a place where he saw a horse shoe.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue...
The origins behind the phrase ‘something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new' are not known for sure, but the saying is believed to be about good luck for the future. The old item is supposed to symbolise the bride's family, the new item is to represent the future and the borrowed item is to show the bride has friends she can count on. The blue part is believed to go back to Roman times when it was common to marry in blue. This remained the case in Europe because blue was seen as the pure colour of the Virgin Mary. It was not until Victorian times that brides began to wear white. Originally the verse had an extra, final line of ‘and a silver sixpence in her shoe' to represent financial security.
