Some Weddings Traditions,

The Cake.

The tradition of the wedding cake dates back to Roman times small oat cakes were baked and broken over the brides head to confrere fertility upon her.
Sharing the cake among guests continues this tradition. It is considered bad luck if one of the guests refuses a piece of cake, the bad luck befalling both the couple and the person who refused it.

Originally the cake was called the groom's cake. We haven't as yet found out why, can anyone help?

The Honeymoon.

The word honeymoon comes from medieval times when the bride and groom would drink honey mead for one month after they were married.

Read about honeymoon planning or find a honeymoon destination.

Why White.

White is traditionally worn as a wedding colour in the west. The origin again of this is Roman they considered white the colour of celebration. The white symbolizing purity, while the Victorians considered it a sign of affluence.

In Britain prior to the 1500's the wedding dress could be any colour, it was with the marriage of Anne of Brittany in 1499 that the tradition of the white wedding gown became established. In Asia including China and Japan white is the colour of death and is not used for weddings, red is considered the colour of celebration and is used mainly as a wedding colour in those countries.

The Veil.

Ancient folklore dictates that an old veil is luckier than a new one, particularly so if it is borrowed from a happily married woman. The happiness good luck and fertility is supposed to pass on to the wearer in her new life.

In some parts of the world the veil would be brightly coloured to ward off evil spirits. In parts of the world where arranged marriages were the norm the purpose of the veil was to prevent the groom actually seeing the bride before he had made the wedding commitment.

Originally the veil symbolized youth and virginity.

The Ring.

The origin of the engagement ring can be traced to Rome where in 860 AD Pope Nicholas made a decree that an engagement ring should be worn to show the intent of the woman to marry.

The reason diamond's are used in engagement rings is because diamond is the hardest and most enduring substance known, so by using them in a wedding ring it was considered that the marriage would last for ever.

The ring has long been a potent symbol for lovers. It is believed that marriage rings were exchanged in Roman times. There were finger rings in use in early iron age Britain although it is not known if they had any significance to marriage.
In the Middle ages rings were used as a sign of wealth prior to the introduction of coinage. Wearing a wedding ring was considered to protect the bride from evil spirits.

Placing the ring on the third finger of the left hand is derived from the Roman belief that the vein in this finger "vena amoris" was directly connected to the heart

Love Ritual's.

Dreaming of Love.

According to custom this ritual is best practiced , on a Wednesday or a Friday. Open a prayer book bound with a scarlet and a white ribbon, at the marriage service and put a sprig of myrtle on the page which says "With this ring I thee wed" Place it under your pillow and you are promised a dream of your own wedding and will see the identify of the groom.

Love Divination in Water.

This ritual aims to see how an existing relationship will progress. Put two corks or acorns in a large bowl of water. If they float instantly together, the relationship will develop rapidly. If your partnership is long standing, you are close and on a very deep level. If the corks or acorns float separately or in opposite directions, you may have a problem which will need to be resolved. If your objects float together the apart again this signifies that your relationship consists of the normal ups and downs of life, but you should pay more attention to the romantic side of your relationship.

Mirror Marriage Divination.

The girl should stand in front of a mirror lit by a candle, just before midnight and speak the following words

Mirror, mirror tell me, Am I pretty or plain, Or am I downright ugly And ugly to remain? Shall I marry a gentleman, Shall I marry a clown, Or shall I marry old pots and pans Shouting through the town?

At the stroke of midnight a vision of the true love should appear the mirror over the girl's right shoulder.

St Valentine's Day.

St Valentine's day the fourteenth February is certainly the best known festival for lovers. It is a time when all from the great and the good to the humble Plough man pronounce their love in verse. And perhaps a gift of red roses for their loved one.

The Origins of St Valentine's Day.

The Roman emperor Claudius II issued an edict that soldiers should not be allowed to marry on the grounds that it made them poor fighters. Valentine was a young priest who defied the edict and married a number of soldiers. He was executed on the 14th February 269 ad. While he was in prison he is said to have restored the sight of the jailer's blind daughter. She fell in love with him, it is said that before he was taken to be executed he wrote on the prison walls "Always, yours Valentine."

The pre Christian Roman festival of Lupercalia was also held on the 14th February, at the place where Romulus and Remus (the legendary founders of Rome) were reputedly suckled by a she wolf. The fertility god in the form of the Lycean Pan or Lupercus, was the central figure in the festival. Partnerships were formed by drawing lots between the young men and women, this partnership was kept throughout the festival.

The Date.

As Christianity took hold the old pagan festivals were amalgamated with Christian ones and 14th February became St Valentines day and not the pagan festival which preceded it.

The month of May has always been considered an unlucky month to marry. In Roman times the festival of the goddess of chastity and the Feast of the Dead both were celebrated in May. In pagan times the festival of Beltane (1st May) which celebrated the fertility and plenty that summer would bring forth , this was considered an inauspicious time to begin married life.

In medieval times there was a tradition on the eve of St Valentine's day to cast lots to choose a valentine. Young men would put equal numbers of names of the opposite sex into a container, and the name chosen would be their partner for the valentine celebrations, and perhaps even longer.

Probably the majority of weddings take place on Saturday now, this was considered ill luck in the past, the early part of the week was considered the luckiest particularly Wednesday. Friday 13th was to be especially avoided. See the day rhyme below.

In Scotland one custom was for the bride to walk from East to West on the South side of the church so as to be in the sun, she then would continue and walk around the church three times.

"To the man who has conquered the bride's heart, and her mother's."

"Down the hatch, to a striking match!"

"May thy life be long and happy,
Thy cares and sorrows few;
And the many friends around thee
Prove faithful, fond and true."

Strawboys.

In some parts of Ireland it was the tradition for straw boys to come and dance at weddings, they usually arrived in the late evening. They had conical hats and capes woven from straw as well as straw masks and straw tied around their legs. They took no refreshment nor did they speak, they usually stayed for about half an hour, danced with everyone and left.

This tradition may possibly comes from Pagan times when fertility right's may have been carried out by people who dressed up and danced at sites of significance to their culture.

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