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Weddings World Wide Click Here Some Old Wedding Folk Traditions ; Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in her Shoe This rhyme originated in Victorian times.
'Something Old' signifies that the Couple's friends will stay with them.
In one version of the tradition the 'Something Old' was an old garter which
was given to the bride by a happily married woman so that the new bride
would also enjoy a happy marriage. 'Something New' looks to the future
for health, happiness and success. 'Something Borrowed' is an opportunity
for the Bride's family to give her something as a token of their love (it
must be returned to ensure Good Luck), and 'Something Blue' is thought
lucky because Blue represents fidelity and constancy. The custom began
in ancient Israel where brides wore a blue ribbon in their hair to symbolise
their fidelity. A sixpence was placed in the shoe to bring the couple wealth
in their married life. Some brides still place a penny in their shoe during
the marriage ceremony.
Flowers have always been a big feature at
Weddings. The Groom is supposed to wear a flower that appears in the Bridal
Bouquet in his button-hole. This stems from the Medieval tradition of a
Knight wearing his Lady's colours, as a declaration of his love. Each flower
has its own meaning and can display a special message. Orange Blossom,
for instance, signifies chastity, purity and loveliness, while red chrysanthemum
means " I love you "
Sunday used to be the most popular wedding day, as it was the one day most people were free from work. Puritans in the Seventeenth Century put a stop to this, however, believing it was improper to be festive on the Sabbath. Today, Saturdays are the busiest, despite the rhyme Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday
best of all,
As for the time of year, the saying 'Marry in the month of May, and you'll live to rue the day' dates back to Pagan times. May, the start of summer, was dedicated to outdoor orgies (ie the summer festival Beltane), hardly the best way to begin married life! Queen Victoria is said to have banned her children from marrying in May, and Nineteenth Century Vicars were rushed of their feet on April 30th because Brides refused to marry during May. The sun has always been associated with sexual stimulation and, therefore future fertility. In Scotland it was traditional for the Bride to 'walk with the sun', proceeding from east to west on the south side of the church and then circling the Church three times 'sunwise' for good luck. Married when the year is new, he'll be loving,
kind & true,
The Wedding Cake was originally lots of
little wheat cakes that were broken over the Bride's head to bestow good
luck and fertility. Today's three tier Wedding Cake is based on the unusual
shape of the spire of Saint Bride's Church in London. Traditionally the
newly-weds should make the first cut to signify sharing their life. Every
guest than eats a crumb to ensure good luck. And sleeping with a piece
under her pillow is said to make a single woman dream of her future husband.
The giving of almond favours is connected with the motto: 'A gift of five
almonds represents health, wealth, long life, fertility and happiness'
The throwing of confetti, meanwhile is an ancient fertility rite. Handfuls
of grain or nuts were traditionally thrown because they are 'life-giving'
seeds. In some European countries, eggs are thrown instead.
Walking is thought to be the best way of getting to Church, as there's more chance of spotting lucky omens. Seeing a rainbow, having the sun shine on the Bride and meeting a black cat or a chimney sweep are all lucky. Bad omens include seeing a pig, hare or lizard running across the road, or spotting an open grave. Make sure the road is clear on Monks or Nuns too, they fortell barreness and a life dependant on charity. Coming home from Church can be equally hazardous.
Tradition dictates the new wife must enter her home by the main door and,
to avoid bad luck, must never trip or fall - hence the custom that a bride
should be carried over the threshold.
Until the Nineteen Hundreds Brides hardly ever bought a special Wedding Dress, opting for their best outfit instead. Green was always avoided, as it was though to be unlucky. To say a girl 'had a green gown' also implied that she was of loose morals, because her dress would be grass-stained due to rolling around in the fields! Hence 'Marry in Green, ashamed to be seen'. White Dresses were made popular by Queen Victoria, who broke the tradition of royals marrying in Silver. Symbolising purity and virginity, white was also thought to ward off evil spirits. Other traditions are that the bride should never make her own dress, that the final stitch should not be completed until she is departing for the Church and that she should never try on the entire outfit before the day. This was because it was felt dangerous for the Bride to count her chickens. For the same reason, a Bride should never practise signing her new name until it is legally hers, and wedding linen was marked with the Brides maiden rather than married initials. The tradition of Bridesmaids is evolved from the custom of surrounding the Bride with other richly dressed women, in order to confuse evil spirits. Married in White, you have chosen right
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