Most little girls dream of a handsome prince charming coming on his white steed and sweeping them off their feet and whisking them away to live happily ever. Either because of Cinderella or perhaps the story grew because of dreams.
June has developed as the wedding month, why June? There are many legends and customs. Here is one: The goddess Juno (for whom June is named) was the protector of women in all aspects of life, but especially in marriage and childbearing.
There are many customs connected with weddings. Even in the Bible, we see development of weddings.
Genesis 2:23-25 ADAM and Eve First mention of WIFE Genesis 3:6 HUSBAND
Genesis 24:57-67 … First Ceremony
Genesis 27:21 … First wedding feast
What exactly does WEDDING mean? And what does all the pomp and ceremony mean?
Origin of Wedding … (as a word) … The WED was the purchase money (or equivalent) which the Groom gave to the Bride’s father, either before or after she became his wife.
Three basic types of marriage:
Marriage by capture (usually force)
Marriage by purchase
Marriage by Love
Religion and Marriage never really came together until after the COUNCIL OF TRENT … a valid catholic wedding had to consist of two or three witness’s and be preformed by a priest.
Prior to this time (around 1500) weddings consisted of two people deciding to live together.
Usually, it was the decision of the man.
SOME OF THE CUSTOMES THAT DEVELOPED AND STILL REMAIN:
The ENGAGEMENT … the time between betrothal and the wedding, is not today what was.
One ancient custom among common people was the breaking of a piece of gold or silver, one half to the girl and the other keep by the man, thus sealing their vow of marriage. In ancient Ireland, a man gave his girl a bracelet of woven human (his) hair (pity the poor bald man). The engagement ring can be traced back to 4 BC. Engraved in one found was the Greek word equivalent to HONEY.
The WEDDING RING … also traced back to ancient Egypt, symbolizes a tie for eternity. It was made out of every conceivable type of material, varying in sizes, many times to large to be worn. (Hebrews did not wear ornamental jewelry). It symbolizes for the woman … subjugation. For the man … bondage.
The very finger the ring is worn on has a lot of symbolism. The left hand symbolizes Subjection…The right hand symbolizes Power, Authority. The finger chosen is thought to have a nerve or vein that runs directly to the seat of love, the heart. It \was chosen because it is guarded on both sides by other fingers and it is the finger least used.
The WEDDING SHOES … also a symbol of authority. The bride’s father gave the groom one of his shoes which meant the authority for the bride passed from father to husband. His first act was to tap his bride’s head. The shoe is illustrated in the story of Ruth.
RICE AT WEDDINGS … symbol of fertility or productiveness. Fruit, Nuts, Wheat, Barly have also been used. Even cooked Rice (still wet) has been used. Among primitive tribes, throwing rice was done to ward off the demons … Rice was also offered to keep the soul of the Groom from leaving the Bride … The bride has also been beaned by rice cakes.
The WEDDING CAKE … a carry over from eating of special foods and the wedding feast … it’s size and shape is traced back to Northern England where many small cakes were prepared and then stacked. The Groom was to try to kiss the bride over the stack and a successful completion (not knocking any part of the stack over) meant a long and happy life together … A French baker saw a problem and developed the idea of cementing the cakes together with frosting … Hence the wedding cake.
The HONEYMOON … a remanent of the days when the Groom had to capture his wife and literally hid out with her to avoid her family or tribe. The word comes from Northern Europe where the young married couple drank a kind of wine made from honey for the firth month of their marriage … thus, the Honey Month became the Honeymoon. It symbolizes the period of sweetness and delight.
For more about WEDDING PRACTICES AROUND THE WORLD
Continue Some Day Part 2
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