Wedding traditions and their origin
Where did wedding traditions come from? Ever wondered? Wedding traditions are something that is enthusiastically followed in most households.
Unquestionably, just listening to the word wedding, wedding bells start ringing in our ears.
Isn’t it?
This tradition of ringing the wedding bells gets its roots back from ancient Irish and Celtic customs. They used to add church bells to their weddings as an announcement that a wedding is taking place. Apart from this, wedding bells are also meant to ward off evil and to say hello to a blessed and prosperous marriage.
Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue,
and a silver (sixpence) in her shoe.
Undoubtedly, all of you would have heard this old wedding poem at some point in life. If you are among the ones who haven’t heard it!! Never mind!! Now, you HAVE!!:)
An excerpt from late 1800s English folklore indicates that Something old and Something blue is to cast off the evil eye.
Something old indicates the bride’s ties with her family and her past. The bride can either wear an antique piece of jewelry, an old pair of sandals, her mother’s or grandma’s wedding dress, or a veil.
Something Blue
It means wearing anything blue-colored during the wedding rites.
This denotes loyalty, purity, fidelity, and faithfulness. It can be anything in the form of a piece of jewelry, fabric lace, nail polish, eye makeup, shoes, or even the groom’s dress.
Something new is to start a completely beautiful new chapter of life with fresh beginnings.
Something borrowed is most probably directed to the used undergarment of a married lady blessed with children. It can also be any other material of a happily married lady, be it the bride’s family, relatives, or friends. Also points to the fact that through thick or thin, the bride’s family and friends will be there to support her. This symbolizes borrowing marital bliss.
And a silver (sixpence) in her shoe
This one is kind of an obsolete tradition among the rest. In the olden times, a sixpence used to be placed in the left shoe of the bride to shoo off poverty and to add a lot of love to the newly married couple’s life. In recent days, a small pouch is sewn into the bride’s petticoat hem. This pouch can contain a piece of bread/wood/cloth or a pound/dollar bill.
To date, all 5 items denoted in the poem are being worn by some brides following the wedding traditions.
14 Ultimate Answers To Where Did Wedding Traditions Come From?
1. Wedding Cake Cutting
In the past, it was the bride’s task to cut the wedding cake as an indication of losing her virginity. Moreover, with the passage of time, wedding cakes became so complicated with so many tiers. It became difficult for the bride to cut it all alone. So, here came the groom in shining armor and helped the bride in cutting the cake. Now it also denotes the first activity performed together to innumerable more to come.
Couple cake cutting ceremony also brings prosperity to the new couple and the guest who is attending.
2. Saving the Wedding Cake
The first tier of wedding cakes is being saved since the early 19th century. This tradition is to bring prosperity and good luck to the marriage bond. This couple eats this saved wedding cake on the first wedding anniversary or during the christening of the firstborn.
How to keep the wedding cake safe?
- Remove all the flowers and decorative items from the cake.
- Chill it in the refrigerator.
- Neatly wrap it in a cling film.
- Place it in an air-tight container in the freezer.
- Keep it moisture-free.
- Thaw it for almost 24 hours in the fridge, before consuming it.
- Sugars will do their job and preserve it well to be cherished a year later.
3. Exchanging the Wedding Rings
Around 900 AD, the tradition of exchanging wedding rings got introduced. In the modern Western world, it has become a norm to exchange wedding rings. But this tradition dates back to the ancient Romans and Greeks, where wedding rings were a part of the marital dowry. This act symbolizes fidelity in marriage, consequently, strengthening the marital vows.
A wedding ring is worn mostly on the 4th finger of the left hand as according to ancient Egyptians it has vena amoris also called the ‘vein of love’ that directly connects the ring finger to the heart. So, by wearing the wedding ring on the ring finger, the person is enwrapped in love with his/her spouse. It is considered bad luck to remove the wedding ring once worn during the wedding ceremony.
4. Tying the knot-not an unpopular wedding tradition
Getting hitched or tying the knot is a phrase very common for someone who is casually announcing that he/she is going to get married. It is an ancient Celtic tradition where the hands of husband and wife are tied symbolizing their togetherness for eternity. The hand-fast ceremony is followed normally after the exchange of vows and rings.
5. Wearing a veil
Moreover, the custom of the bridal veil dates back to ancient Romans. The brides would cover their faces with veils to trick any evil spirit off. So, that it does not do any hanky panky with her marriage.
6. Giving away the bride
Bride and her father walking down the aisle
In the olden times, the bride was taken as a commodity and would be exchanged with dowry or some price. In this way, the bride’s proprietary would be changed. After centuries, the practice is still there but giving the bride away is now done out of pure love by the father, brother, uncle, or any other loved one of the bride.
7. Jumping over the broom-not just a popular wedding tradition among witches…!:P
In some cultures, the bride and groom jump over the broom to cast off evil eyes. It also means that the wife will clean the new household. Although, this meaning is not very applicable nowadays as husband and wife share their house chores together.
8. You may now kiss the bride
In ancient Rome, it was thought that a just married couple has never exchanged a kiss.
‘A Holy Kiss of Peace’ was given by the priest to the groom that was then passed to the bride.
In this way, marriage was blessed and legalized.
9. Bridal Shower
Legends take you back to 16th-century Holland, where a pretty girl’s father declined any financial support for her marriage to a handsome village miller. The whole town came forward and gifted the girl with small presents to start her new life journey.
This got a lot of popularity and bridal shower is celebrated worldwide. It is mostly a “Ladies only” event in the form of a brunch, hi-tea, siesta, or evening tea. The female family and friends of the bride-to-be join together and present gifts to the bride for her wedding. Fun games are also played.
10. Wearing a white bridal dress
White is a color of purity, innocence, virginity, and chastity.
Also Read: Infidelity in Marriage
Queen Victoria is the reason why most brides around the world wear white today! In 1840, on her wedding to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria wore a white wedding gown instead of a coronation robe. From that time onwards, a white wedding gown with a white veil, and white gloves is majorly worn by western and Arab brides.
11. Carrying the Wedding Bouquet
Brides have been carrying the bouquet down the aisle for centuries. Ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians used to carry garlic, spices, and herbs to ward off evil. In the early 18th century, during the four years of the black death or bubonic plague, brides carried a bouquet of garlic and herbs to ward off plaque and evil. After the bubonic plague ended, the brides started to carry a bouquet of fragrant flowers to mask their body odors. As it was not a norm to take bathe.
12. Tossing the Bouquet-the most ‘catchy’ wedding tradition
In ancient England, the wedding dress of the bride was thought to bring luck. So, people used to touch it and tear a piece of it, and sometimes the bride was left in rags. The guests used to get so wild that they used to chase the bride to the wedding bed. In order to get out of this turmoil, the bride used to carry a bouquet with her down the aisle that she would toss toward the guests and run off.
Nowadays, the bride tosses the bouquet towards the bridesmaids and other single ladies, and whoever catches it is thought to be next in line to get married.
13. Tossing the Garter
In the same way, the groom removes the garter from the bride’s thigh, slipping his hand under the bridal gown and tossing it off to the groomsmen. The guy who catches it first is thought to get hitched in the near future.
14. Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
The wedding traditions of bridesmaid and groomsmen dates back to ancient Romans. It was a law to bring 10 witnesses altogether at a wedding to be consummated. So, 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen were used to accompany the bride and groom. They used to dress just like the bride and groom so that they can trick evil spirits into finding the ‘Real’ bride and groom.
Mostly, bridesmaids and groomsmen are single.
Takeaway Points
Whether you follow some or all of the wedding traditions, the most important thing in a happy, successful marriage is love, trust, and loyalty between the husband and wife.
Spill us in with much more popular wedding traditions from your part of the world…!:D