Curiosities on Weddings
Why do brides dress in white?
According to the tradition a white gown symbolized
the bride’s purity and virginity. In some countries
white colour protects from evil spirits.
Why does the bride have bridesmaids?
It seems that this tradition comes from ancient
Egypt where the bride was accompanied by other young
women elegantly dressed to avoid that the evil
spirits could recognize the bride and wish her the
worst adversities.
Where does the word “honeymoon” come from?
In Ancient Rome the newly weds used to drink a honey
sweetened beverage after their wedding for the
entire cycle of the first moon in order to recover
their strength.
Why does the bride toss her bouquet?
In the middle ages, brides were considered
particularly lucky. At the end of the wedding single
women would tear pieces of the bride's dress
believing that it would give them fortune. In later
times, in order to preserve the integrity of their
dresses, brides started to throw other objects. The
most common item was the bridal bouquet also because
it usually contained herbs which were symbols of
fortune. In present times it is believed that the
person who catches the bouquet will marry within the
year.
Why does the groom carry the bride over the
threshold?
In ancient Greece, this was a common gesture to
avoid that the bride should stumble while entering
her new house. If this occurred, it was believed
that the gods were making the bride stumble because
she was not accepted in that house.
Why does the bride wear a veil?
The veil was used to hide the bride’s face in times
when weddings were combined by the couple’s
families. Since the groom had never seen his
future wife before, the parents wanted to avoid that
the groom should refuse to get married if he saw the
face of the bride before the ceremony. In many
countries the veil also was used to preserve the
bride from indiscreet glances
Why do we throw rice or birdseed at the newly weds?
This is an ancient pagan tradition according to
which throwing rice or birdseed was a way of wishing
the couple good luck and fertility. Rice and
birdseed symbolized prosperity fertility because
they would grow and produce plants.
Why do we use wedding rings?
Ancient Egyptians believed that the main vein
leading to the heart started right from the ring
finger. They thought that this vein controlled the
flow of all sentiments. For this reason they put
rings on their fingers to bind their sentiments to
those who had donated the ring. The Romans used to
exchange iron rings and only in later times they
started using precious rings. In the Middle Ages
only the richest people used rings for weddings and
some of these rings were extremely beautiful.
Why do we give bonbons at weddings?
(Italian tradition)
Bonbons are distributed to the guests to wish good
fortune. The perfect number is five, to symbolize:
health, fertility, richness, long life and
happiness.