thursday, january 29, 1981
wedding supplement to the daily nebraskan
page 5
Wedding day superstitions
based on old world tradition
By Lori McGinnis
In ancient times, when a man kidnapped
the lady of his choice, carried her away
flung over a horses' saddle, and dragged her
into his house to be his bride, he probably
didn't think it would start a tradition still
carried out centuries later.
The wedding tradition of carrying the
bride over the threshold steemed from the
ancient practice of choosing a bride an
carrying her into the house to start a new
life.
This is just one of today's wedding
customs that resulted from beliefs of many
countries during many eras.
The beliefs about the origination of a
wedding ring are many, one being that it
represents the shackle once put on a bride
to repress her struggle after a man captured
her.
The tradition of wearing rings on the
third finger of the left hand originated
from the Egyptian belief that the finger
had a vein running from it directly to the
heart.
Ring traditions vary
Superstition says the ring must never be
bought on Friday (a day of bad luck). It
must never be put on before the ceremony,
nor can it be tried on by anyone other than
the bride, or the bride will never marry.
Dropping the ring during the ceremony
may be an act of clumsiness today, but it
was once believed that whichever of the
couple dropped it would be the first to die.
The wedding dress itself has numerous
superstitious beliefs behind it. For instance
the French say that a bride will live the
same number of years as the number of
buttons on her wedding dress. A penny
sewn into the seam of the gown will bring
good luck.
And the gown should not be completed
before the wedding day or disaster may
strike. It is considered safest to add the
final stitch just before the bride goes to the
church.
The bridal veil originated in the Middle
East and was designed to ward off the evil
eye and to protect the bride.
The notion that bad luck can befall a
couple should the bridegroom see the
bride in her wedding clothes before the
ceremony is well known. But not many
may know it is bad luck for a bride to put
on her entire wedding attire before she
dresses for the ceremony.
Dimes in shoes
Also according to superstition, a bride
should have a dime in her left shoe to bring
good fortune, and a few grains of salt as a
symbol of lasting friendship and loyalty.
The actual word "wedding" originated
from the time when men gave a "wed" of
money to buy a bride. In early England it
was customary for a man to wait for his
bride at the table of his wedding day. This
type of servant was called a groom, hence
the term bridegroom.
Wedding day weather was considered an
important factor in the couple's future.
Snow was considered lucky while rain fore
shadowed tears. A thunderstorm during the
ceremony strickens the couple to childless
ness. A sunny day is considered to benefit
the bride.
But if the expression "April showers
bring May flowers" comes to mind,
beware.
A May wedding is considered to bring
death or misfortune within the year. Child
ren of a couple married in May allegedly
will have health problems.
The idea of the unlucky May wedding
originates from old Roman festivals, called
the Feasts of the Dead, which were in May
and believed to cast bad luck on a wedding.
June is always a popular month for
weddings, but few may know it is also con
sidered a lucky month for the ceremony to
occur. The early Romans believed the
moon during June indicated luck for
weddings.
The day of the week was also important
to consider when planning a wedding. In
Italy, Sunday was the best day for a
wedding. A Monday marriage would bring
forth girls or idiots as children, Tuesday
would cause the fir-.t boy to be a fawn or a
clubfoot.
Once a date has been set, it should not
be changed because it indicates feelings of
doubt about the wedding.
Continued on Page 7
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