Tradition
Something old,new,borrowed,blue...
From Staff Reports
What may be considered normal
wedding activities today evolved
from primitive rituals, customs and
beliefs of our forefathers.
Some traditions that arc still ob
served include:
The wedding dress
Until the 19th century, wedding
gowns were rarely bought for wed
dings. Rather, a bride would wear her
best dress or native costume. The
color of the dress was significant. A
blue dress meant the bride would
always be true. Thus the old dictum:
something old, something new,
something borrowed, something
blue. A green dress was believed to
display shame. This color further
implied the bride had light morals
with a predilection for outdoor love
making, for such a grass-stained
gown was the natural result.
The white dress was not intro
duced until the marriage of Anne of
Brittany to Louis XII. White was said
to symbolize purity and was also said
to deter the evil eye.
The best man
During the lime of marriage by
capture, a man would snatch his wife
from her tribe. To capture her, he
asked for the assistance of a man he
could trust, his best friend or best
man.
The maid of honor
In primitive cultures, the bride was
thought to be vulnerable toevil spirits
and was kept in seclusion during the
days preceding the wedding. Origi
nally, the bride’s best friend attended
to her needs during this time.
Bridesmaids and groomsmen
They were an extension of the best
man and maid of honor in helping to
ward off evil spirits. To outwit these
demons, the parly dressed alike; thus,
it was believed, the demons would not
know whom to attack. They believed
there was safety in numbers and con
formity.
I he wedding procession
Many bridal parties walked to the
church until the late 19th century.
They proceeded in lines of two by
two. An old adage was that those who
walked to church beforehand will
never walk as man and wife.
Rings
The engagement ring, in ancient
times, was the symbol of intent to
wed. If a woman wore an engagement
ring, she was not to speak to any other
man except her husband-to-be.
The wedding ring symbolized the
“binding union” between the two.
Gemmed rings were not the norm
until the late 19th century. The choice
. of a gemstone was contingent on what
the stone signified. For example, tur
quoise was believed to prevent matri
monial argument. A diamond de
noted innocence and light. But silvery
pearls symbolized tears, and opals
were thought to signify fragility and
instability. Another superstition was
that a wedding ring should never be
bought on Friday.
%
Primitive rituals spark traditions
The ring finger on the left hand
Originally it was believed that the
third finger’s veins led directly to the
hear. The left hand, because many
people are right-handed, was chosen
for convenience.
Veils
The veiling of the bride was two
fold: to ward off evil spirits and to aid
the bride in not being seen before the
wedding. It was once believed that if
a bride allowed a friend to try on the
wedding veil, the friend would run off
with the soon-to-be husband.
Carrying the bride over the thresh
old
This custom stemmed from the
belief that evil spirits were housed
underground. To protect his wife
from the demons, the groom would
carry her over the doorstep. In some
cultures the groom would carry his
bride all day.
The “just married” parade
Making noise to drive away evil
spirits in older cultures has turned into
tying cans on the back of cars and
honking horns today.
Throwing rice
The throwing of rice was a fertility
ritual. It was believed that seeds were
carriers of new life and suitable offer
ings for brides.
Throwing the bouquet, garter and
boutonniere
Originally “flinging the stocking”
(¥="'1" =
was a honeymoon sport. Friends of
the couple would throw the stockings
of the man and woman, and whoever
they hit, tradition has it, would marry
within the year.
The wedding cake
There is evidence of the wedding
cake’s existence in Roman times. The
ritual sampling and exchanging of
“good things” was thought to spread
fortune and fertility.
This story was reprinted from the 1986 Daily
Nebraskan wedding supplement.
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