10 facts about the history of weddings
When we talk about marriage, we are talking about a celebration of love; a celebration that brings together great rites, ceremonies, meanings together. Today we are digging deeper into the meaning behind a “wedding” with 10 facts on the history of weddings. Looking at everything from the traditional “Something Blue” to the beginnings of “civil marriages”.
Something blue, something old, something new and something borrowed.
This tradition is related to several curious topics. The blue symbolizes fidelity, the old is related to friendship, the new represents the future of the newly married couple and the borrowed is requested from someone who is happily married.
Why a white dress?
The white dress is a symbol of innocence, however, it became popular thanks to the wedding of Queen Victoria of England in 1840, who on her wedding day wore a fully white dress.
The veil protects.
In different cultures, it is believed that wearing the veil can protect the bride from envy and evil spirits.
Don’t wear pearls on your wedding day!
In Ancient Rome, these stones symbolized “angels’ tears”, which is why today they are associated with a feeling of sadness on the wedding day.
The origin of a tradition: engagement rings.
This tradition stems from archaeologists who found evidence of marriage rings in Egyptian hieroglyphs around 2,800 BC. For them (Egyptians), the circle represented a shape without beginning and end, so it symbolized eternity.
The ring on the ring finger…Why?
The fact that rings are used only on the ring finger, on your left hand hand is not by chance. Since ancient times, it was believed we have a vein in this finger that connects directly to the heart. Did you know this?.
A tradition not exactly of love.
This tradition was not precisely linked to love during most of history. From Roman times, up to and including the 19th century, it was an exclusively civil institution whose effects were basically patrimonial. People married “cold” to ensure economic stability.
It depends on the religión.
Depending on the culture and religion, marriage could be monogamous (one woman and one man) or polygamous (several women for one man), as in the Eastern tradition. But as we understand it today in the West world, marriage was born in Ancient Rome.
How was civil marriage born?
Thanks to the separation of State and religion that occurred in the West in the late Middle Ages, marriage became more of a legal figure than an indissoluble religious bond. This is how civil marriage arose, which allowed people of different religions or those prevented by ecclesiastical law to marry.
The bride’s bouquet.
The tradition of the bridal bouquet arose in ancient times, when brides protected themselves from evil spirits on their wedding day by carrying in their hand a kind of bouquet with thyme and garlic, among other spices. It was a way for the couple to prevent any evil spirit to interfere at the beginning of their life together.
Knowing more about the details that happen around a wedding ads meaning and purpose to the decisions we make for our big day! Personally, I love the idea of thinking about the bouquet as a token of safety and prosperity for the couple!