Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-18
FOR Better OR WORSE
Some Marriage Customs ane s.o.,.,,,,..

NOW that the matrimonial, .o
- IN full swing, it will be interss.,on
70 ncte some Of the customs ana
perstitions attending entrance 10 ~.
married state. says THE Newar,.
Daily Advertiser" To start in re'.s
the wedding itself, 1t is lnterestino .n
Know that the name Is derived r.
the Anglo-Saxon term wed tn
was the name Of the security given hs'
tne bridegroom, with other nr.sa..,
according to his wealth, to trus,aes
TO go 20 the bride at the esnn,.s,
There was something PickwicL;a-
anout the gift, since what was tbs
oride s was the groom's, and what Wa
mis- was his own. So the generous Low
er got everything back when tho ~,
tract was fulfilled.
According to an old writer IN.
wedding ring was first designed h..
iTornetheus. and fashioned out !,
adanlant and ircn by Tubal Cain IT.
same writer says that it was "rivan
BY Adam to his son to this end ~.
Herewith he should espouse a Wiz
When paradise had quite receded sro,,
view, men, who are deceivers ever. %,
into fashion Of wedding with a rim
made Of PUSHES to make their vons
the less binding. But in 1911 the histo.
OF Salisbury effeetually pat his foo,
down on this practice Wedding r,,.s
were made as often Of silver as =.
gold, and of fantastic shapes. Win
'posieS' inside. one of which ran.
Fortune doth send you. hap it well or IN
This plain gold ring to wed you to yon nm.
will. ~"
The wedding cake is the remains NJ
a Roman custom. In ancient Rome
bride held in her left hand three wbea,
ears the attendant girls threw corn
either in grains or in small bits n,
cake. upon the heads of the nsvlv
married pair, and the guests picked
up the pieces and ate them. In tho
eighteenth century the wedding eaka
came into general use. 1t was then
composed Of solid blocks laid together
and iced over with sugar When II
was served it was held over Tho
brides head and the outer crust Was
broken; then the cakes inside fell an.
the floor and were distributed 10 ina
company.
Throwing the slipper has an origin
the reverse of sentimental, and is
Renaissance of those barbarous times
when the relations of man and wife
were much akin to those of master
aad slave. The snoe was an Anglo
Saxon emblem of authority, and vas
given by the brides father to her hus.
band in token Of transference Of DOW
or. which the groom acknowledged by
tapping his bride lightly on the head
with ii as an earnest of mastership.
The superstitions connected with
entering the married state are numer-
Gus ard curious, and most of them are
purely feminine possession. AS pre-
liIninary there is a little difficulty
about choosing a day. if this little
verse is to be believed:
Monday for wealth,
Tuesday for health. u
Wednesday. the best day of all:
Thursday for crosses,
Friday for losses.
Saturday no luck at all.
# day has finally been chosen,
then comes the question of season
Marry in Lent. and you'll live to re-
pent," takes that period out of con
Then each month has GER
tain unlucky days in which marrying
and giving in marriage is not to BE-
thought of. Then there are other
Sibylline utterances to which the pro-
spective bride should pay heed: she
must know that Ito change the name
and not the letter is to change for the
worse and not the better" also, that
to marry and yet ito keep her own
name is to keep her condition forever
the same
When all these little obstacles are
overcome, a bride in arraying herself
for the ceremony must be sure to wear
Something old and something new,
Some thing borrowed and something blue
The sun must shine on her wedding
day, and she must not trip on the way
to the church. nor cross the threshold
with the left foot first; the same ap-
plies to the bridegroom. No one mus
open an umbrella while the bridal par
are in the house: that would bring the
worst of ill-luck. A horseshoe and
wishbone hidden in the flowers under
which the pair stand 10 plight .heir
troth have a most salutary influence
on their future life.
So if those who are contemplating
wish to secure the prize oi
in that lottery of Lotteries
they have only to follow faithfully all
the directions here given.
Tommy-"Paw. what is human ma