The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-11-22
FOLK LORE OF WEDDINGS.

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hallowed traditions. Superstitions
may be defed on all occasions but
these. A wedding without blue gar
tiers and rice and old shoes is almost,
if not quite, as bad as Hamlet with
the Prince of Denmark out of the
cast. But, although everybody knows
what should be done, to propitate the
good fairies, few have any idea of the
origin of the hundred and one Gus
toms attending the wedding day.
The use of the ring is, without
doubt, the most ancient and symbolic
accessory of the celebration of mar
riage. So prevalent is the feeling re-
garging its indispensability tn t
strange substitutes have been used in
cases of emergency when the conven-
tional hoop of gold had been forgot
ten. Curtain rings and key rings
have done duty, and more person
al substitute has often been devised
by cutting ring from the bride
groom's glove.
Anciently ring marked an Office
of great dignity, being worn only by
a king or given by him to his messen
gers, that their authority might be
established. AS civilization advanced
the woman's position was more chiv
alrously regarded, the ring was given
her as token of the high dignity be-
slowed upon her in the marriage
ceremony.
The choice of the form of the ring
is for a twofold reason-the poetic
meanings ascribed to it, and the fact
that its plainness makes it more prac-
tica1 for constant use. Among the
Egyptians circle was the hero
glyphic expression of eternity. It's
adoption for use as the marriage token
in preference to pin or earring or
any other kind of ornament is said to
be that it can be worn constantly, and
is not put off with any particular gar
ment also, that it is always in sight
of the bride, keeping the bridegroom
in mind.
Various reasons are given for the
adoption of the so called ring finger
as the resting place for this emblem,
and to this usage also the fanciful and
utilitarian mind has ascribed diverse
origins.
The former Interpretation has it
that the belief was very current be-
fore the days of advanced anatomy,
that a small artery ran from this fin
ger to the heart directly. What could
be more to the purpose Of poetical
logic than that the wedding ring
should rest there? The choice of the
left hand is by some supposed to SYM
bolize the submission of the wife to
her husband.
The practical mind disnnses of these
fancies by suggesting that in this po-
sition the ring was more protected
from wear and injury or loss, as the
left hand is not so much in use as the
right, and this finger is protected On
either side and is capable of less de-
gree of independent action than any
other finger.
In many old pictures of the Virgin,
her ring was painted on her forefn-
ger, as was the custom for the wear
ing of it in ancient Greece and Rome.
This finger is the one nearest the
mount of Jupiter, indicating the pride
of dignity.
An old Italian custom placed the
birth-month stone of the bride in her
wedding ring, and this idea became
elaborated into the using of twelve
stones, one for each month, that no
good fairy might be appropriated.
Through this custom the ring became
so enormously expensive as to be a
severe tax on many humble groom
in the Middle Ages, and hence the
revulsion to the plain circlet of gold
in universal use.
The modern practice of gift of
jewelry from the groom to the bride
(aside of the engagement or wedding
ring) is survival Of the old institu
ton of the "daw purse, or purse of
coins, which he gave her to signify
that he had purchased her from her
friends.
The giving of gifts by the friends
of the young couple has very differ
ent significance now from its original
one. Instead of a token of compli-
ment or expression of good will, it
was anciently of much more practical
import. 1t was frankly considered
that the friends by this means help
the young people starting out on their
life journey.
The wedding cake is a development
of the three ears of wheat carried by
the bride in very olden times as a
presage of plenty of the good things
of life. In time the grain thus form
er1y carried was ground and made
into small cakes, which were thrown
over the brides head as she entered
her first house.
A pile of these flat cakes were laid
one upon the other, after the manner
of shew bread in old illustrations of
Bible times. Thus by natural evo-
luton came the present form of one
huge, round cake, for whose elaborate
appearance and composition we have
the French to thank.
The bachelor friends of the groom
who have now the Office of ushers
were originally called bride knights,
and had the honor of conducting the
bride to the church before the cere-
mony. For this attendance the bride
bestowed a pair of gloves upon each
of them, whence comes the presence
of gloves among wedding trophies. II
is also an old Belgic custom for the
groom to give pair of gloves to the
bride during the ceremony, as he
gives the ring gloves as the cover
ing of the hands, typifying the giving
of the hand in good faith.
The probable precedent for the ty
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