Milford chronicle., 1963-07-05

A Brieflng On
Wedding Customs
There'll be about 1-1/2 mil
lion weddings in the United
States this year and, as usual,
June is the most popular month
for the altar bound.
Why June has become the tra-
ditional month of weddings and
roses probably relates to the
transportation difficulties in
early America too much
snow in the winter to get to a
wedding celebration. Spring and
fall were bad times, too, be-
cause folks were busy with
planting or harvesting.
Another influencing factor
may have been that June is
named after the Roman goddess,
Juno. The Greeks had a Diff
ferent name for this dame :
Hera. Anyway, the point is that
Juno (or Hera) was the goddess
Of womanhood, Of marriage and
of maternity. She was usually
represented as matronly type,
but nonetheless beautiful. Tn e
peacock, the cuckoo and the
pomegranate were sacred to her.
Homer spoke Of her as the
"white- armed goddess" and the
"ox-eyed queen" all Of which
adds up to the kind Of deity
every prospective bride ought
to have on her side. -'.'
These and many other in
teresting observations about the
origins Of wedding customs are
culled from Compton's Pictured
Encyclopedia. Here are some
more:
For instance, the engagement
ring represents the very old
custom of a gift to a girl de-
sired in marriage. The diamond
ring originated in italy where
the diamond was believed to be
"flame Of love-" In ancient
Egypt, the ring was a symbol
of eternity. It also symbolized
the "captive bride" whose hands
were tied to prevent her fr o m
escaping. Anglo-Saxons wore the
ring on the right hand until the
wedding when 1t was transferred
to the left.
Another custom credited to
ancient Egypt is throwing old
shoes or tying them to the bridal
car. In the land of the pyramids,
the father handed the brides
sandal to the groom, symbolic
ing a transfer Of authority.
Mohammedans, back in the
middle ages, used orange bios
SONS in their ceremonies, as the
orange was their most prolific
fruit. Today orange blossoms
symbolic the hope that the
welded couple will be blessed
with children. Throwing rice
carries the same wish but
in ancient times 1t was also a
way to "protect" the marriage
from evil gods.
Since the sun was a god in
many early societies, 1t was
believed that If a bride-to-be
gazed on the sun she would be
certain to have children. This
may explain the old saying,
"Happy is the bride the sun
shines on.''
Even though her wedding day
is her happiest day, the bride is
supposed" to cry, symbolizing|
the dismay of the bride Of olden
times captured by force. TIL e|
capture is also reflected in the
custom of the groom carrying
the bride over the threshold of
their new home.
Centuries ago in France the|
bride threw her garter and the
girl who caught 1t was believed
to be the next bride. Today thel
bride is somewhat more sub
dued and throws her bouquet i
but the bridesmaids still
scramble to make the catch.
In ancient times, according
to Compton's, the date Of the
wedding was often chosen at
some phase Of the moon when
the gods were presumed to be
favorable. This practice, with
the custom Of eating honey at
the marriage feast, may be the
origin Of the word "honeymoon"
Som etimes the marriage
ceremony involved guarantees.
The veil over the BRIDES face
may have indicated that she had
been secluded from men, and
her white robe was a warrant |
OF her purity. Even now 1t Is