The meaning of wedding ceremonies and customs
Such simple and ordinary things at weddings as a wedding veil, an engagement ring, the first kiss have become customs, however, these wedding ceremonies also have their own history ... Some old, already forgotten events are behind them, which turned out to be bright enough to become part of the most wedding ceremony.
Wedding kiss. There are various versions about the origin of this rite, one of which claims that, together with breathing, lovers exchange particles of their soul.
Veil of the bride is one of the most mysterious wedding traditions. It is believed that this custom came to us from the East and according to some versions meant the humility of the bride, according to others - a symbol of freedom. An unmarried girl was hidden from head to toe with a veil and long opaque dresses. And only after the wedding ceremony the groom got the privilege to remove the veil and contemplate the beauty of his bride! Hence it went that the bride wears a veil (More complete information about the wedding veil) for only one wedding.
Wedding ring, it is an integral part of the wedding, which personifies isolation, eternity. It was believed that through the ring finger on the right hand are those veins that carry blood directly to the heart.
It is believed that the custom associated with the best man follows from another wedding ceremony, where the honeymoon came from. When the groom abducted the bride, his best friend held back his angry relatives until a couple of "spouses" disappeared. After this “honeymoon”, the newly-made spouse returned to the spouse's relatives, and along the way, in order to somehow mitigate the anger of his wife’s father, he brought with him some valuable present. Times have changed, but the "best friend", or best man, has remained.
Wedding custom rice spreading under the feet of the newlyweds has a rather interesting story: even in old England, a long time ago there was a wedding ceremony of breaking cakes and pies over the heads of the newlyweds immediately after they left the church. However, due to the fact that this custom left quite a lot of trash after itself, they decided to simply sprinkle the bride and groom with rice, on which the birds flocked and pecked it, washed down with water, which in turn would symbolize abundance.
Many people know about the wedding custom to bring the bride in her arms. There are different versions about the origin of this rite. One of them says that even in ancient times, if on the very first day of marriage the spouse stumbles on the threshold of her house, then this was considered a very bad sign, which would then bring a lot of misfortune. And in order to completely exclude the possibility of such an unpleasant event, this wedding ceremony entered into custom. However, this is not the only version of the origin of this tradition. Once upon a time, during the Stone Age, the caveman, who was not delicate, grabbed the female he liked, so that she would not resist giving her a club on the head. Well, since it is much less convenient to drag the body of the “wife” along the floor than to carry it on the shoulder - the ritual associated with the transfer of the wife through the threshold of the canvas is rooted in human genes.
Good luck wishes how the wedding ceremony manifested itself in different ways. Few people remember where the old and already almost forgotten wedding custom came to put a coin in the groom’s shoe, which would symbolize a happy and rich future. It was believed that the presence of a bride with a bouquet of rosemary and heather would bring her happiness in marriage.
At a modern wedding, rituals and wedding customs have lost their former significance; they have become traditions that make the wedding mysterious and full of romantic mood. The main thing is that at the end of any wedding happy union of two newlyweds, which then become one.