Very Superstitious There are many customs and superstitions associated with
weddings, stemming partly from a time when they were seen as being particularly susceptible to bad luck and evil spirits. The subsequent vast back-catalogue of cautionary superstitions is rarely followed in its entirety, but while some are known nationally and abroad, others may merely be kept to regions or even maintained within families. Many are still in regular use in Britain however, such as ensuring the groom does not see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony, and being carried across the threshold afterwards (thought originally to stop the bride from tripping, or symbolising the old Anglo-Saxon custom of the groom stealing his bride and carrying her off). Even the cynic can be seen adhering to this tradition.
The origins of all
these time-tested traditions vary far and wide sometimes with a common linking theme
Flowers have always been a big feature at weddings.
The Groom is supposed to wear a flower that appears in the bridal bouquet in his buttonhole. Each flower has its own meaning; for instance, orange blossom signifies chastity and purity, while red chrysanthemums mean, “I love you”. Some avoid peonies as they represent shame and snowdrops represent hope.
The wedding cake originated as many small wheat cakes
that were broken over the bride’s head; today’s three tier wedding cake is based on the unusual shape of the spire of Saint Bride’s Church in London and the top tier of the cake is often kept by couples for the christening of their first child. Traditionally the newly-weds make the first cut together, signifying their future shared life. Every guest may then eat a crumb to ensure good luck, and sleeping with a piece under a single woman’s pillow is said to make her dream of her
throughout the ages. For instance, in Anglo Saxon times the groom would, to establish his authority, strike the bride with a shoe. In Tudor times the guests would throw shoes at both the bride and groom, simply for luck. The old Victorian rhyme ending with ‘
...Something blue and a Silver Sixpence in her shoe’ was to bring the couple wealth in their married life, and finally in the present day shoes are tied to the back of the couple’s car as they leave for their honeymoon. The other connecting theme through all the superstitions is of course to project good luck, protection and fertility towards the new bride and groom.
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