Wedding Superstitions
What Wedding Superstitions Do You Have?
Of course we're much too far advanced in our thinking to take stock in wedding superstitions, although wedding traditions are another matter. There are certain traditions that most of us are more comfortable in following when planning or participating in a wedding ceremony, and for that matter, the reception.
Never mind that most of the traditions we hold so dear have their roots in superstition. If there is one thing we do tend to be superstitions about, it's breaking certain wedding superstitions. That's considered bad luck.
As one might expect, most wedding superstitions go back a long ways, many of them back to the time of the Roman Empire, and still others can be traced back to ancient Egypt or other parts of the ancient world.
Why June? - Consider the tradition of having weddings in June. June certainly isn't a bad time of the year. It's spring, a time for new growth and renewal, and a time when the flowers are in bloom. No superstition there. Why not May then? In medieval Europe many of the commoners took their annual bath in the spring. If you're going to get married, it's nice to smell good or at least have your partner smelling good. And, if the ceremony is going to be in a church, it's a plus when most of the guests have bathed in the last month or so, and not 10 months ago. May or June would seem to be an ideal time. The problem is, May is "unlucky". May might not seem too unlucky to you and me, but to the Romans, May was associated with the annual "Feast of the Dead", and therefore considered very poor timing for a wedding. April was all right, but June gradually became the favored month. Most other months are good as well, though July has its shortcomings.
Blind, Pregnant Nuns - When a man is on his way to propose to his bride-to-be, it is considered unlucky if he meets a pregnant woman, a blind person, or a nun on his way. One can only imagine how disastrous the marriage will be if he were to meet a blind, pregnant nun. If however, the groom meets a wolf or a goat on his way to the church, things should tend to even out, as that is considered good fortune. It helps if the sun is shining too. Similarly if the bride meets a dove, a lamb, or a frog on her way to the church, it means a happy marriage. In 21st century America, it's hard to visualize any of these things happening.
Those Evil Spirits - As far as what the bride wears to her wedding, there's a mix of wedding traditions and wedding superstitions. Up through the 19th century most brides simply wore their best dress on their wedding day. Queen Victoria changed all that, with the idea that dressing in all white would be nicer. The Japanese actually were there first, with brides having traditionally worn white for centuries. Most of us have always considered the veil as being somewhat symbolic, and having something to do with the groom not seeing the bride until the moment they are pronounced man and wife. Many still consider it bad luck for the groom to see the bride on their wedding day before the ceremony. The tradition of the bridal veil however goes back to Roman times, and the groom had nothing to do with it. The purpose of the veil was to keep evil spirits away from the bride.
Speaking of evil spirits, here's another of the wedding superstitions. Why do people tie tin cans to the back of the newly married couple's car, and drive after them honking their horns? If you thought it was just a means of celebrating, you're wrong. For centuries, loud noises following the ceremony have been employed to keep evil spirits away from the newlyweds. If you tie cans to the rear bumper of their getaway car, you're doing a good thing.