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History of Weddings

History of Weddings. Customs and Traditions. Historical Forms of Marraige. Marriage by Capture. The bride is captured by the groom or his tribe/clan May be as a result of war. Marriage by Purchase. Groom (or his family) pays the bride’s family a price to acquire her = “brideprice” Or

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History of Weddings

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  1. History of Weddings Customs and Traditions

  2. Historical Forms of Marraige

  3. Marriage by Capture • The bride is captured by the groom or his tribe/clan • May be as a result of war

  4. Marriage by Purchase • Groom (or his family) pays the bride’s family a price to acquire her = “brideprice” Or • The Bride’s family pays the groom or his family to marry their daughter = “dowry” • In either situation the money is generally for the use of the women to support her if her husband dies

  5. Marriage for Choice • The Bride and Groom choose one another freely • Marriage for choice does not necessarily imply that the marriage is for love

  6. Historical Antecedents Where Does the Christian Wedding Ceremony Originate?

  7. Christian wedding customs draw heavily from the traditions of ancient Israel and ancient Rome

  8. Ancient Jewish Weddings • The Bride was the center of the ceremony • Jewish weddings took place in the home of the Bride

  9. Betrothal: • Arranged by the fathers who also settled the amount of the dowry • Ketubah agreed upon and signed – at this point the couple was legally married but did not live together • Usually the betrothal period lasted for a year

  10. The Wedding: • Groom and his friends processed from his house to the home of the bride • Bride was then escorted by her parents and bridesmaids to the groom’s house • The bride and groom sponsored a large feast for family and friends – this could last for several days Wedding at Cana John August Swannson

  11. Ancient Roman Weddings • Arranged by fathers of bride and groom • Betrothal – a promise to marry made before relatives and friends. The bride received a ring as part of the ceremony Ancient Roman wedding ring

  12. Before the wedding ceremony, the bride offered her toys at an altar to the family gods • Brides wore a white dress with a red or orange veil crowned with flowers

  13. Bride was presented to the groom by her matron of honor • Priests offered a sacrifice to ascertain if the marriage would be happy and fertile • Wedding contract was read aloud • Bride’s family hosted wedding party • Bride and groom were escorted to groom’s house

  14. Early Christian Weddings • Followed the Roman practice but omitted customs not compatible with Christian moral teachings • Forbade divorce • Couple was usually blessed by their parish priest on the Sunday following the ceremony – origin of the Nuptial Blessing

  15. Weddings in the Early Middle Ages • After Fall of Roman Empire, the Christian Church began to register marriages in parish books • Became more common for the wedding ceremony to take place at the parish church rather than at home

  16. Religious symbols began to have a larger role in weddings • The priest became the official witness that the marriage had taken place – but the sacrament was performed by the couple • A couple could exchange vows privately without any witnesses • The wedding ceremony was always followed by a banquet

  17. Weddings in the Late Middle Ages • Marriage was a legal affair which united two families • The custom began of the parents “giving the daughter away” as part of the Church ceremony • A dowry was important • There were no special wedding clothes – but white was not worn by brides • Brides never wore veils – they wore their hair loose with perhaps a wreath of flowers over it • The exchange of vows took place on the church porch, followed by Mass inside the church

  18. Gifts • The bride provided a dowry • She also provided the linens and other essentials for the home • The groom provided the home • It was a tradition for the groom to offer the bride a gift on the morning after the wedding – usually a piece of valuable jewelry

  19. Renaissance Botticelli’s Wedding Banquet

  20. Protestant Reformation • The Reformers did not consider marriage to be a sacrament • In response, the Council of Trent emphasized the sacramental aspect of marriage and its indissolubility Wedding of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora

  21. Post-Tridentine Catholicism • For a marriage to be valid, the exchange of vows must occur before a priest and two witnesses • Catholics and Protestants marrying one another cannot get married in a church ceremony

  22. The Origin of Wedding Customs

  23. The Engagement Period • Originally an engagement lasted between 9 and 12 months • This as to insure that the bride was not pregnant by someone other than the groom

  24. Engagement Rings • Medieval – to show the woman now “belongs” to the man • 860 AD Pope Nicholas I decreed that the engagement ring must be part of the betrothal process. The ring should be valuable enough to signify the serious intention of the groom to go through with this marriage.

  25. Diamond Engagement Rings • Ancient Romans believed that diamonds were sacred to Venus, the goddess of love • The first known diamond engagement ring was given to Mary, Duchess of Burgundy by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in the 16th century

  26. Wedding Rings • Originated in ancient Egypt as a symbol that marriage is forever • Romans originally used rings made of iron; switched to gold or silver in 3rd century AD • The custom of placing the ring on the fourth finger of the right hand is ancient – there was a belief that a vein went from that finger directly to the heart • This is not a universal custom – many Europeans place the ring on the right hand, as do members of the Orthodox Church

  27. Bridal Shower • In the Middle Ages, the bride was expected to provide household linens and other goods when she married – prior to her wedding her friends would gather to help her complete the sewing of these • By the 1800’s it was a custom to have a party for brides where her friends gifted her with the things she needed to provide for her home • A tradition says that the term “shower” came from a party where the bride’s friends put gifts into an umbrella then opened it over the bride so that the gifts “showered” down onto her

  28. Bachelor Party • Originated in ancient Sparta where men lived in barracks with their comrades • On the night before his wedding, his friends gave him a party to wish him good luck • It gave the groom one last opportunity to be with his friends and swear them continued allegiance

  29. White Wedding Dress • Ancient Greeks brides wore white – as did all members of the wedding party. White symbolized joy. • Roman brides wore white • Throughout the Middle Ages, brides wore any color they wished, although wedding clothes for both the bride and groom often were banded in blue which symbolized loyalty

  30. Anne of Brittany (1499) was the first bride since ancient times to wear a white dress – but the custom did not catch on • Queen Victoria of England wore a white dress for her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 – this set a trend and white dresses became popular from this time on Queen Victoria Wedding Portrait

  31. Wedding Veil • Roman brides wore a red, orange or yellow veil which was believed to chase away evil spirits who were attracted to weddings • Ancient Jewish brides wore a veil to symbolize the purity and modesty of the bride and that no man other than her new husband had the right to see her face • In many ancient cultures, married women always were veiled in public – wearing a veil was symbolic of being married

  32. In the Middle ages, brides wore their hair loose at their weddings without any covering as a symbol of their virginity • The wedding veil became popular in the 19th century • According to legend, George Washington’s grand-daughter Nellie Custis was the first to wear a lace veil at her wedding to Lawrence Lewis Eleanor Custis Lewis

  33. Weddings on Saturday • Early Christians married on Sunday • English Puritans believed it was inappropriate to marry on Sunday, because it was the Lord’s Day • Most Puritan weddings took place on Saturday – and this custom became widespread in the United States

  34. Giving the Bride Away • Through the 18th century this was symbolic of the woman’s change of ownership – from her father to her husband • In some cultures and religions both the bride and groom are escorted to the altar by their parents – symbolic of their beginning a new family

  35. The Bride Standing on the Groom’s Left • From when marriages were commonly by capture or in the Middle Ages when someone else might try to capture an heiress before her wedding • It enabled a right-handed groom to easily reach his sword if anyone objected to the wedding

  36. Bridesmaids • In ancient Rome, a bride had 10 of her friends who dressed similar to her to confuse evil spirits • In Middle Ages they helped the bride at the wedding • In Britain, the bridesmaids are young girls – usually relatives of the bride English bridesmaids

  37. Flowers • Brides have carried flowers in almost all cultures and time periods • Sometimes the flowers have symbolic meanings • The groom’s boutonniere is a carry-over from the Medieval practice of a knight wearing his lady’s colors to display his love for her

  38. Throwing the Bouquet and Garter • In ancient Rome, anything touched by the bride on her wedding day was considered to be lucky • The custom of throwing a garter (Medieval women had several – they held her stockings up) was to keep the men from tearing them off because they were considered good luck!

  39. The Wedding Cake • In Ancient Roman wedding ceremonies the bride and groom shared a wheat cake that had been blessed by the priests – this was to insure fertility • In the Middle Ages guests brought small cakes to the wedding and piled them on a table – the bride and groom were urged to reach across the cakes to kiss one another • In England, wedding cakes are traditionally fruitcakes – the nuts and dried fruits symbolize fertility • Cutting the wedding cake together symbolizes the shared future of the newly married couple

  40. Typical Medieval Wedding Cake

  41. Throwing Rice or Flower Petals • Symbolizes fertility • What is thrown varies by culture: • Rice = China • Wheat = northern Europe • Hard candy – Italy • Nuts – Eastern Europe

  42. Carrying the Bride over the Threshold • Ancient = remnant of a time when many brides were captured • Europe – unlucky if the bride stumbled the first time she entered her new home

  43. The Honeymoon • In the Middle Ages, the bride and groom often did not know one another well before their marriage, so this was a chance to get to know one anohter • Since Biblical times, a newly married couple were given time away from societal obligations (mostly military for the man) to begin a new family

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