pagesThe History of Marriage, Part 3
Here is the next installment of The History of Marriage. Last month we discussed the father of the bride, old shoes, wedding superstitions, the engagement ring and “the other half”. This month we will talk about things closer to the actual wedding date.
Unlike other wedding traditions, the bridal shower did not originate in ancient times. It originated in Holland from a story about a miller’s daughter who wanted to get married and her father refused to allow the marriage and would not provide her with a proper dowry. The miller’s friends learned of this and showered his daughter with gifts so that she would be able to marry without the traditional dowry. Some years later in England, a woman, who had heard the story about the miller’s daughter, wanted to give a young bride-to-be a gift and thought the gift was too small. She contacted her friends and suggested that they all give their gifts at the same time to the young bride-to-be. It was so successful that when others heard of it, bridal showers began to be held everywhere. They are still held today.
The bachelor dinner, or more commonly known as, “bachelor party” started in Sparta with the Spartans in ancient Greece. At that time, it was called the “men’s mess”. As you all know, the bachelor party is given in modern times. However, with the rise of women’s rights there is now a “bachelorette party” as well. As the saying goes, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
Just curious, is the bachelor party the reason why they actually invented life insurance? It seems a whole lot of grooms and brides start looking for whole life insurance quotes right after the wedding.
The all-important trousseau has its historical roots in France. The French word “trousseau” means little bundle. That is because when a bride went to her new home with her new husband she had her clothes and other small possessions in a small bundle. Later, when the dowry became standard, the name stuck. You could consider the wedding shower gifts to be a bride-to-be’s modern-day version of the trousseau.
The wedding cake has its historical roots in ancient Rome. In Rome, a loaf of wheat bread would be broken over a brides head to symbolize the hope for a fertile and fulfilling life. Then the guests will pick up the crumbs and eat them because they believed they would bestow good luck on them. In the Middle Ages, England picked up the tradition. The English would bring small cakes and put them in a pile. Later the bride and groom would stand over them and kiss. The traditional white cake is a modern version of the grain cake that the English used. The cake is symbolically special food that everybody eats from. It is a sign of coming together and wishing the new couple luck. It is one of man’s oldest rituals when the bride and groom slice the cake and offer it to each other. In modern times, it has become traditional for the top layer of the wedding cake to be kept frozen until the first anniversary.
There is one tradition that should be held after the wedding and honeymoon. That is a search for the best term life insurance quotes they can get. It is something that every couple should consider. Especially if there are going to start a family they need to research universal life insurance quotes. If something happens to either one of them, the insurance will help alleviate any financial problems.
The History of Marriage, Part 1