The Bizarre But True Origins Of Wedding Traditions
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the origins of various wedding traditions, revealing their often surprising and sometimes dark roots. From bridesmaids as decoys for evil spirits to the best man's role in protecting the bride from kidnapping, it uncovers the historical context behind practices like white wedding dresses, bridal bouquets, veils, and the honeymoon. The discussion also touches on the symbolism of wedding rings and the tradition of the father giving away the bride, concluding with a humorous reflection on which customs to keep and the possibility of starting new, more personal wedding trends.
Takeaways
- 👰 Origin of Bridesmaids: Bridesmaids originally dressed similarly to the bride to confuse exes or evil spirits and to act as decoys for safety during travel to the groom's town.
- 🤵 Role of Groomsmen: Groomsmen were the strongest and most skilled friends who helped the groom in combat against anyone opposing the bride's kidnapping.
- 👰🏻 White Wedding Dresses: Initially, white dresses were a symbol of wealth, as they were difficult to maintain clean before the advent of modern washing techniques, popularized by Queen Victoria in 1840.
- 💐 Bouquet Tradition: Ancient Greek brides used wreaths of mint and marigold for their aphrodisiac properties and to ward off evil spirits.
- 👰 Bridal Veil: Stemming from arranged marriages, the veil was used to hide the bride's identity from the groom and to protect against evil spirits.
- 🍾 Honeymoon Origins: The honeymoon period was when the husband hid to prevent the bride's tribe from rescuing her after a marriage by kidnapping.
- 💍 Wedding Rings: Historically, the bride's ring was a symbol of ownership, and the exchange of rings evolved with the advancement of women's rights.
- 🤲 Vein of Love Myth: The belief that the fourth finger has a vein leading directly to the heart ('Vena Amoris') is a myth, but the symbolism remains.
- 👨👧👦 Father Giving Away the Bride: Symbolized the transfer of the bride's property from her father to her husband, reflecting the bride as property.
- 💏 First Kiss Tradition: Initially, a holy kiss of peace was given by the priest to the groom, who then passed it to the bride, continuing a tradition of communal kissing.
- 🏵 Rethinking Traditions: The script suggests that modern couples may choose to forgo or adapt traditions based on their personal beliefs and values.
Q & A
Why were bridesmaids originally dressed similarly to the bride?
-Bridesmaids dressed similarly to the bride in order to confuse exes or evil spirits, acting as decoys to keep the bride safe.
What was the role of bridesmaids in the Roman Empire?
-In the Roman Empire, bridesmaids accompanied the bride if she had to travel to the groom's town or village, providing safety from potential attacks by robbers or kidnappers.
What is the historical purpose of the best man in a wedding?
-The best man was traditionally the strongest and most skilled in fighting, tasked with helping the groom combat anyone who opposed the bride being kidnapped.
Why did the tradition of the best man standing next to the groom during the ceremony originate?
-The best man stood next to the groom to ensure that the bride did not run away, ready to grab her if she tried to escape.
What was the original reason for wearing white wedding dresses?
-White wedding dresses were a symbol of ostentation and wealth, as only the very wealthy could afford the labor-intensive process of keeping white garments immaculate.
Why did Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress become a trend?
-Queen Victoria's choice to wear white was initially unconventional, but it was seen as a display of wealth and was subsequently emulated, setting a trend that has lasted for over 290 years.
What was the significance of the bridal bouquet in ancient Greek weddings?
-Ancient Greek brides wore wreaths of mint and marigold as an aphrodisiac and used clusters of herbs to ward off evil spirits.
What is the origin of the bridal veil?
-The bridal veil originated from the tradition of arranged marriages, where it was used to hide the bride's identity from the groom until the wedding ceremony.
What is the historical background of the honeymoon?
-The honeymoon dates back to a time when marriages were created by kidnapping, and the husband had to hide for about a month to prevent the woman's tribe from rescuing her.
What is the historical meaning of wedding rings and the significance of the fourth finger?
-Wedding rings were a symbol of ownership. The fourth finger was chosen because of the mistaken belief in a vein, the 'vena amoris,' that led directly to the heart.
Why did the tradition of the father giving away the bride begin?
-The tradition symbolized the transfer of ownership of the bride's property from her father to her new husband, reflecting the bride's status as property in the past.
What was the original custom for the first kiss at a wedding?
-The first kiss was originally a holy kiss of peace given by a priest to the groom, who then passed it to the bride, and the clergyman would continue to kiss all the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Outlines
👰 Origins of Wedding Traditions
This paragraph delves into the historical origins of various wedding customs. It explains that bridesmaids originally dressed similarly to the bride to confuse potential attackers or evil spirits. Groomsmen were the strongest friends, ready to help the groom in case of a bride kidnapping. White wedding dresses became popular after Queen Victoria's 1840 wedding, symbolizing wealth due to the difficulty of maintaining white garments. The bride's bouquet and veil were used in ancient times to ward off evil spirits, while the honeymoon's roots are traced back to post-kidnapping hiding periods. Wedding rings symbolized ownership, with the fourth finger chosen for its supposed 'vein of love' leading to the heart, and the tradition of the father giving away the bride represented the transfer of the bride's property rights. The first kiss was a holy kiss of peace passed from the priest to the couple and wedding party.
🤔 Reevaluating Traditional Wedding Customs
In this paragraph, the speaker contemplates the relevance of traditional wedding customs in the modern context. After learning about the origins of certain practices, they express a desire to maintain only those that offer protection from evil spirits. However, they also consider the idea of discarding most traditions as they seem outdated. The speaker acknowledges the influence of Queen Victoria in popularizing white wedding dresses and suggests the possibility of starting new trends, such as wearing a jumpsuit or a red dress. There's also a humorous mention of having a 'best dog' instead of a best man, indicating a playful approach to wedding roles and rituals.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Bridesmaids
💡Groomsmen
💡White Wedding Dress
💡Bouquet
💡Bridal Veil
💡Honeymoon
💡Wedding Rings
💡Vena Amoris
💡Father Giving Away the Bride
💡First Kiss
💡Evil Spirits
Highlights
Bridesmaids originally dressed similarly to the bride to confuse exes or evil spirits.
In Roman Empire, bridesmaids accompanied the bride for safety during travel to the groom's town.
Groomsmen were the strongest friends, tasked with helping the groom in case of bride kidnapping.
The best man stands by the groom to prevent the bride from running away during the ceremony.
White wedding dresses became popular after Queen Victoria's 1840 wedding, symbolizing wealth.
Before Queen Victoria, red was the common color for wedding dresses.
Ancient Greek brides wore wreaths of mint and marigold as an aphrodisiac and to ward off evil spirits.
The bridal veil in arranged marriages was used to hide the bride's identity from the groom.
Honeymoon origins are linked to the husband hiding after kidnapping the bride to avoid her tribe's rescue attempts.
Wedding rings symbolized ownership, with the bride's ring indicating the husband's claim.
The fourth finger was chosen for wedding rings due to the mistaken belief of a vein leading directly to the heart.
The father giving away the bride symbolized the transfer of the bride's property to the husband.
The first kiss was originally a holy kiss of peace passed from the priest to the groom and then to the bride.
The custom of kissing involved the clergyman kissing all the bridesmaids and groomsmen after the bride and groom.
The discussion suggests reevaluating wedding traditions in light of their historical origins.
The speaker considers starting their own trend by not following all traditional wedding customs.
A humorous suggestion is made to have a 'best dog' instead of a best man at the wedding.
Transcripts
so I'm currently balls-deep and wedding
planning I just got engaged a few months
ago and yes my dog was the videographer
of the engagement so now we're trying to
decide which wedding traditions we want
to include in our ceremony so I decided
to do a little research and now I'm just
gonna go let him know what I learned
yeah do you know the origin of
bridesmaids I do not it turns out
bridesmaids were originally told to
dress similarly to the bride in order to
confuse exes or evil spirits Wow really
taking a bullet for your best friend Lee
so in the Roman Empire bridesmaids would
accompany a bride if she had to travel
to another town or village where the
groom lived and this larger party was
thought to keep the bride safe from
attacks by robbers or kidnappers if
bridesmaids are just basically decoys
for evil spirits or kidnappers then what
are groomsmen what do you think the best
man's about do you know origin on the
best man already that's right okay good
the best man actually is the biggest and
strongest friend in some cultures men
would kidnap or steal their bride you
were the best man if you were the
strongest and you were the most skilled
in fighting you were supposed to help
the groom combat anyone who opposed the
bride being kidnapped the best man
actually stands next to the groom during
the ceremony to make sure that the bride
doesn't run away cuz if the bride tries
to run away that best man he's gonna
grab her she can't run what a swell guy
do you know the origin of white wedding
dresses I thought it was some kind of
symbol of purity the wedding dress was
actually meant just to be ostentatious
and to show off wealth in 18th and 19th
century washing was done painstakingly
by hand so to have an immaculate white
dress that was only for the very wealthy
red actually was the common color of
wedding dresses before Queen Victoria so
Queen Victoria got married in 1840 and
before her
well did not wear white to their
weddings she wanted to wear white nobody
thought it was a good idea she did it
anyway every was like oh my god that's
so cool it makes you look so wealthy and
now everyone's done it for the past 290
years
hey Mike why do you think Brides always
carry a bouquet of flowers down the
aisle they're pretty in there good luck
or something Oh some ancient Greek
Brides would wear wreaths of mint and
marigold that were meant to serve as an
aphrodisiac Brides would also use
clusters of herbs to ward off evil so
there you go again with the evil people
back in the day we're very afraid of
evil spirits and they did not want them
at their weddings the bridal veil what
do you think that's about yeah like if
the husband saw the bride's face before
the veil was there like you it turned
his stone on his wedding day or
something actually comes from the
tradition of arranged marriages in some
cultures the veil was meant to hide the
identity of the bride from their groom
in Greece the veil was typically yelling
in Rome it was usually red they were
both meant to represent fire and also
fend off those evil spirits hey Lucy
what do you think the origin of the
honeymoon is interesting actually the
honeymoon also is very creepy origins
and some say it dates back to when
marriages were created by kidnapping oh
my god there's so much stuff about evil
spirits and kidnapping in this so the
husband used to have to hide for about a
month after the kidnapping to prevent
the woman's tribe from rescuing her so
her family you know after a month they
basically just like gave up looking Mike
what about the origin of wedding rings
what do you think it was probably some
kind of like symbol of ownership it was
it was some of ownership historically
the bride's ring was meant to signify
ownership so the development of the
bride and groom exchanging rings was a
result of the advancement of women's
rights not only do they own us but we
own them the significance of the fourth
finger is because it was believed to
have a particular vein that led to the
heart so in Latin was called the vena
amoris
which means vein of love that was
incorrect there is
a vein in that finger that leads to your
heart but it's all about the symbolism
isn't it folks what about the father
giving away the bride
apparently she was property so yep so
the father giving away the bride
symbolized the transfer of ownership of
the bride's property from her father to
her new husband's what is the origin of
the first kiss first kiss I mean I think
the first kiss was just pretty
significant just like we're people not
supposed to be hooking up before the
wedding
Beca no that's not at all it was once
custom for a priest to give a holy kiss
of peace to the groom and then the groom
would pass the kiss onto the bride and
then the clergyman would kiss all the
bridesmaids and the groomsmen so like
everyone just was kissing we're all
passing kisses around obviously mano
wasn't a thing back then do you think we
should do that it was certainly shock
our family which wedding traditions do
you want to keep now that you know I'll
be originated I want to keep all the
ones that protect us from evil spirits I
don't want any evil at my wedding but
really I feel like I don't want to do
most of them now I don't know they all
just seem very antiquated you don't have
to do them if you don't want to like
Queen Victoria everybody at the time was
like oh my god but now everyone copies
her so start your own trend and wear a
jumpsuit or wear a red dress like
literally the rest of the world but what
about when they're all my family's
traditions
okay I don't think that's true should we
have a best man or a best dog okay we're
gonna we're gonna okay I promise
Hey
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