I have recently seen a tv programme about wedding facts and I want to share some  of them with you. 

 

Marriages, as many people will know, have to follow very strict rules in many countries or cultures in order not to break the traditions. 

In the Uk all the traditions affect the bride. Each of them, on their special day, have to wear something blue, something borrowed, something old and something new. This strange custom started around the ‘800 and since then it never ended. Now, the question is: What do any of the previous things mean?  

First of all let’s talk about “something blue”: it’s mostly a symbol of fidelity, purity and, of course, a lifelong love. This object could be a blue string, hair clip or even blue flowers! And it could also be something bought or given by someone else. 

“Something old”: this represents an old life that’s coming to an end and a new one that is about to start. This symbol is usually taken from a family member to carry on the tradition and to bring along a piece of home. 

“Something borrowed”: the bride has to wear something that belongs to a friend, family member or someone close to her. This is usually a necklace or a bracelet and it needs to be given back to the owner because it’s something very important to them that brings luck and joy to the newly wed couple. 

Finally, it’s traditional that the bride wears “something new” that symbolizes a fresh start in life and together. 

 

In many societies the bride choose  to wear a white dress. Do you know why?  Because the colour white has been associated with purity and virtues. 

Brides traditionally wear veils because ancient Greeks and Romans believed they protected her from evil spirit. 

Another curiosity is  the tradition of matching maids. It dates back to Roman times, when people believed evil spirits would attend the wedding in an attempt to curse the bride and groom (how rude). Bridesmaids were required to dress exactly like the bride in order to confuse the spirits and bring luck to the marriage. 

As usual wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand  because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart. 

The tradition of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where guests broke a loaf of bread over the bride’s head for fertility’s sake. 

Do you know why the bride stands to the groom’s left during a Christian cerimony? Because once upon a time the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.  

 Some other cultures the bride and groom have a certain amount of time before the wedding to get to know each other but they’re never alone before the big day, in fact they have to be supervised at all times by a chaperon.  

Members of Malaysia and Indonesia’s Tidong people in Borneo observe a tradition that states the bride and groom must not leave their home or use the bathroom for three whole days after their wedding ceremony. They are kept under watchful guard and allowed only a small amount of food and drinks. 

Weddings are without a doubt some of the most intriguing events and each one of the types listed previously represents in some aspect the culture that they belong to and, at the end of the day, even if they are all different from one another, they all want to make sure that at the basis of every marriage there is love.