History of Weddings Origin of the Word The word, "Wedding" comes from the root term meaning “gamble” or “wager”. The word Anglo-Saxon word "wedd" meant a man would vow to marry a woman and give money to the Bride's father.
Weddings in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt it seems that young men had the liberty to choose their own brides. Getting married and having children was considered a very important issue although the ceremony was very simple and had no official or religious value. In many cases, however, a written agreement was made. The bride's father usually gave a dowry to the groom who bought gifts for the bride and her family before the wedding day. Polygamy was very unusual even if it is known that pharaons had very conspicuous harems.
Sumer, Assyrian and Babylonian Weddings For these populations weddings were mainly political events and were basically contracts between two families for military, political and economical reasons.
Weddings in Ancient Greece Weddings were not so different in ancient Greece. The reasons for a women and man to marry were always social and economic. It seems that the tradition of holding the bride in the groom’s arms while entering the main door of their new home is an ancient Greek tradition. It was a symbol of misfortune if the bride slipped on the floor while entering through the door so this is why the man held the woman in his arms. This tradition was also adopted by the Romans.
Celtic Weddings In Celtic clans the role of women was very strong. Women could be queens and conduct the army battles. They could also choose who to marry. Weddings were considered a free union between two free individuals. There were two types of marriages: temporary or definite. On the first of August the Celtic populations celebrated temporary weddings. On the first of May these weddings could be confirmed or transformed into definite ones. The ceremonies took place in the woods, near water sources which were considered sacred. A religious official would celebrate the wedding ceremony which would begin 7 days before with a series of purification acts referring to the four elements: water, fire, earth and wind. In the same period, they would start to braid a cord with red and white yarns which symbolized the two parts: man and woman. The day before the actual ceremony, offers where made to neutralize subtle energies which were considered negative. The couple would also choose a stone for the wedding day which would have to be washed and purified. This stone was supposed to protect the energy of their families and was passed on to future generations. During the wedding ceremony the bride and groom’s hands were tied together with an embroidered cloth. They would then drink honey-mead and light a candle which would represent their future life as a couple. The ceremony would end with a great feast with banquets, music and dancing.
Weddings in Ancient Rome The Romans were the first to establish weddings as a juridical institution. In ancient Rome weddings were performed with ritual formulas which were not always legally binding. Only weddings between Roman citizens had legal validity. The wedding agreement was actually made between the two families. After that, the groom would give his future wife a loaf of bread and a ring – in iron or in a precious metal, according to the financial possibilities of the groom- on which an image of two hands holding each other was engraved. The wedding actually occurred only after a few years. The ceremony was held in front of witnesses and occasionally could be blessed by a religious authority. The bride would pass from her father’s authority to her husband’s one pronouncing the formula “Ubi ti Gaius, ego Gaia” In later years, the formula evolved and became an expression of free will to get married. Roman weddings were always monogamous but divorce was admitted; Caesar, for example, got married 4 times. On the wedding day the bride dressed in white and wore an orange colour veil with a crown made of pretty flowers.
Wedding in Medieval Ages After the Roman Empire dissolved wedding took two different directions. On one side the growing strength of Christianity in western countries restricted the wedding ceremonies. Whilst other relationships outside the wedding were tolerated in ancient Rome and were possible also according to the Germanic rites this practice was condemned by the Christian authorities. The formal Christian Wedding was celebrated at the bride's home and was blessed by a priest. It consisted of a formal promise, written and signed by both parties. On the other side, the end of the Roman Empire left space for abuses and many types of informal weddings. Kidnapping, secret weddings, divorces, polygamous relationships were just some of the common practices. In 1215 the Church formally ruled wedding ceremonies. Weddings were declared sacred acts finalized to procreation. Divorces were no longer admitted and it was compulsory to make public all weddings to avoid polygamy or secret relationships. The ceremony had to take place only if there was free consensus between the parts. These rules, with slight modifications, are still used nowadays in Catholic practices.
Weddings in Modern Age The birth of Protestant religions determined many different wedding rites. The countries adhering to Protestant reform imposed the registration of weddings in a public registry. In some cases, weddings lost their sacred proprieties and therefore divorce was admitted. It was in these times that the modern civil wedding had birth. After the Trentum Concilium in 1563, the countries that remained faithful to the Catholic rite imposed the registration of weddings in the local parish registry. Weddings had to be celebrated by a priest and in front of witnesses. It was not allowed for the bride and grooms to live together before the celebration of the Catholic rite. It was only after the French revolution in 1792 that Catholic countries introduced civil weddings and divorce practices. Civil weddings in modern form were introduced in Germany in 1875 where a distinct separation between state and church was introduced. Civil weddings had to be performed in front of public authority whilst the religious wedding became a simple private ceremony with no official validity. In Italy, civil weddings were re-introduced in 1865. In 1929 it was formerly approved that both civil weddings and catholic weddings were legally binding.
Mary Chambers is a professional Wedding Planner in Italy. For more information on Wedding curiosities visit Exclusive Weddings
