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| Sunday, 30 June 2002 |
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June is the month of weddings. And as bridal splendour captures the attention of every aspiring bride preparing to take that great meaningful step which will transfer her from Miss to Mrs, from single to one-half of a twosome, and have her viewing life from an `us' oriented perspective, we veer from the familiar track of modern weddings and go back to time.. To the age of knights and chivalry and Troubadours and fancy castles. To a time of courtly love and blue garters and and discover the romance of medieval weddings, a forerunner to many of our present day customs. Weddings
Weddings during medieval times saw the origin of several modern traditions and customs. There was more to the Middle Ages than just castles, chivalry, and fancy colours. It was a time of development for many social and marriage customs followed by brides today. This era between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Reformation was unique and through it all, faith was the ever-present catalyst for artistic, intellectual, social, and political developments. Medieval marriage was still the province of the Church, and the sacrament of matrimony was central to Christian doctrine. Grooms Grooms, on the average, were much older than their brides. Noble women sometimes didn't marry until the age of 24, but this was rare. More than 3/4 were married before they reached 19. By today's standards, western Europe was inhabited by the young, with more than half of the population under 20 years of age. The Wedding Dress White wedding dresses were not in vogue during the Middle Ages-blue was the traditional symbol of purity. Often a band of blue ribbon would be worn by the bride and groom, this is where we get the part of the traditional rhyme where the bride should wear "something blue". Bridal dresses could have been any colour. Bridal Wardrobe Garters became one of the most important parts of a medieval bride's wardrobe. Wedding guests would follow the couple back to their room, and try to grab the garter for good luck. Before the garter, overzealous guests would try and grab any part of the bride's clothing. Medieval tradition held that a man who gave his love the garter of a bride would be guaranteed faithfulness Wedding Flowers Returning Crusaders brought back a Saracen tradition of weaving orange blossoms into a crown wreath. These blossoms were very expensive and only nobles could afford them. Each flower had a particular meaning, and there were some Renaissance traditions of carrying a small bouquet of herbs for luck and fertility. Symbolic Jewellery
Precious stones held deep meanings for people during the Middle Ages. Wearing one or more of these stones let others know of personal characteristics, hopes and beliefs. Some of the medieval meanings of precious stones include: Chrysoprase: Virtue Medieval Beauty Every part of a woman's face would be painted with some type of cosmetic, and many women during the Middle Ages would sun-bleach their hair. Medieval fashion prompted young women to pluck their hairline giving them a higher forehead. A wedding might be the one time a woman would wear her hair loose. Others would weave flowers into their hair to make a floral crown. Bathing and Perfume Medieval society actually liked to bathe. Hot baths were very popular and most towns as late as the mid-1200s had public bathhouses. But as forests were depleted, firewood became expensive and the rising costs of heating the water forced most of the bathhouses to close. Some tried burning coal to heat water, but the fumes proved to be unhealthy. By the mid-1300s, only the very wealthy could afford firewood for hot water in the winter. The rest of the population was forced to be dirty most of the time. Perfumes made from the oils of flowers combined with spices were very popular during the Middle Ages as trade between countries improved. Perfume became an easy, quick fix for those who could not bathe. Wedding Cake The wedding cake has its origins in a Roman wedding tradition of breaking a small loaf of bread over the bride's head for fertility. But today's tiered wedding cake has its origins in the Middle Ages. Guests would often bring small cakes that would be stacked on top of each other. The bride and groom would try and kiss over the top of the cakes without toppling them for luck and prosperity. In time, this wedding tradition would evolve and the cakes would all be covered with the same icing. Medieval Wedding Gifts In medieval times, at least three wedding gifts were exchanged. The bride's family was responsible for the daughter's dowry, in effect, purchasing a groom for her. The groom's family was responsible for providing the couple with a suitable home and income. The third gift would be given to the priest who performed the ceremony, or who blessed the marriage later on. Traditional wedding gifts also included small, valuable pieces of furniture which the groom might offer to the bride the morning after the marriage was consummated. This "morning gift," or thank-offering was given to compensate the bride for the loss of her virginity. Knights and Chivalry Knights going into battle for the pure love of a woman-that's one of the enduring images of the medieval era. Chivalric orders first appeared with military activities against non-Christian states. During the Middle Ages, Europeans aggressively sought to expand their areas of control. The Crusades were fought for a variety of motives, but they were, for the most part, wars over religion. The Catholic Church sought to harness both the knight's energy and martial skills-and found a role for him in the church's structure of society as protector. Rules were formulated under which a "just war" could be fought and enlisted the knights to fight for them in the Crusades. Romance, Love and Chivalry "Courtly love" began to emerge during the 1100s starting in southern France. This was a code of behaviour made popular through Romance literature, defined then as any prose written in one of the Romance languages. This term later evolved to include any tales of knights, chivalry and courtly love. Troubadours originally told these stories as they went from village to village, and later they were written down by court scribes, musicians, clerics and aristocrats. They were first used for edification of the noble classes but found popularity among the masses. Romantic poetry and prose emphasised the ennobling power of love, the concept of "passionate," or inextinguishable love, and the elevation of the beloved woman to a superior position over her male suitor. This was a dramatic change in the cultural attitude toward noble women, though common women were still viewed mostly as property during the Middle Ages. |
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