16 Wedding Traditions and Their Origins16種婚禮傳統及起源

Have you ever been a flower girl,a bridesmaid, or caught the bouquet1bouquet 花束。at a friend’s wedding? All of these customs are expected at modern weddings, but these wedding traditions actually date back to2date back to 追溯到。ancient times.Since the origin of marriage about 23,000 years ago, different cultures have created their own wedding customs.Many of these customs have stood the test of time3stand the test of time 經得起時間的考驗。and have evolved4evolve 逐步形成。into the wedding traditions we are familiar with today.

1. The Origin of Marriage

The origin of marriage dates back to 23,000 years ago when huntergatherers5hunter-gatherer 采獵者。became farmers, and gender roles around the household started to form. Males became responsible for gathering food, while females stayed at home to rear6rear 撫養。children. Thus, marriage soon became necessary as a way to ensure the survival of their offspring7offspring 后代。.

你當過女花童或伴娘嗎？你在朋友的婚禮上接到過捧花嗎？這些傳統習俗是現代婚禮常見的，而其淵源其實可追溯到古代?；橐銎鹪从诖蠹s23000年前，此后，不同的文化創造了各自的婚禮風俗。其中許多風俗經受住時間的考驗，逐漸發展成今日我們所熟悉的婚禮傳統。

1.婚姻的起源

婚姻的起源可以追溯到大約23000年前，那時，采獵者已演化為農人，家庭中的性別角色開始形成。男性負責采集食物，女性留在家里撫養孩子。因此，婚姻很快變得不可或缺，以此確保后代能存活下去。

2. Wedding Veil

This wedding tradition dates back to the origin of arranged marriages.Traditionally, the groom’s family would not allow him to see his bride until the wedding. This is because if he didn’t like her looks, there was a chance that he might not agree to marry her.Therefore, the veil was used to conceal8conceal掩蓋。the bride’s appearance up until the very moment in which they were to be married.

3. Cans Tied to the Bumper

The wedding tradition of tying cans to the bumper of the wedding car comes from the French custom of throwing a “charivari9charivari（在新婚者屋前敲鐵鍋、銅罐等的）逗鬧音樂?！?for the couple. The“charivari” was essentially a celebration that took place on a night before the wedding. Neighbors would walk down the streets and bang their pots and pans to make as much noise as possible throughout the village in order to scare away evil spirits. Since cans make noise when dragged behind a moving car,the classic “charivari” was adapted10adapt改裝。to simply tying cans to the wedding car bumper.

4. Wedding Cake

Since cakes represent fertility11fertility 富饒。,Ancient Romans would bake wheat cakes and break them over the bride’s head. Soon it became customary to stack1212 stack 放成整齊的一疊。these wheat cakes one on top of another, as tall as they could go. The bride and groom were challenged to kiss over the tower without knocking it over. If successful, they’d enjoy a lifetime of good fortune as a couple.

2. 新娘的面紗

這種婚禮傳統源于包辦婚姻。以前，新郎家里不讓他在婚禮前見到新娘。這么做是因為新郎若是不喜歡新娘的相貌，就有可能不同意娶她。因此，面紗用來蓋住新娘的臉，直到兩人成婚的那一刻。

3. 綁在保險杠上的罐頭盒

把罐頭盒綁在婚車的保險杠上這一婚禮傳統來源于法國對新婚夫婦惡作劇的“吵鬧游戲”?！俺臭[游戲”其實是婚禮前夜的一種慶?；顒印｀従幽弥佂肫芭?，沿街邊走邊敲打，在村子里動靜鬧得越大越好，這樣才能嚇走魔鬼。由于罐頭盒綁在行駛的車輛上能發出噪音，傳統的“吵鬧游戲”就被簡化成把罐頭盒綁在婚車的保險杠上。

4. 結婚蛋糕

糕餅代表富饒，所以古羅馬人烤完麥餅，并在新娘的頭頂上方把餅弄碎。很快有了這樣一個風俗，把麥餅一個疊著一個往上堆，堆得越高越好。新郎和新娘須接受挑戰在堆疊的糕餅上方接吻，且不能打翻餅堆。如果成功，就能一輩子幸福美滿。

5. Tie the Knot

During the Roman age, a common custom was to tie the bride and groom’s hands together during the ceremony. The couple could not be released until the marriage was official. This is a tradition that’s referred to as “handfasting”, and is a common practice amongst various cultures around the world.

6. Wedding Ring

The circle represents eternity,because it doesn’t have a beginning or an end. During ancient times, women would wear rings made of papyrus13papyrus 紙莎草。around their wrists and ankles. Romans then began to substitute the material with iron, which ultimately led to the use of gold to make the first betrothal14betrothal 訂婚。rings. The tradition of a diamond engagement ring was started by Archduke15Archduke大公，歐洲貴族頭銜。Maximilian of Austria when he proposed to Mary of Burgundy.Like circles, diamonds have long been considered as symbols of eternity because they are the hardest gems16gem 寶石。on earth. The placement of the ring on the fourth finger came from the Egyptians who believed that it was the finger that contained the vein17vein 靜脈。that connects to the heart.

5. 打結

古羅馬時期有個常見的風俗，婚禮上把新郎新娘的手綁在一起，直到正式成婚后才可解開此結。這一傳統被稱為“綁手禮”，在世界上多種文化中很常見。

6. 婚戒

圓圈代表永恒，因為它沒有起點，亦無終點。古時，女子在手腕和腳踝上戴紙莎草做的環狀飾品。后來古羅馬人開始用鐵做材料，最終人們用金子做出了第一枚訂婚戒指。用鉆戒訂婚的傳統始于奧地利大公馬克西米利安，他用鉆戒向勃艮第的瑪麗求婚。像圓圈一樣，鉆石一直以來被視作永恒的象征，因為它是地球上最堅硬的寶石。在無名指上戴戒指的風俗出自埃及人，他們認為無名指上有連著心臟的血脈。

7. Flower Girl

The age-old wedding tradition of a flower girl stems from18stem from 起源于。an Ancient Roman tradition where young virgins would carry sheaths of wheat, which was believed to bring on well-being and good fortune to the newlyweds. Over time the sheaths of wheat have been replaced with flowers that are scattered along the path that leads up to the altar19altar 圣壇。.

8. Bridesmaids

In Ancient Rome, the purpose of having bridesmaids at a wedding was to protect the bride. The bridesmaids would each wear the same dress as the bride in order to confuse the evil spirits and prevent them from finding her. As a result, the couple would avoid being cursed on their wedding day.

9. Shower of Rice

Rice and other grains have long been regarded as signs of prosperity and fertility. Therefore, the practice of throwing rice at a wedding is symbolic of showering the couple with good fortune. Although it is an age-old wedding tradition, it is a practice that is becoming less popular, with rice being replaced by alternatives such as confetti20confetti（在婚禮或美國其他特殊活動中撒的）五彩紙屑。, bubbles, and sparklers.

7. 女花童

請女花童這一古老的婚禮傳統源于古羅馬。年幼的女童手捧幾束小麥，人們相信這能給新人帶來健康和好運。久而久之，小麥換成了花瓣，撒滿了通往圣壇之路。

8. 伴娘

古羅馬時期，請伴娘的目的是保護新娘。所有伴娘穿著跟新娘一樣的衣服，這樣可以迷惑惡魔，以防惡魔找到新娘。如此，新婚夫婦就能避免在婚禮當天受到詛咒。

9. 大米浴

長久以來，大米和其他谷物被視作繁榮與富饒的象征。因此，在婚禮上拋撒大米的做法象征著給新婚夫婦帶去好運。雖說這是由來已久的婚禮傳統，但這種做法越來越少見，大米也換成了五彩紙屑、氣泡和冷煙花。

10. Something Blue

It is widely believed that the color white represents purity. However, it is actually the color blue that is the true symbol of purity as well as fidelity21fidelity 忠誠。.The symbolism of the color blue dates back to early Christianity, when the color was associated with the Virgin Mary, who is often depicted22depict 描繪。wearing a blue robe.

11. Honeymoon

The tradition of going on a honeymoon after a wedding, dates back to the 5th century when cultures represented the calendar time in moon cycles23moon cycle古時以月相的更替周期計算時間，一個月相周期約為29天。. Once married, a newlywed couple would drink mead, an alcoholic beverage made of honey, a tradition that would take place during their first moon24moon一輪月相更替。of marriage.

12. Bridal Bouquet

The first bridal bouquet was made out of aromatic bunches of herbs, garlic,and grains, which were ingredients that were believed to have the power of driving away evil spirits. Over time, the herb bouquet was gradually replaced by flowers which carry special meanings in different cultures around the world.

10. 藍色之物

人們普遍認為白色代表純潔。然而，事實上藍色才真正象征忠誠與純潔。藍色的這一象征意義可以追溯到早期的基督教。那時人們說到藍色，就會聯想到圣母馬利亞，她常常被描繪為身披藍袍。

11.蜜月

婚后度蜜月的傳統起源于公元5世紀，當時人們以月亮的盈虧周期表示日歷時間。新婚夫婦成婚后要喝蜂蜜酒（用蜂蜜做的酒精飲料）。按照傳統，婚后的第一個月（一輪月相更替）天天都要喝。

12. 新娘的捧花

最早的捧花是由帶香味的香草、大蒜和谷物做成的。人們相信這些材料有驅逐惡魔的功效。隨著時間的推移，世界不同的文化中，香草做的花束逐漸被具有特殊意義的鮮花所取代。

13. Groomsmen

The tradition of having groomsmen as part of the wedding, comes from the ancient tradition of kidnapping the bride. Before a couple could get married, a man had to employ his fellow friends or warrior companions to help him fight off other warriors and prevent the bride’s family from finding the couple. The groom’s main warrior companion would be the equivalent25equivalent 同等物。of the “best man” at a wedding.

14. Bouquet Toss

In 14th century Euro pe, it was common for wedding guests to rip off26rip off 撕下。sections of the bride’s dress for good luck. To prevent this, brides started throwing the garter instead. This led to guests, especially men, attempting to rip the garter off. Eventually it became tradition for the groom to remove and throw the garter and the bride to throw the bouquet.

13.伴郎

婚禮上請伴郎的傳統源自綁架新娘的古老傳統。新人成婚之前，男方必須請他的好哥們兒或戰友幫他打退別的勇士，還不能讓新娘的家里人找到他和新娘。新郎的主要戰友就成了婚禮上的“伴郎”。

14.丟捧花

在14世紀的歐洲，參加婚禮的賓客常常撕下新娘婚紗上的一小塊布來沾沾運氣。為防止這種情況發生，新娘開始丟襪帶?？蛇@導致賓客——特別是男賓客——企圖扯下襪帶。最后就有了這樣的傳統：新郎脫下并丟出襪帶，而新娘則丟捧花。

15. Ring Bearer

During Victorian times, a pageboy27pageboy新娘的伴童；小男儐相。was responsible for carrying a bride’s train down the aisle along with a prayer book. At the same time,Victorians began to place the ring on small pillows as a display of their wealth. This is because pillows used to be very expensive and were luxury items that only the elite28elite 社會精英。members of society could afford. Eventually, it became the pageboy’s responsibility to carry the ring pillow down the aisle and is a tradition that has evolved into the ring bearer that we are familiar with today.

16. Gift Registry

The origin of the wedding registry dates back to 1924 at a Marshall Field2919世紀末芝加哥首屈一指的百貨店，后發展成在全美擁有700多家門店的大型百貨公司。2006年被梅西百貨公司（Macy’s）收購并更名?！痵 store in Chicago. Also known as a bridal registry, it was a way for the couple to choose their fine china and silver for their big day. Soon the idea spread across the country and was popularized30popularize 推廣。in the retail industry to include wedding gifts for the couple. ■

15. 捧戒指的男伴童

維多利亞時代，新娘的男伴童負責托著新娘的裙裾步入殿堂，手里還得拿著一本祈禱書。同時，維多利亞時代的英國人把戒指放在小枕頭上，用來展示他們的財富。因為枕頭在以前非常昂貴，是只有社會的精英階層才能用得起的奢侈品。最終，拿著戒枕走入殿堂成了男伴童的職責，進而演變成我們今日所熟悉的捧戒指的男伴童。

16. 禮物登記

結婚禮物登記最早出現于1924年芝加哥的一家馬歇爾·菲爾德百貨公司的門店。有人也稱之為新娘的禮物登記單，新婚夫婦為大婚日子挑選的瓷器和銀器都寫在上面。這個主意很快傳遍全美，在零售行業推廣開來，便有了出售結婚禮物這門生意。 □