Black Swamp Heritage Articles Bill Oliver (c) 21 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #12 ISBN: 1542-9474 Good Evening from the Black Swamp of NWoHIo, Marriage in any society joins not only two individuals, but also two immediate and extended families. Our varied rituals and traditions have deep roots. For example, the ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a direct conncection to a person's heart. This is where our wedding bands are worn. The throwing of rice [now the enviromentally correct bird seed] signals the wish for the couple's fertility. While recently working on my genealogy, it came to me that many of my female ancestors married quite young. The records often made mentioned where the ceremony was held. Occasionally in the home of the groom's parents; occasionally in the home of the officiating person's home or office; but, mostly in the home of the bride. Whenever the chosen day, it was a full one. In the morning the groom and his close friends would begin assembling at the home of his parents. After proper preparations they would leave for the house of the bride. This journy could be made on horseback, by wagon or cart, or even on foot. By any mode, it was always a merry journey, often aided by good Scottish tradition of sharing a jug of liquid refreshments. Since frontier and early settlement weddings were community affairs, the wedding was followed by a "fine supper" and dancing [usually until the break of dawn]. Sometime during the dancing the bride's attendents [or close friends] would "steal" her away. At a specified time later, the groom's friends would ceremonmiously escort him to the wedding "apartment" and place him in bed next to his bride. The color of the wedding dress as white [for purity] is of modern origin. In medieval and renaissance weddings, the dresses were simply a more elaborate version of a bride's best dress and certainly not of any particular color. The dress was transformed by embellishment with jewelry, embroidery, laces, bows, tassels, ribbons, beads, and anything else available and handy. Any color could be used, including black, particularly if the groom was a widower. In Biblical tradition, white symbolized joy, while blue represented purity. Anne of Brittany wore white for her wedding in 1491 and again for her second wedding in 1527. However, it took nearly another century and a half for white to become the predominant color of tradition. The elaborate gown of modern styles was introduced by the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III in 1853. The words trousseau and wedding armoire came from the French. Trousseau means bundles of linens, clothing. The wedding armoire is more commonly known as the bride's "hope chest. Hope chests were made by fathers and given to their daughters at an early age. During the years following, it would be filled with clothing and items for her new life and home. These have led to our modern tradition of the "bridal shower". The groom not viewing the bride before the wedding is also of recent vintage. Transplanted from Eurocultures, the groom called upon his bride on the wedding day and escorted her to the church or chapel. Sometimes it became a procession, with musicians leading the parade, and friends and guests following behind the wedding party. Also, brought across the "big pond", by Euro-traditions, was the blocking the route of the intended couple, thus symbolizing the solving of obstacles and problems which the couple must now overcome together in their new life. Many wedding pranks are the outgrowth of this tradition. A Chiverie/Shivarie is another form of performing wedding night pranks to interrupt the wedding night. A crowd would gather clanging pots and pans, ringing bells, and sounding horns. The newlyweds were expected to become hosts [in their wedding clothes] and provide treats for their tomentors. During the middle ages, guests brought cakes to the wedding celebration and they would be stacked in a pile as high as possible. The challenge was for the bride and groom to kiss over the cakes without toppling the pile. This was to symbolize their future prosperity. Tossing the bride's bouquet and garter are set in the belief that pieces of her attire would bring good luck to those who received them. In some cultures, the couples to be joined together stood beneath a canopy, or veil, which symbolically became the modern bride's veil. The canopy or veil was to protect the couple from any intended malice. Veils are also used in the baptism of children for the same purpose. In some Slovak/Ukraine cultures women would "unshoe" her betrothed. It was the practice of the bride to remove the boots of her new husband on their wedding night. The groom, to bestow something special on his bride and her mother, would give them "red" boots. This is getting quite lengthly, so just one more from the annals of our southern traditions, sent to me by a cousin: >From the Marion [Illinois] Daily Republican newspaper - October 4, 1920 "A unique wedding custom was once practiced in America. The "run-up" wedding was an innovation to marriages, unknown in any part of the world except in southern Mississippi, but no longer than 23 years ago, it was the way in which most Southern Mississippians of means were married. "Some time before the wedding the groom began to choose from among his best friends those who should ride with him. It was considered a great honor to be thus chosen. Horses were carefully groomed and be-tasseled for the occasion, the long, luxuriant mustaches worn in those days were waxed and twisted and particular attention was paid to every detail of the rider's appearance. On the given date the groom and his riders met at some secluded spot, a mile or two from the bride's home, and at a signal from the groom, dashed away at top speed, hats waving and voices shouting. Around the bride 's house a cordon of outriders were placed to warn of the approach of the groom and his party. A cloud of dust announced their nearness, the outriders went out to meet them, whirling about running with them. On the porch of the bride's home her party strained their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the riders. The sounding of the herald's horn set all hearts fluttering. In a whirl of dust the groom appeared snatching up his bride and riding on ahead a short distance with her in front of him on the saddle, then wheeling back and dismounting for the ceremony, for which the minister stood waiting. Then came the wedding breakfast." e-la-Di-e-das-Di ha-WI nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/OH-NW-HERITAGE/ http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/BlackSwamp/intro.htm