ANCIENT AND MODERN IDEAS OF MARRIAGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2803, 20 November 1931, Page 3 (Supplement)

ANCIENT AND MODERN IDEAS OF MARRIAGE.

Curious Customs Accompanying the Wedding Ceremonies. The casting aside of ancient superstitions is the outstanding characteristic of modern marriage, according to James Rennie, First National player.

“ A few superstitions have survived to the present time, but the meaning of them has been forgotten by the principals,” says Rennie. “ When we throw rice at the bride and bridegroom we are performing an action which dates back, at least, to the days of the gh’iy that was Greece. Blit in those days the bride was the target for many articles, such as rice, corn, wheat, figs, dates, nuts, and coins. At modern weddings we have “ civilised ” thU: ceremony by throwing even confetti. The scattering of such valuables evidences tho wish of the guests that the linn ge w 1 b p sperous and blessed with many children. “A superstition still iobjected b\ some concerns the wedding ring. It it is lost oi li k n it t ot 11 t) death of one of the parties, the dissolution of th mur >i grave misfortune. “ We scatter flowers before the bride's path f r i it son I ancifnt days it was brhevvd mm- uhI'urth was filled won <I>■ >u-■ nv. <ng on tin- < c 1 marriage was being celrbi iiud. lhu-> the bride must, i t c i i ti earth. “In England sever il centum ag the path of the 1 ndt \ i sticwn v ith emblems of inc nriuegroom s cuuing. Shavings were scattered for a carpenter, sheep skins for a butcher, leather parings for a shoemaker, and scraps of iron for a blacksmith. Fortuatcly, this practice died out. What would a modern marriage be like with the bride forced to keep her footing on a path of oil or walk over a football team 1 And what a job she'd have if she married a ditch-digger or the captain of a submarine 1 To-day the only survival of this practice is the red carpet on which the bride walks from the church to her car. “ t'arryiiur t!u‘ bride nv< r tin- thr<': Jhold of her new home,” continued Rennie, “ has its origin in antiquity. Evil spirits were supposed to abound at the threshold, so, to avoid their evil influence and have a happy marriage, the bridegroom had to carry the bride into her home. In some localities the demons were powerful enough to attack tho husband, so ho was carried over, also, usually by an uncle “ Throwing old shoes is another superstition which has lasted. This is explained as being a relic of the days of marriage by capture when a conqueror carried off the choicest of the women. The throwing of shoes is supposed to be a sham assault on the captor. One of the first mentions of this practice was made by Plutarch. “ Many interesting and amusing practices of the past have died out. In England tho bridegroom had to drink a tankard of beer, then to.«s the tankard over his shoulder. If it broke he would have a happy marriage; it not, he would bo unhappy. In Mo-

rocco the couple ate the liver of a sheep; and in other places eggs, objects of glass, and earthenware vessels are broken ceremonially. The more broken articles in a front yard the happier the marriage. Some yards look like junk heaps,” commented Rennie. “Oriental Jews, after a ceremony, had to jump three times over a platter of fresh fish. In Sweden the bride wasn’t permitted to tie her shoes. In Russia, a whip was presented to the bridegroom by the bride’s father. In Bulgaria he would kick his wife gently. In Spain the Inuos pnent" would bieuk cukes over her head. In Russia all the doors and windows were closed and tie chimney s n ped pto kec j v 1 ill I Ii i 1 1 11 1 j il I I I | Hi I U |, wprn nred in uie bride « l fi g ! l ili e } is The I t { it I ih I uj ,>,.;<rh|>ourhoi>d is a survival of thi.. idea. I 1 g 1 nn 1 t I c 1 j n is v. tiemen 1 li s i the pi ic ice o f 1 th f is 1 \ the ir j I i i cl he r ir i j il c ' ° ) i 1 rg U c j l t tho ceil i v. Hni k i v i 1i n r lil i j Hci “ Sometimes mock marriages were performed with trees, and the evil spirits entered the tree, and it died, leaving the bride to marry without the spirits’ knowledge. Pitchers full of water were often married to people. When the pitcher broke it was safe to re-marry a human being. Another subterfuge which the stupid spirits could not fathom was to hide the bride in a box and have tho husband take her home on a mule’s back. “To 'insure prosperity, the bride, the dav before her wedding, would wash her feet in a bowl with money in the bottom of it. When she was through the neighbours were permitted to scramble for the coins. In those days the bride and bridegroom often went so far as to take a bath before the ceremony. Needles, salt, and coins were placed in the shoes. " One of the most efficient ways of securing male children was for the man’s mother to carry a sieve on her head and a bundle of his old clothes on her back, or for the bride’s mother to be placed in a net and swung to and fro by tho local bachelors* Ah, those, were the gay old days I “ Look at modern marriage,” said Rennie. “ The actual ceremony takes a couple of minutes, and after wo leave the church or the office of tho registrar'nobody cares what happens. What we need to-day to reduce tho number of divorces aro some of the good old-fashioned charms. It is all foo apparent that the evil spirits of tho middle ages are still with us and breaking up our homes. We should do something about it."