Wedding Beliefs of Many Nations

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23020, 23 April 1938, Page 6 (Supplement)

Wedding Beliefs of Many Nations

Strange Superstitions T/yEDDING ceremonies are as variei as the weather. Each country ha its own particular procedure and super stitions. That the bride should smile on he wedding day is undeniable, for is it no the happiest day of her life? But strange saying prevails throughou countries of south-west Europe tha "smiling brides mean weeping widows.' It rppears that a weeping bride is pre ferablo on these solemn occasions. 1 smiling bride may cause the husbanc to die on her hands. In some parts of Yugoslavia the brid< must cry. After the official ceremony the husband administers a seven thrashing to his bride. This is don< just to show who is master of th( house; or else the husband would remain a hen-pecked one for the rest ol his married life. Blood is a sign ol union, so therefore in many countries i few drops of blood from the bride md the groom are mixed in the dough if the wedding cake. Otherwise tne sride will always be unhappy. In "the good old days" the bridal reil was worn especially to stop the ivil spirits from "looking" too closely, ind in case the witches concoctejl some ❖ Rain AN owl cries shrilly in the dusk, A cricket chirps beneath a stone, A cold wind rustles in the bush And is gone. - v The dark clouds gather in the west, The waning 1110011 shines listlessly, The pines stand rigid holding fast Fearfully.

The wind returns in anger now, The raindrops spatter on the leaves, The tall pines swaying to and fro The answer give.

The wind is gone to come 110 more, The pines stand black and still as stone, The rain is weeping, lonely drear, The night shuts down. —G.I.

evil means of making bnd luck follow the married couple. But to-day, perhaps, it is worn for a different reason. In America, a bride may "lovo and honour" her husband, but it is no longer essential that she should promise to ''obey" him. This word is now frequently eliminated from the English marriage service, for it is irritating and needless.

In England, if a woman marries a second time, she does not wear a full bridal dress, nor have bridesmaids, but she may have a maid of honour. Her first wedding ring she leaves at home, although she may wear it afterwards above her new ring. It is also usual for the wedding to take place from the house of her iriends, and their names will appear on the invitations. In the Swedish bride's loft shoe, the father places a silver piece for "luck," and also to see that she never lacks necessities; and in her right foot shoe the mother puts a gold piece so that she (tho bride) may never lack luxuries.,

Pearls worn by tho bride in Germany are a sign of bad luck. It is essential that no bride shall wear necklaces inado of pearls, for it is believed that, for the number of pearls in the necklace, bo many times will her husband cause her to weep.

atmosphere. There is tlio same still light shed here that glows in the last quiet green glimmer of a summer's evening, or that sometimes flashes before the eyes as one dives through smooth green walls of calm lake water. It is the light of a cathedral. And far off, so simple, yet so complex with meaning, there shines the gold cross against the dark altar curtains. .And above it all, a little muffled, yet clear and solemn, ring the bells . . . small brisk chimes, almost clock-like, then the deep-throated calling tones of the last bell. . . . Worshippers All There is a sudden commotion in one corner of the church, and bowed heads are raised and jerked round to watch the little lady in black trip over her umbrella as she enters the pew. When "regulars" recognise her, they turn back again to their devotions; they know it is impossible for her not to create some disturbance. She is a dear soul, gentle, incredibly sweet-tempered in spite of the pains of age and rheumatism —but fumbly. She can never find her glasses, whispers sibilantly and apologetically to her neighbour, and drops her Prayer Book at least three times during the service "The Barber" (so we call him for bis dapper ways) is always most careful to "not quite" kneel on the creases 111 his perfect trousers. To-night these are slightly striped with white, and his plain black coat fits into his shapely waist and over his slim hips perfectly. This man, so smart, so trim, his greying hair sleekly oiled, his moustache dark and smooth, a glint of mischief in those dark eyes —how comes he here in this congregation of such ordinary folk? He looks as out of place as a dustman at the Queen's garden party, yet as be kneels in earnest meditation, one feels that in his sophisticated mind, too, those city bells have rung some strange and secret echo. .Toe is a great lad —and the most cheerful personality 1 have ever met. Nothing "ever gets Joe down." jHe is a man of all jobs. It is he who deputises on the door, he who dims the lights, who finds room for strangers 011 the crowded seats, who helps with