WEDDING FLOWERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1674, 22 December 1883, Page 13

WEDDING FLOWERS.

From the earliest times flowers have always held a prominent place in the religious and social ceremonies of most countries. Apart from their emblematical use, they seem to have been specially designed by their graceful beauty and varied character to represent the sympathy of Naturein the sorrows and joys of human life. Referring to their festive associations there are few events in life in which their 'presence has been more conspicuous than at weddings. Indeed it would be no easy task to exhaust the list of flowers which have, at different times, entered into the marriage customs of our own and other countries, not to mention the many pretty bridal emblems of which they have been made symbolical. As far back as the time of Juno's nuptials we find, according to Homer's graphic account, how in honour of the occasion — "Glad Eirlh perceives, and from her bo3om poms Unb'dde" herbs and voluntary flowers ; Thick new-born violets a soft carpet spread And clustering swoll'd the rjsinjr b<d ; And sudden hyacinths the turf bestow, And flamy crocus made the mountain glow. Among some of the chief uses to which flowers were applied at weddings was the nuptial garland with which the bride and bridegroom were crowned. It was generally composed of sweet-scented flowers arranged in the most artistic manner. Due prominence was given to the Tmyrtle, because, as Dryden says " Sacred to Venus is the myrtle shade." Th*iß plant is still worn by brides on the Continent, and with us it is in high repute, for, according to a Somersetshire saying, " The myrtle is the luckiest plant to have in your window. Water it every morning and be proud of it." Another flower to which a foremost place was often allotted in the weddine, crown was the rosemary, perhaps, for no better reason than that assigned in an old ballad :— " Rosemary is for remembrance Between us day and night, Wishing that I may always have You present in my sight."

Dr Roger Hacket, in a quaint sermon, entitled " A Marriage Present " (1607), speaking of the rosemary says, " It overtoppeth all the flowers in the garden, boasting man's rule ; it helpeth the brain, strengthened the memory, and is very medicinal for .the head. Another property is, it affects the heart. The rosemary, too, used at weddings was previously dipped, it would seem, in scented water, an allusion to which we find in Beaumont and Fletcher's " Scornful Lady," where it is asked, "Were the rosemary branches dipped?" A writer in the sixteenth century tells us how "in some countries the bride is crowned with a garland of prickles, that he (the" bridegroom) might know he hath tied himself lo a thorny <pleasure." Of the many other flowers which were entwined m the bridal garland was the lily— emblematical of. the purity and simplicity which should ever characterise marriage. Ben Jonson, it may ba remembered, on the marriage of his friend Mr Weston with the Lady Frances Stewart, wrote :—

" See how with reses and with lilies shine, Ulics artd rosea (flowers of either sex), The bright bride's paths." -

Equally, too, in demand was the rose, whose unrivalled . beauty and lovely fragrance, mingled with' the other flowers shed a rich perfume around the" bride's presence. What floral ornament could be more suitable for a place in the bridal wreath, considering that from time immemorial the rosebud has been considered typical' of youthful beauty?— a sentiment .thus expressed by the Poet Laureate : — " Rosebud set with little wilful thorns, And sweet as English »ir could make her."

The rose, moreover, as sacred to lovehaving been extensively used by the Greeks in the composition of their love-philtres— has deservedly occupied an important position in the marriage ceremony, in reference to which •we find a pretty allusion in Dibdin's " Lord of the~,Manor ":—" :— ' . " Young love flew to the Paphian bower, And gather'd sweets fjrom many a flower ; From roses and sweet jessamine, •Tne lily and the eglantine, The Graces there were culling posies, And found young Love among tho ro-es."

It was also customary to plant a rose-bush at the head of the grave of a deceased lover, should either of them die before the wedding. Again, sprigs of bay" were often introduced into the bridal wreath ; the reason being that .the plant was supposed to possess certain magical qualities, "protecting," according to Sir. Thomas Browne, " from the mischief of thunder and lightning," It was also employed in love divination, its leaves when crushed in the' hollow of the hand tellling the constancy of the 'lover by making a crackling sound. Once more, ears of corn were also inserted, symbolical of the plenty which might always crown the married couple— a custom which has its survival in the bride cake. Moffet, in his " Health's Improvement," informs us that the friends " when the biide comes from the .church, are wont to cast wheat upon her head ; and- when the bride and bridegroom return home, one presents them with a pot of butter, as presaging plenty and abundance of all good ■things." Leaving our own country, it appears that the Roman bridal wreath was of vprbena, plucked by the bride herself. Holly-wreaths 'wore sent as' tokens of congratulations, and wreaths of parsley and rue were given under a belief that they were effectual preservatives against evil spirits, The hawthorn was the flower which formed the wreath of Athenian brides. At the present day, in our own country, the bridal wreath is almost entirely composed of orange-blossoms, on a background of maiden-hair fern, a sprig here and there of etephanotis blending its exquisite fragrance. Much uncertainty exists as to why this blossom has been so much worn by brides, but the" general opinion seems to be that it was ■adopted as an emblem of fruitfulness. According to a correspondent of "Notes and Queries," the practice has been derived from the Saracens, amongst whom the orange-blossom was ' regarded as a symbol of a prosperous marriage, a circumstance which is partly to be accounted for by the fact that, in the East, the orange tree bears ripe fruit and blossom at the same time. It has also been suggested that this flower was introduced into our wedding customs by French milliners, having been selected for its beauty rather than for, any symbolical reasons. Another important use to which flowers have been devoted in our marriage ceremonies is the bridal bouquet ; which, however, is now a very different thing from what it was in days gone by. Instead of being composed, as nowadays, of costly flowers, and arranged in the most elaborate manner by means of moss and -wire, it was a simple nosegay of sweet country flowers, some of the favourite ones, Bays Herrick, being pansy, rose, ladysmock, prickmadam, gentle heart, and maiden's blush. Of course, these varied according to the season oi the year, those in summer time being far *■ - ■ i „

more varied and numerous than at other seasons. In spring, we are told, violets and primroses were much in request, but these flowers were probably selected not so much from choice as necessity, since the violet and primrose have generally been associated with early death. A spray of gorse was formerly put into the bridal nosegay, in allusion probably to the old adage, " When tho furze is out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion." The bridal "nosegay," too, as it was commonly called, was termed by many of our country folk a "posy." Another floral custom, which was once observed with far more enthusiasm than in modern times, consisted in strewing flowers before the bride and bridegroom on their way to church. In Browne's " British Pastorals " we are told how— I u'l many maids, ciad in bast array, In honour of the bride come with their flaskets Fill'd full with fliwers ; others, in wicker baskets Bring irom the marsh rushes 1o ovoraprqad

'J'ho ground whoreon to church tho loverajjjread.'

Shakespeare, too, in "Romeo and Juliet," makes Capulet say. referring to Juliet's supposed untimely death—

" Our bridal-flowers cervo for a burial corse."

Indeed, most of our old poets and dramatists have introduced this custom, giving special reference to it.

In these bridal strewings, it was customary to use such flowers as had an emblematical meaning suitable to the occasion ; and should the bride, as occasionally happened, be not popular, she often encountered on her way to the church flowers of a not. very complimentary meaning. The practi. c was not confined to this country, aud we are told how in Holland the threshold of the newly-married couple ■was strewn with flowers, the laurel being generally most conspicuous among the festoons, denoting that the "wedding-day was one of triumph. A survival of this custom is still kept up at Knutsford, in Cheshye. As soon as the bride has set out for the church, a relative spreads on the pavement before her house a quantity of silver-sand, called " greet," in the form of wreaths of flowers, and writes with the same material wishes for her happiness. This is soon copied by others, and if the bride and bridegroom bo favourites, there may be seen before most of the houses numerous flowers in sand.

In some country villages it is customary on the occasion of a wedding for the young people to make a floral rope, which they fix across the road, demanding a toll from every one of the bridal party who passes over it. Lastly, among the wedding flowers which have been associated with a strong symbolical meaning may be noticed the willow, worn in days of old by those who were forsaken inlove. There is a torching allusion to this practice in " Othello," where Desdemona, anticipating her death, says— " My mother had a maid called Barbara ; She was in love, an'i'she loved and proved mad, And did foreake her. She had a song of willow, An old thing 'twas, but it expresa'd her fortuno, And Bhe died singing it : that song to-night Will not go from my mind."

1 " This tree," says Douce in his " Illustrations oE Shakespeare," " might have been chosen as the symbol of sadness from the 137 th Psalm, ' We hanged our harps upon the willows, 'or else from a coincidence between the weeping willow and- falling tears." Lavender, on the other I hand, was sent by lovers as a special sign of affection, and was, too, occasionally worn to denote their engagement. Thus Drayton, in one of his " Eclogues," tells us how — "He for his lass him lavender hath sent, Showing his love, and doth requital crave." Then, of course, there is the forget-me-not with its many romantic associations, which, as Goethe wrote, is 11 still the loveliest flower, The fairest of the fair, Of all that deck my lady's bower, 1 Or bind hor floating hair."

The lime has generally been regarded as the symbol of wedded love, and the peach-blossom is the popular emblem of a bride with the Chinese, while with the Swiss maiden the beautiful edelweiss is much prized as a mark of her lover's devotion, because, as it often grows in dangerous and almost inaccessible places, it is considered an act of courage to gather it. The sunflower is in many parts of this country valued by lovers as a mark of constancy, in allusion to itd always turning to the sun, for as Moore says— " The sunflower turnß on her god when he sets

The same look that she turned when he rose "

Without multiplying further illustrations, we have quoted sufficient to show "how. richly indebted our bridal lore is to the floral world, these lovely productions lending a grace and charm to that momentous event in life, which should ever be adorned by the beauty and purity which they possess. T. F. T. Dyer— in Cassel's Magazine.