Irish Wedding Traditions
Brides and grooms of Gaelic descent can easily incorporate many wistful Irish traditions into their wedding ceremony. There are sweet and fun customs and traditions for modern couples to cull from their Irish ancestry: from wisdom about the timing of a wedding, to keeping evil spirits at bay, to promoting a fruitful home with many children.
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History
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Ireland has a long and rich history. A surprising number of modern day wedding traditions take their lead from centuries old Irish customs. Many Irish wedding traditions stem from a persistent belief that mischievous fairies and evil spirits surround us at all times. The Irish took great pains to prevent them from getting an upper hand during the festivities and in the young couple's new life together. Irish brides have long carried an upturned horseshoe on their wedding day to bring them good luck. Originally, it was an actual horseshoe. Today, there are lovely porcelain varieties as well as cloth horseshoes worn on the wrist.
Purpose of the Traditions
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Many of the things we do at weddings today started from old Irish traditions. In general, most Irish wedding traditions had distinct purpose. There are those that were meant to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, and those which intended to promote a happy marriage and fertility. There are many seemingly innocuous things that were assigned greater meaning, as portents of good or bad luck: Rain on one's wedding day was considered good luck, as was marrying in the month of April. Crossing a funeral procession on the way to the wedding was considered bad luck, as was having a woman be the first to congratulate the bride.
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Good Luck Customs
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Many cultures incorporate good luck charms into wedding traditions. Honeymoons started off as an Irish wedding tradition that was meant to bring the bride and groom success, happiness and fertility. But the tradition didn't include travel plans like it does today. It is traditional for Irish newlyweds to drink a honeyed wine on their wedding day, and then again every day for a month following the wedding. The honeyed wine, which is a type of mead, was believed to improve fertility. If a couple had a baby nine months after getting married, the pregnancy was attributed to the mead. Drinking the wine for the month following the wedding was thought to offer the bride protection from being spirited off by fairies.
It is also very common for the Irish to give bells as a wedding present. Bells are said to help restore happiness and harmony to a married couple. It is also believed that ringing a bell will remind a couple of their wedding vows, making for a happier marriage.
Other Traditions
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Save the top layer for baby's Christening day. Some Irish wedding traditions have nothing to do with superstition, and everything to do with custom. Braiding is a very Irish fashion. Irish brides often wore their hair braided, wore braided wreaths of flowers on their heads and sported braided cording on the fabric of their dresses. This can easily be incorporated into a modern wedding.
Irish wedding cake is traditionally a fruitcake with white icing. The top tier of the cake was a whiskey cake and was not to be eaten at the wedding; the bride and groom had to save it until the Christening of the firstborn. Additionally, they were supposed to save a slice of the cake to be eaten on their first wedding anniversary.
Many Irish brides carry a simple handkerchief with them down the aisle. This handkerchief is later sewn into a bonnet for the baby to wear on its Christening day. The stitches are later removed, restoring it to it's original function as a hankie, to be carried down the aisle when the daughter herself becomes a bride.
Irish Wedding Jewelry
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Some other specifically Irish wedding traditions include the jewelry that is worn by the bride. The claddagh, or Irish wedding band, as it is popularly known in the United States, depicts two hands, holding a heart, topped by a crown. Traditionally, a woman would wear this ring on her right hand, with the heart facing outward to indicate that she was romantically unattached. Turning the heart to face the wearer suggests that the woman is in a romantic relationship. Moving the ring to the left hand, with the heart facing outward is an indication that the woman is engaged, and finally, turning the heart to face the woman while the ring is on the left hand symbolizes that she is married.
Not all Irish brides wore or will wear a claddagh though. For those opting for other styles, it is considered to be very lucky for the bride's wedding ring to contain her birthstone. Even stones that were typically considered unlucky are believed to bring luck when they are included in the bride's wedding band.
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References
- Photo Credit Irish Statues image by Rebs O from Fotolia.com Irish Morn image by bonjo from Fotolia.com wedding image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com rainbow image by João Freitas from Fotolia.com wedding cake. image by guiney from Fotolia.com
