Picture a wedding where the couple’s hands are tied together, guests offer red envelopes and the bride carries an old coin for luck. Strange? Not at all.
Why would a bride put a coin in her shoe, a couple have their hands bound together, or wedding guests leave with sugared almonds? Although ceremonies vary enormously, many wedding customs share an obsession with love, protection, good fortune and the future.
Consider the wedding ring. Rings were used in marriages in ancient Rome, where some were made from iron and later gold. Their unbroken shape is often interpreted as a symbol of lasting commitment. The familiar practice of wearing one on the left ring finger has also been connected to the ‘vena amoris’, or ‘vein of love’. According to this belief, a vein travelled straight from that finger to the heart. Anatomically, this is nonsense, but the romantic image has survived.
Then there is the phrase ‘tie the knot’. A literal knot features in handfasting ceremonies, in which ribbons or cords symbolically bind a couple’s hands. The ritual has historical links with European marriage and betrothal customs. Yet the precise origins of the English expression remain uncertain: the knot may have referred to an actual ceremony, or simply to the idea of an enduring bond.
Superstitions are just as revealing. The British rhyme ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ became widespread in the Victorian period. The old item connects a bride with her past, the new celebrates a beginning, the borrowed shares another person’s happiness, and the blue has associations with faithfulness. A less frequently quoted line requests a sixpence in her shoe. An heirloom such as a family necklace can conveniently supply the ‘old’.
Wedding traditions elsewhere are equally rich in symbolism. At Japanese Shinto weddings, couples may participate in san-san-kudo, sharing ceremonial sips of sake from three cups. Greek Orthodox ceremonies can include crowns connected by a ribbon, representing the union. In Hindu ceremonies, the seven steps, or saptapadi, express commitments made together, although practices differ between communities.
Gifts also speak a cultural language. Guests at Chinese weddings often present money in red envelopes, while Italian couples may traditionally give guests sugared almonds as favours. Fine china, household goods and family jewellery have been popular presents in other settings, although modern couples may prefer cash or contributions towards shared experiences.
The next time you attend a wedding, look beyond the flowers and photographs. Almost every ribbon, sweet or ring has a story to tell — even if the most charming version of that story is not entirely true.
Available levels: A1 · A2 · B1 · B2 · C1 · C2