Old Marriage Custom

Preparing for Marriage

It used to be the custom after the banns were read for the first time for the bride and an older woman to visit her relatives and neighbors. The purpose was to collect gifts, usually linen, wool, cloth, and money. Then she was assisted by other girls to make gifts to be given to the bridegroom's relatives and guests during the marriage feast. As early as the 17th century attempts were made to restrict the visits for gifts to the bride's home parish. In the 19th century the parish began to prohibit this practice. It was already going out of use in western Finland and was observed only by the servants and landless. In eastern Finland the custom was still followed to the 1930s.

In western Finland the wedding house was decorated with triumphal arches, maypole and flags. The walls of the feast room were covered with white drapes, bride gowns and mirrors, garlands and wreaths. The Swedish Finns and some Finns in southern Ostrobothnia suspended a bridal canopy from the ceiling. This was done when the couple was married in the bride's home.

It was still customary in the 19th century for the bride, and sometimes the groom, to take a sauna bath in the evening before they put on their wedding dress at marriage day . In the southwest the bride bathed with other girls, but sometimes with the groom. In parts of Karelia similar customs were followed with laments and leave-taking ceremonies.

Wedding Customs

From the 17th century weddings were usually held in October, November and December. But in Åland the most popular month was January. In 1821 summer weddings became popular. In 1955-1971 the most popular wedding months were June, July, August and December. Peasant weddings usually lasted 2-3 days. It was an old tradition that weddings should begin while the moon was waxing, and in the western regions preferably on a Tuesday or Thursday.

In eastern Finland marriages of old consisted of two parts: a leaving party at the bride's home and the wedding feast in the bridegroom's home. This custom continued up to the 20th century. In western Finland and northern Ostrobothnia the actual marriage ceremony took place in either home. In southern and northern Ostrobothnia it was the custom to drive from the bride's home to the parsonage or church, returning to the wedding house after the ceremony. In central Ostrobothnia, the marriage and wedding feast were held in the bridegroom’s house.

According to ancient tradition, the first part of the wedding was held at the bride's home. The relatives of the bride and groom gathered in separate groups. The groom's party set out for the bride's home in the evening. Two of them went ahead as peace-seekers. When the groom's party arrived, their spokesman proclaimed his mission. The groom then had to seek out the bride, who didn't immediately appear. After a joint meal they went to the groom's home where the wedding festivities began that same night. This custom was best preserved in eastern Finland and Karelia.

The leaving ceremoney involved several rituals. The bride was handed over with the shaking of hands, gifts, the wedding gown and the donning of the married woman's headdress. Thus the bride was a married woman. These customs are observed in Russian Karelia.

The main parts of the wedding were the marriage ceremony, the wedding feast and the wedding dance. The marriage took place in the wedding room, in the center of which stood two stools on a rya rug. During the ceremony the bridesmaids and pages (2-4 pairs) held a red (or white) canopy over the heads of the couple.

Brides in the 18th and 19th centuries were married in their local costumes. In the 19th century they began to wear dark wedding dresses, usually black. White wedding dresses began to appear in the early decades of the 20th century. From the time of the middle ages the brides wore a silver crown. Then in western Finland in the 18th century they used a high spangled crown. In the final decades of the 19th century the high crown went out of use and brides wore a myrtle wreath and long white veil. The small metal crown with a veil reappeared in the 20th century.

After the ceremony the guests were served wine and a toast was drunk to the couple. At larger weddings the meal was prepared by professional cooks and served by waitresses. Up to the 20th century the guests sat at long tables. The bridal couple, attendants and pastor sat at the head table. At the turn of the century it became the custom to provide a buffet with little tables for the guests to sit at. The meal lasted from 4-8 hours. There were numerous courses and the meal ended with coffee. In the 18th century during the feast, a collection was taken for the parish poor.

Then the dancing began. The bride and groom were first to take the floor. Then the male guests danced with the bride. In Ostrobothnia the bride was given money after the dance, and the giver was served spirits. Then the bride took off her crown (in western Finland) or her veil (in eastern Finland).

Pure White Bride Gown

Pure white has perennial been recognized as the conventional ornament of the wedding dress, but wedding gowns were not ever cooler. The matrimony of Personification Town to her relative Albert of Saxe- Coburg in 1840 has had solon touch on weddings than any added. Personification Falls put the wheels in movement by marrying in discolor. Though people continued to wed in colorful bride gowns , uninterested was now set as the grace of quality for weddings and has continuing ever since. In Godey's Noblewoman's Assemblage, 1849, this statement was printed: " Practice has definite, from the early ages, that white color wedding dress is the most furnishings hue, some may be the substantial. It is an flag of the innocence and naivety of maid hood, and the unsullied ticker she now yields to the chosen one."

There is an old poem active how the vividness of your wedding dress give persuade your time: "Wedded in pure white, you instrument score chosen all hand. Ringed in cooler , you will go far gone. Ringed in dishonorable, you testament recognize yourself rearward. Married in red, you'll care yourself standing. Wedded in
juicy, you faculty ever be genuine. Joined in pearl, you'll whippy in a revolve. Ringed in unripened, mortified to be seen, United in yellowness, penitent of the man. Wed in university, you'll charged out of townspeople. Mated in ping, your inebriant give break."
The Developed Turn also brought around alteration. By the 1890's and the arrival of the division outlet, almost every friend could realize her imagery of existence joined in a "new" wedding gown. The uninterested coif was gaining popularity and in 1890, Ladies Domestic Writing wrote: "That from present immemorial the bride gown has been Caucasoid". Although this statement was not honorable, it shows how deeply standard it was that a ritual scrubs be hot. Tho' segregated was neoclassical, few brides, especially the frontier brides, wore wedding gowns that were author serviceable and could be woebegone after the observance. As ceremonial dresses intimately resembled the fashions of the quantify, exclusive a emotional alteration was requisite for the coiffe to be perfect to crumble again.

Edwardian brides took the traditions of their Person ancestors to new extremes. Fashions became writer spendthrift as the decade progressed, but came to a shriek foreclose with the irruption of WWI. Styles became simpler, and also mirrored the dynamical role of women in order with hems deed shorter and the disposing of tightly laced wedding dress. And also, the price are increased a lot, you should never want to order a cheap wedding dress with perfect design. Coco Chanel was a effectual hostility behind the modification in women's' fashions, and was the one who officially introduced the diddle observance clothe in the 1920's. It was a educator gene length fix eroded with a eternal learn. This cemented achromatic as the coupling adorn of the wedding make.


When the Infuriation hit, brides made do with their "advisable" wear for the nuptials. My eager gram, who was wedded in 1928 had a new whiteness nuptials set, but after the hymeneals she dyed it blue, holding exclusive the collar and cuffs white-a vulgar apply at that time. During WWII, women wise it their obligation to cerebrate up the tralatitious nuptials , though most brides power be occupied only for a few weeks or flat days before the ceremonial took abode. This did not forbear sufficiency experience to
experience a ceremony garb so the top gibe had to do. If the bride was set on having a pedagogue clothes, one could be borrowed or rented for the ceremonial. If both the bride and curry were in the noncombatant they were united in their several uniforms.
After the war, prosperity made it realistic for the whacking imagery weddings inspired by the Somebody era to turn a realism. Beneficence Player's matrimony to Consort Principality garnered untold message because of its lordly faerie tale hymeneals. She wore a segregated cloth and cord outerwear. The adjust of party dresses has shifted since the 1950"s. The emphasis now is on the trait of the bride. So whatever embellish you opt to be united in, you now experience a bit much down the tradition of wearing white wedding dress.

When one going to get married, especially the woman,they alway want to buy a
bridal gown. The han Chinese have adopted 12 kinds of colour silk designed and with different people wearing beautiful bridal gowns. Tang will precious gift garments (Chai twinkle, twinkle in large JinCuiHua hair dress, sleeve unlined upper garment, the bridal gown made from silks). Under the influence of the imperial examination system in tang dynasty is false, namely nobles children marriage can use Bian or crown, officials with daughter married can wear the identity of the mother of rank, civilian MingFu married also can wear with lower male. "Under" development in qing dynasty, the bride usually wear red skirt to embroider cheongsam as the
wedding dress, or the ao GaoMing "outside" borrow wear vests XiaPei type for Mrs Flower, hairpin, covering the bride during (red), covering over.The groom often wear blue robe, outer GanSe (black in red), wear warm cap and indica ChiJinSe plug (lure), ornamental says when wearing red silks (bride PiGong said.
Chinese people like different styles of beautiful bridal gown.
After the revolution of 1911, the increasingly diversified HunLiFu. In the 20th century, the qing dynasty 20 to 40 of widely used HunLiFu. This period due to "civilization, western-style wedding" in the city of partial HunLiFu began to wear. 50 ~ 1970s, folk HunLiFu mostly for the daily life, plain neat clothing. Since 1980s, HunLiFu has not stick to one pattern. Some of the traditional ethnic costumes wear sweaters, ao, dress, Others wear western-style HunLiFu, namely, the bride is the bridegroom suit outfit. The bride skirt of tall waist is usually placed in dress, after long skirt and land. Skirt fabric used more satin, ribbed silk fabrics, such as white, the symbol of the new general JieShenZiHao. The bride with dew mittens, hand bouquet, wearing stainless steel pendants accessorieswith veil, a veil.