A medieval wedding dress is simple enough, you can even make one yourself. |
Medieval wedding dresses
Victorian wedding dresses
Black Vintage Renaissance Wedding Dress |
A medieval wedding dress is simple enough, you can even make one yourself. |
Black Vintage Renaissance Wedding Dress |
Peasant weddings were often held in a barn or outdoors. |
In Medieval times, tapestries decorated the walls. A raised table would be located at one end of the hall to seat the lord and his family plus any distinguished guests. On the main floor, two tables seated the rest of the guests who were seated on stools on only one side of the table so they could see the lord.
Medieval Celebrations: How to Plan Holidays, Weddings, and Feasts with Recipes, Customs and Costumes |
Long hair symbolized the bride's sexual appeal -- the longer the better. |
Bridal Wedding Crown and Tiara with Crystals |
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Photo Credits: Wikimedia, Wikimedia
Newdeve Fingerless Rhinestone Sequins White Bridal Lace Gloves |
Black Women's Fingerless Opera Lace Satin Gloves with Floral Pattern and Sequin |
One more thing to consider when wearing gloves is the exchange of rings during the wedding ceremony. In the 80s, fingerless gloves were the rage, perhaps this is why. Most often, gloves are worn when walking the aisle of the church, and when the bride hands off her bouquet to her maid/matron of honor, the gloves can be slipped off and handed off too.
While wedding gloves offer a custom with a rich history, today modern brides can choose to wear them or not. For those who do want to adhere to tradition, along with glove length, matching the fabric of the wedding dress is another consideration. However, for today’s brides it’s more common to choose gloves that match your wedding day dreams, so if you want to wear lace gloves with your satin dress, go for it.
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Thank you for reading.
Photo credits: pixabay,
Money Dance |
Like the popular Greek Syrtos dance, the Money Dance (KalamatianĂ³s) is a line dance. Also known as the Bride’s Dance, this celebration starts with the bride and groom dancing with a handkerchief. The parents of the bride and groom prepare for this dance before the wedding by pinning together reams of the largest bill in their currency. (Some get fancy and create a crown made of money too.) During the Money Dance, the parents step forward first and drape the money stole they’ve crafted over the happy couple and then hold hands with them to form the start of a curving line of dancers, facing right.
Once the parents of the bride and groom have done their part, the rest of the wedding guests come forward and pin money on the couple. Some practice this a little differently by having guest throw money at the couple (no coins of course). This isn’t done in an orderly manner but can become pushy as everyone crowds around, but even the pushiness is part of the Greek wedding tradition. After pinning or throwing the money, guests join the dance line with the dancer at the right end of the line becoming the leader. This person can also perform a solo dance showing off moves like sapping his thighs while everyone else continues to do the basic step.
The Handkerchief Dance
In the Greek culture folk dances performed today at weddings are believed to have originated from ritual dances in ancient Greece. They actually make perfect dances for weddings because they are performed by groups arm-in-arm in a line or in an open circle moving counter clockwise. The leader of the group often improvises, while those following repeat the basic steps.
The Handkerchief Dance (tsamiko pronounced SAH-mee-koh) is called the handkerchief dance because the leader and the second dancer in line hold onto a handkerchief. Traditionally, men danced this dance which was popular among freedom fighters in the war of independence. It gets its name from the handkerchief held by the leader and the second person in line and works as a means of support while the leader performs acrobatic leaps, legs making a scissor-like motion. While there are precise steps to this dance over time improvisation has led to many variations and today women join in the fun.
What is the meaning of the Greek wedding dance handkerchief?
As I researched the Greek wedding dance, I tried to find out the significance of the handkerchief, but didn’t find anything specific. The best I can tell is that during the traditional KalamatianĂ³s, because the lead dancer holds the second dancer by the handkerchief instead of the hand, it allows them the freedom to improvise with more elaborate steps. If you read this and can offer some insight, I’d love to hear from you.
Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat
To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.
Five wishes for the new husband and wife –Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!