BRIDE AND BRIDEGROOM, words of Anglo-Saxon origin applied from very early times to a newly-married wife and husband, the more common form at present being bride and groom. It has been usual from the earliest period of antiquity to pay especial honors to a bride and groom, and in every age and among every people the wedding-day has been devoted to joyous and solemn ceremonies. It was celebrated among the Athenians by of ferings made in the morning to particular divin ities, to Zeus and Hera, and especially to Arte mis, who was thought to look with disfavor upon marriages. At nightfall she was con ducted to the bridegroom's house in a chariot drawn by a pair of mules and furnished with a kind of couch, on which she sat between her husband and one of his nearest friends. The bridal processon moved on, greeted and accom panied by friends bearing nuptial torches and singing songs. Then followed the marriage feast, to which, contrary to the usual Greek practice, women as well as men were invited; i and at its close the bride was conducted by the bridegroom to her apartment, where a law of Solon required that they should eat a quince together. On the day after the marriage, pres ents were made to the newly-married couple by their friends. Among the Romans the same custom prevailed, in memory of the rape of the Sabines. The wedding day was fixed, at least in early times, by consulting the auspices. The Roman marriage was usually, though not always, unattended by religious rites. The bride was conducted to the house of the bride groom by a procession and bore in her own hands the emblems of diligence, a distaff and a spindle with wool. The bridegroom received her within with fire and water, a symbol, per haps, of purification, and the ceremonies of the day were concluded by a repast given to friends and relatives. The bridal apartment, to which she was conducted by matrons who had not had more than one husband, was magnificently decked with flowers, and minstrels and friends sang without during the night.
In the days of our ancestors various cere monies, often amore honored in the breach than the observance,a were followed. The bride was undressed and put to bed by the bridemaids, and the bridegroom submitted to the same opera tion at the hands of the groomsmen. Then the posset, a drink made of milk, wine, yolks of eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, had to be served. Then there was sometimes another dila tory proceeding in the sewing of the bride in a sheet. The arraying of the bride in white, the wedding feast and the giving of presents • are ancient customs. As early as the time of James I, the presents received by the bride of Sir Philip Herbert amounted in value to $12,500, a notable expenditure of the kind for those days, but frequently surpassed at the present time by the value of a single bridal gift. The bridal kiss
is of unknown antiquity. The old missals, which date long before the acommon prayer book," enjoined it as an essential part of the marriage ceremony. Moreover, it was always done in church. The priest, too, at one time enjoyed the privilege of kissing the bride. Groomsmen claimed and took it for a long period. The ordinary accessories of the weddings of our days may mostly be traced to ancient times. The marriage ring probably encircled the finger of the wife of the first Pharaoh, and was certainly used in the Roman ceremonies under the emperors. Its heathen origin nearly led to its abolition by the Puritans of Cromwell's time. The wedding ring is always put and worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, because it was supposed in ancient times that an artery ran from this part directly to the heart. The bride cake is no less sanctified by antiquity than the ring. It is a symbol of plenty, and is intended to express the hope that the newly married pair may be always supplied with an abundance of the good things of this life. In ancient days wheat was sprinkled upon the head of the bride with the same intent. At present this custom is superseded, by the scattering of rice upon the bride and groom as they leave the house after the reception. The throwing of an old shoe after the couple shows traces of an old super stition. Passing bits of the cake through the wedding ring nine times, and putting them under the pillow to dream upon, was a practice in vogue long before our great-grandmothers lived and loved. Putting up the slices in white paper boxes is an innovation of later times. Wine was an invariable accompaniment of all mar riages, long before the marriage feast at Cana. In times past it was customary to drink it in the church, the priest having first blessed the cup, however, to suit it to the holiness of the place. The Jews universally hold to the custom of wine-drinking on the occasion of a marriage. After the bride and groom have drunk from the glass it is broken to remind them of mortality.
Modern custom lengthens out the privileges of bride and bridegroom beyond the wedding day. In former times, when the religious cere mony and the attendant festivities were over, all bridal honors ceased. These are now prolonged by the bridal tour. The term honeymoon, for merly applied to the first month of married life, is now more vaguely used and is sometimes given to the entire period of the bridal tour, even when that is extended over many weeks.