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The Grampound Times
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Edition 47

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ORANGE BLOSSOM TIME : JUNE

This is the traditional wedding month the Romans dedicated to Juno, the goddess of marriage.

There are many rituals still carried out before a wedding; such as ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’.
‘Something old’ recalls happiness of the anticipation of the marriage and the lace is generally old as in a handkerchief.

‘Something new’ is the symbol representing a successful marriage as well as a completely new wardrobe.

‘Something borrowed’ is generally something lent by a happily married woman as well as a symbol of loyalty of friends.

‘Something blue’ is the most important, being the colour of constancy and fidelity and often represented by a blue garter.

The wedding ring, too, is a symbol of love, although originally it was regarded as a ‘down-payment’ on the bride and also a sign that she was no longer available. Even the word ‘wed’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term for a security to bind a promise. The choice of the ring finger is also connected to ancient rites. The fourth finger on the left hand was chosen by the Greeks and the Romans as they believed a vein ran from it directly to the heart plus the more prosaic fact that it was thought the ring worn on the left hand of a woman was the weaker hand, symbolising women’s submission to man!

The throwing of confetti is another custom still in use, confetti being derived from the Italian for sweetmeats. The practice comes from the Roman tradition of throwing almonds and nuts as fertility symbols, as other countries throw rice, which is to encourage a sweet and fruitful marriage.

The prettiest tradition of all seems to be that of wearing flowers, especially orange blossom, in the hair. Legend has it that the first bride to wear orange blossom in the hair was a poor Spanish girl, the daughter of the King of Spain’s gardener. Her father was too poor to give her a dowry so her marriage could not go ahead. Meanwhile the King had just received the country’s first orange tree. The tree was much admired by the French Ambassador but when he asked for a cutting the King refused. So the gardener’s daughter secretly took a cutting; next day sold it to the Ambassador and thus acquired her dowry. On her wedding day she did not forget this and arranged the blossoms in her hair, creating a fashion still in use today.

BETTY MURDOCH