Irish weddings are beloved by all here in Ireland. Alas, as we increasingly get influenced by other cultures, we are losing some of our sweetest traditions when it comes to getting married. Here are some rituals that can do with reviving!
Lucky Handkerchief
The lucky handkerchief is a really sweet tradition. A bride on her wedding day carries around a handkerchief made from lace or silk. She could put it in her bouquet or up her sleeve, down her cleavage or have it incorporated into her dress.
This handkerchief is to bring good luck. And, more importantly, fertility. After her wedding day, the bride would keep it for when she became pregnant. Upon the christening of her firstborn child, she would sew it into a bonnet for the baby to wear or pin it to the baby’s clothes.
This is to ensure that the fertility would stay with the handkerchief. After the bride is finished with the handkerchief, she can pass it on to the next generation so the ritual can be passed down from generation to generation.
Child of Prague
First of all, the Child of Prague statue is a small figurine that has been held up as holy for nearly 500 years. It sits in a Carmelite Church in Prague, Czech Republic.
The waxcoated wooden statue is of Spanish origin. It appeared in 1556, and was once owned by Teresa of Ávila, who had visions of Jesus. It found its way to Princess Polyxena of Lobkowicz in 1628, who donated it to the church, and it has stayed there ever since.
Irish people have had a particular devotion to it, and many have travelled to Prague to see it. Until recently, nearly every Catholic home has a replica statue. This tradition dates back centuries. Even today, brides still partake in this ritual, although it is dying out. So if your friend is a bride-to-be, a good engagement present is a little replica statue of the Child of Prague.
Jesus in the garden
Once the bride has a little statue of baby Jesus dressed in elaborate robes in her possession, she then places it in her garden or on her balcony. If positioned correctly, it is supposed to keep away the rain for her wedding day, and even better, get the sun to come out. When placing the statue in the garden, it must be in some kind of greenery, hidden almost. And always have it facing the house. You can also put money at its feet for extra luck.
Pierce Brosnan even used a statue on his big day. He told the Irish Examiner, “We got married in Ballintubber Abbey and held the reception in Ashford Castle. It was August and I remember this old woman telling me we had to get a Child of Prague statue and put it outside the west corner of the building to make sure it didn’t rain… So I staggered out after my night out with the lads and many Guinnesses into the gardens of Ashford Castle and found a hydrangea bush and put the statue in it. It actually was raining in the morning when we went into the cathedral and by the time we came out, it was golden.”
While it is very lucky to have a wedding that the sun shines on, if it is rainy, that’s okay. All you have to do is circle your heart three times with your left hand. That undoes any unluckiness of not having sunshine on you on the morning of your wedding.
Mi na Meala
Mi na meala translates as ‘the month of honey.’ This ritual is intended to last for one full moon, and, of course, this is where the term ‘honeymoon’ comes from. While honeymoons are pretty much standard after a wedding these days, back when this ritual started, things were a little different.
Hundreds of years ago the honeymoon actually meant that for one month following the wedding, the couple would be alone together. Every night for a whole moon cycle, they stayed together and drank mead. The sweet-tasting honey wine was always gifted to them by their wedding guests. It was thought to be good for virility and fertility.
The hope was that the bride would fall pregnant within one full moon of her wedding day. This good luck ritual came from very early in early Irish times, and has gone all over the world in some form.
Lucky Horseshoe
All around the world, a horseshoe is a symbol of luck. But Irish brides incorporated this luck into their wedding day in a big way – they would sew it into the underskirt of their dress! This was to bring extra luck to their marriage.
The brides, on their wedding day, would always have the horseshoe facing up! This is so that the good luck from the day fell into the horseshoe. Then, after the wedding, the groom would put it up in their new marital home, usually over a doorframe. This would keep the good luck in the horseshoe and in the family.
If the horseshoe fell upside down, this was seen as all the good luck falling out. In days past, the shoes were made of iron, which were really heavy! These days, brides don’t want to have an iron horseshoe sewn onto their wedding dress. So, they incorporate the good-luck horseshoe by having a small silver-coloured version in their bouquet or sewn inside their undergarments.
The modern horseshoes are also put into a garter or another item that can be worn. At the reception, the flower child can also gift a horseshoe or replica to the bride.
Sixpence in the Shoe
‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.’ But there’s more to this poem that has been cut off in modern times. The next line went, ‘And a sixpence in her shoe.’ A bride would traditionally wear an Irish sixpence in her left shoe. This would bring good luck for a wealthy and prosperous marriage.
There are not six pence in circulation in Ireland anymore. But you can still buy replicas for the purpose of wearing them in your wedding shoe on your wedding day. While this is dying out, it should be revived! These days, a lot of Irish brides superglue or tape the coins to the bottom of their shoes. Dancing all night with a coin in your shoe is not a good idea! If you can’t get a sixpence, you can just use any coin, the luck is the same!
Irish Wedding: Ringing the Bell
While this tradition is really sweet, it has a dark history. After a wedding in a church, the church bells are rung to symbolize the driving away of evil spirits. And, to remind the couple of the vows they’ve just taken.
However, during the 16th and 17th centuries, laws were passed that tried to stop Catholics from practicing their religion – the Penal Laws. Catholics had to gather secretly to attend mass. When they were forced to stop ringing the bells, the couple instead were gifted a belt that had a small handheld bell on it. It would symbolize the church bells.
After the wedding, this bell would be kept in the marital home, and it was renamed the makeup bell. This is so if ever the couple were in a fight or an argument, and they just wanted to end it, one of them could pick up the bell and ring it. It would remind them of their values, just like the church bells would have done. It was the sign of a truce and that they’re not allowed to fight anymore.
The penal laws ended in Ireland eventually. So, Catholics can ring the church bells after their wedding once again, but the makeup bell is still today a thoughtful gift for Irish weddings.
Irish Wedding: Wedding Coin
The Irish wedding coin is a very old tradition that a lot of couples still use in their ceremonies today. The groom gifts the wife a silver coin, usually just after the ring exchange. This is to represent that he will share with her all of his worldly possessions. He says with it, ‘I give you this as a token of all I possess.’
These days, it’s more common for the bride and groom to exchange coins, to symbolize sharing everything they have with each other. When they are exchanging coins, it’s good luck if the coins clink! It means that they are going to be blessed with children really fast! Coins can be bought from a jeweller and be engraved with initials and a wedding date.
The coin is then supposed to be an heirloom for generations. The bride will pass this coin on to her eldest born son on his wedding day. He gifts it to his bride, so and then it goes down from generation to generation.
Irish Wedding: Wedding Ring Prayer
This is a tradition that needs serious reviving as it has become very uncommon. In ancient Ireland, the bride and groom’s wedding rings would be passed around to all of the guests in the church before the wedding started, in a small basket or on a cushion.
As it passed each person, these guests would bestow upon it their blessings or prayers or simply good wishes for the bride and groom. By the time it goes back to the best man, these rings are full of good energy and positive vibes from all of their loved ones. This also can be performed at the reception, and it is then passed back to the bride and groom at a later stage.
Irish Wedding: Locking the Door
Irish men were suspected of having cold feet on the day of the wedding. As soon as the bride and groom are inside the church, the guests would immediately lock the door. This is done to make sure that the groom stays inside and finishes the whole ceremony.
Another tradition about doors from long ago, is that when people got married, the Irish wedding party made their way to the church one way, but would not come back on the same road from the church. They had to re-enter the door from a different direction. As the couple re-entered the house, the guests would take oaten bread and break it over the bride’s head as she came through the door.
Another tradition is that the groom’s mother should break the wedding cake over the bride’s head. The idea of the mother-in-law breaking the cake over the bride is to bring luck to the relationship. Hopefully, from that point on, they would not have fights or issues going forward. This may be the origin of the tradition where people rub cake into each other’s faces at weddings.
As you step out of the door, it is also fortunate to hear a bird song. You should step out with your left foot because that’s luckier. And once you leave the house, you’re not allowed to turn back for anything!
Irish Wedding: Cooking the Goose
Have you ever heard the phrase, “His goose is cooked!” and wondered where it came from? Well, it comes from an ancient Irish wedding tradition. In the past in Ireland, the day before an Irish wedding was announced to the village, the family of the bride would cook dinner for the groom at their home. The traditional dish for this meeting was a goose.
While the goose was cooking, the groom and the bride’s parents would sign important contracts related to the upcoming marriage. These included land rights and dowry agreements. Once the goose was done cooking, the groom’s decision to marry the bride was considered to be solidified. He had to marry her after the goose was cooked. Therefore, his goose was cooked!
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