Wedding Traditions #2- The Ring

What symbolizes weddings and marriage more than the ring? Indeed, although wedding rings have gotten more ornate over the centuries, that simple band of gold is still synonymous with the joining of the bride and groom into a married couple.

Wedding rings are a very old European custom that has spread throughout the world. We know for a fact that wedding rings were exchanged in Ancient Rome and were most likely used in Greece and Italy long before that. But ancient wedding rings had a much different meaning than what we think of them today.

Back in the day, weddings were more of a contract between two families than the culmination of love between two people. Marriages were contracted to protect fortunes and bloodlines and could often be used as a means of social advancement. This holds true for the elite and the common people. You did not want to "marry down." That was social suicide. Wedding rings were simple bands (not unlike modern ones) cast out of metal. The more affluent the family, the more expensive the metal. And affluent families would have the last names of the bride and the groom as well as the wedding date engraved inside the ring to show when the two families were contracted together.

In addition to symbolizing the junction of two families, the wedding ring also symbolized the sharing of goods. The bride brought a dowry to the relationship. It could be money, land, animals etc. The amount of the dowry was directly proportional to how rich her family was. The bride also brought her own personal clothing and household goods. The ring was provided by the groom's family to show their wealth (again, the more affluent the family, the more expensive the metal used in the ring with gold as the pinnacle of success).

Have people always worn wedding bands on their left hands? Nope. Traditionally (and in many cultures even today) the wedding band was worn on the ring finger of the RIGHT hand. The Latin word for right roughly translates into our modern word for dexterity. So you wore your ring on your right, or more dexterous, hand. By the same token, the Latin word for left translates to the modern word sinister. So it was evil to wear it on your left. Anything "left" was considered evil. As a leftie, I have a huge problem with that.

However, there were people who believed that the so-called "love vein" ran directly from the left ring finger to the heart. Once love began to play more of a role in marriage, people began wearing wedding bands on that finger and for Western Europe and its descendents, the tradition stuck.

In modern times, the wedding ring is not always a traditional gold band. Regular gold sort of fell out of fashion in the latter part of the 20th century so now bands of white gold and platinum are much more popular. Also, it is nothing unusual to see wedding bands dripping with gemstones nowadays.

And it's not even just wedding bands anymore. Engagement rings have been around for quite sometime. Originally they were considered betrothal rings. A betrothal was just as binding as a marriage in most cases so a betrothal ring cemented the deal until an official wedding ceremony could be held. Now we have the promise ring- typically given when the relationship becomes serious (sort of a pre-engagement engagement ring I guess), the eternity ring- a more elaborate version of the wedding band given after X number of years of wedded bliss (wonder how many of those are actually given today?), and the mother's ring- where a husband gives his wife a ring with his, hers and their children's birthstones to celebrate how a couple has become a family.

In case you are wondering, for me, the perfect ring set would be an emerald cut diamond (the bigger the better) for an engagement ring and a plain band for the wedding ring. And yes, despite the more modern inclinations, HE would be wearing one too. I'm not marrying anybody who won't wear a wedding band too. Now if I could just find him...

Happy Midsummer's Eve

Today is the Summer Solstice, or to put it in technical terms, the day of the year that the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined toward the Sun. Yeah, if you are like me, sitting there with a confused look on your face that just screams "Huh?" think about it like this...today is the day of the year with the longest amount of sunlight. Ahhh...that makes more sense.

And of course if there is more daylight, then there's more time to party. So guess what?...?...? Yup, Midsummer's Eve has historically been one of the big festival days in the world. In ancient times, people believed that the most medicinal plants bloomed profusely on Midsummer's Eve, so if you were having trouble getting pregnant, Midsummer's Eve was when you gathered herbs known for increasing fertility. If you had a problem with fever-causing illnesses, you gathered Feverfew on Midsummer's Eve to try to make yourself healthier for the rest of the year. Huge festivals with dancing and bonfires were held all over the world.

As Christianity spread, most priests saw Midsummer's Eve festivals as heretic pagan rituals so tradition got a religious bend. The Summer Solstice became the day to celebrate the works of St. John the Baptist. You still had the feasts, plant gathering and bonfires but now they were in honor of St. John. The pic above is of the 2009 fuegos de San Juan (fires of St. John) in the Spanish countryside.

The custom hasn't changed much in the past millennia and a half. All across the world today, people will be having their big picnic-type festivals and burning their bonfires after the sun goes down. For the devout, Midsummer's Eve is still a day to celebrate St. John; for the not quite as devout, Midsummer's Eve has actually become a celebration of the beginning of Summer.

I love me some crazy holidays, especially when I can throw the words "pagan" and "fertility" in there, but I'm not to sure about this one. It has been hot as Hades in my neck of the woods for the past few days so I'm not going to be celebrating the fact that it's going to get HOTTER! So I think I'll forego the bonfire and just remember the works of St. John the Baptist and try to forget the temperature.

Congratulations CSCC Honors Scholars

I just noticed that they have released the President's List and Dean's List of honor students for the Spring semester. I think I saw about 15 of my students on the lists. I am really proud of you guys. Major congrats to all of you who made it- especially my past and present students. You really should give yourselves a big pat on the back because you definitely deserve it.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Book Review: The Millennium Trilogy

Usually when I recommend books to my blog family, they are young adult books. That's what I write so I spend a lot of time reading books from that particular genre. However, I am actually a voracious reader. I'll read anything that will hold still long enough. I can honestly say that up until this point, I had never read a foreign book/translated book- for pleasure I mean. I've read loads of international stuff for academic purposes and usually I felt like a blithering idiot.

Maybe that's why it took me a while to read Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. I had heard about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and knew that it was a translation of a Swedish work, so in my mind it went into the not-gonna-read-it pile. And then...Caitin read it and its sequel, The Girl who Played with Fire. She was so impressed by them that she talked me into reading them. I figured I'd have to muddle through them, maybe read about 1/2 of Dragon to placate her and then move on.

Twenty pages into it and I was hooked. Larsson's characters are so cool because they are flawed people. The hero, Mikael Blomkvist, and heroine, Lisbeth Salander, are not actually what you would think of in terms of hero and heroine. Both of them are broken people because of things that have happened to them in their respective pasts and both are literally trying to overcome their pasts- in Lisbeth's case that means kicking ass and taking names. And that's just the backstory! All three books are mysteries with Blomkvist and Salander trying to figure out whodunnit while battling their own demons.

I literally flew through Dragon and Fire and waited with baited breath for The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third book in the trilogy, to come out just so I could find out what Lisbeth was going to do next. You would think that by now I would have learned to listen to Caitlin. *shrugs*

I do have to give you this one little caveat in my otherwise glowing recommendation of the trilogy though. If you are looking for happy little tales or some light reading, skip the Millennium Trilogy at this point. None of these books are exactly what I would call easy reading. They are set in Sweden and you just have to smile and nod at the fact that the characters eat some of the nastiest stuff and the fact that a 20 degree day is short-sleeve weather for them. Go into it with the knowledge that unless you have been to Sweden, you aren't going to recognize the places Larsson describes.

But, believe me, if you take the time to read the Millennium Trilogy, you will be so glad you did.

World Cup Fever

Four years ago, Caitlin was bouncing off the walls, literally refusing to leave the house for the entire month of June because the 2006 World Cup was on and she wanted to be able to watch every single game. To be perfectly honest with you, I didn't have the foggiest clue what sport actually competed for the World Cup. When I found out it was soccer, I sort of gave her the side-eye and wondered how in the world my gently raised little Southern girl ever learned what soccer was. I mean, we're a college football kind of family. ROCKY TOP BABY!!! I had never seen a soccer game. I remember waving my hand dismissively because there was simply no way soccer could be as interesting as football, could there?

Flash forward to 2010. Caitlin wants to be a diplomat in Spain when she gets out of school. Her interest in soccer has increased since the 2006 World Cup and like a good mommy, I figured if my baby was into the game and was going to end up living in Spain one of these days, I ought to at least support her.

OMG, folks, I am here to tell you that I am a convert. I was wrong. Soccer IS as good as college football. You have to support a club team and our team of choice is Barcelona. Caitlin has decided that she is going to marry their coach one of these days (Check out his pic associated with her name in the followers list). We have spent our Saturdays and Sundays watching countless numbers of games. We must watch Barcelona play and we have to watch the other games that might effect Barca's standings. I know, I know...we've gotten all die hard now!

The 2010 World Cup started this week and yup, you guessed it, we're both glued to the television supporting Spain (I'm pulling for the USA team too but I just don't think they'll go very far). Going into the tournament, Spain was the favorite to win the whole thing. I say "was" because they sort of muffed their opening match game with Switzerland yesterday. It was a nailbiter though; I sat on the floor screaming and trying to kick the ball for them. Despite the loss, I'm still pulling for Spain FTW.

The more games I watch, the more I'm learning the ropes. I have actually begun to understand the rules and regulations a little bit. Caitlin says that by the end of this year's World Cup, I might actually have moved up from youngling to Padawan. I will freely admit to you that one thing that keeps me watching is the fact that there are a lot of cutie patooties on the soccer pitch. I figure that if Caitlin gets to claim Barcelona's coach then I get to pick one for myself- only fair, don't you think?- so if you look at the pic at the top of the post, Spain's #3 Gerard Pique' is spoken for. To borrow a phrase from Bill from True Blood, "Pique' is MINE!"

Regardless, if you aren't a soccer fan, give it a chance. Don't be surprised if you end up addicted to it like me!

Wedding Traditions #1- June Weddings

Whip out the lifestyle section of your Sunday paper and 5 bucks says it's filled with wedding announcements. We just sort of accept the idea that every year when June rolls around, it's going to be filled with weddings. (Unless you are in my family that is- see the earlier "Wedding Bells" post about my brother's May wedding)Historians, wedding planners and brides-to-be in general will tell you that traditionally June is THE month for weddings. OK, so my question is...why?

The month of June is named in honor of Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Juno protected wives so it makes sense that women would want to get marries in Juno's month. Suck up to the goddess a little to ensure you have her keeping a close eye on your marriage.

There are also more practical reasons that ancient brides chose June for their wedding celebrations. #1, you were coming out of Lent, the penitential season. You could actually have big festivities. #2, the month of May was when people tended to have their annual baths and clothes washing. As bad as it sounds to say it, if you got married in June, your guests (and you and your groom for that matter) probably smelled better and were wearing clean clothes. #3, if you conceived your first child within a few weeks of a June wedding date, that baby would be born in spring the next year. That meant you wouldn't be suffering through the late summer heat with a big belly and swollen ankles, you wouldn't be going through labor in the winter snowstorms and most likely you would be recovered enough from childbirth to participate in the spring planting season. Practicality was big to ancient folks.

Now, in the modern world, such practicalities don't necessarily hold water anymore but June is still a big time for weddings. Again why? To be truthful, we have our modern practicalities. Brides love outdoor weddings. June is warm but not as rainy as May or as stiflingly hot as July and August so a better chance for good wedding weather. Also, children are out of school and most people have their vacation time scheduled for the summer. That way more people are able to travel for weddings. And big honeymoon destinations tend to offer wedding/honeymoon specials in June.

Interestingly enough, although June is the traditional month for weddings, when I was digging up the info to tell you "why," I stumbled on something that surprised me. 21st century brides aren't into the idea of being June brides like those who came before them. For the past 10 years, July and August have been the months that the most weddings have been held in the United States. June comes in at a close 3rd. Makes you wonder if in a few centuries down the road, somebody will be blogging about why August is the traditional wedding month.

Happy Flag Day

I know, I know...Flag Day isn't really a holiday but hey, the American Flag is a symbol of the past, present and future of this wonderful nation- the past being the 13 stripes representing the original 13 states, the present being the 50 stars representing the 50 states and the future being the fact that there is hope that this great nation will endure. Here I go, getting on my soap box again but for over 2 centuries, people have fought and died to give us the opportunity to fly this flag so what can I say, I get a little patriotic now and then.

Flag Day is always celebrated on June 14 because on that day in 1777, in the midst of the American Revolution, the Second Continental Congress adopted the first American Flag. Until the early 1900's Flag Day celebrations tended to be local things. Civic groups would hang a new city flag, picnics would be held on the town square, all that good stuff. Pennsylvania was (and still is) the only state to recognize Flag Day as an official state holiday.

In 1907, the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks decided that the US government wasn't doing enough to honor the American flag so Elks Lodge leaders decreed that Elks Lodges across the country had to hold bigger celebrations on Flag Day.

On Flag Day the very next year, in 1908, President Teddy Roosevelt was eating in a restaurant in Philadelpha when he thought he saw a fellow diner blow his nose on what appeared to be a small version of the flag. Completely enraged at this abuse of the flag, TR jumped up, grabbed a small wooden rod laying nearby and smacked the guy 5 or 6 times on the head. That's when he noticed that the man's "flag" was actually just a navy blue handkerchief embroidered with white stars. Teddy apologized for the beat-down and then popped the man in the head one more time for good measure since he got him all riled up with an excess of patriotism. Imagine sitting there enjoying your lunch and the President of the United States whopping you upside the head with a big stick!

By 1916, the Elks' Flag Day celebrations caught the attention of President Woodrow Wilson who decreed that although Flag Day wasn't an official Federal holiday, all government buildings would henceforth fly the flag and celebrations would be held.

Today, throughout the country, there will be parades, celebrations and new flags flying. The Boy Scouts are setting up stations for people to drop off their old flags so that they can be properly destroyed.

So, even though it's not a real holiday, please take a moment today to remember what our flag stands for and to honor those who have fought and died so we can fly it.