Irish wedding traditions & dating customs

It's interesting:
"I can’t imagine a happier way to start married life than in this wonderful venue with all their family and friends around them. Ok, so I can – but it would have to be an exceptionally big Jacuzzi."

Ireland is a country rich in history and folklore. It is also the home to literary masters such as Joyce, Wilde and Yeats. Thinking of Ireland often brings to mind Irish pubs and pints of Guinness and can fill the imagination with the wonder of leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's not surprising that Irish courtships and weddings are embraced with customs of their own.

1. Dating Traditions

   • Matchmaking was actively practiced in Ireland until the early 20th century. Irish matchmakers, known as Bahdoir, were responsible for matching compatible couples. The practice revolved historically around the Catholic calendar, with the busy season following Epiphany on January 6. This was originally due to a misunderstanding of the 1563 Catholic ruling that prohibited weddings during Lent. The Irish translated the ruling to mean that weddings had to take place prior to Lent, which made Shrovetide -- or the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday -- ideal days for a wedding. Once the union was arranged, the couple were encouraged to partake in a "walking out" -- literally a simple walk, or time spent together -- that gave the man and woman the opportunity to get to know one another. While the couple were on their date, the bride's parents would "walk the land", or pay a visit to the groom's family home, to assess its worthiness. Today, the small town of Lisdoonvarna hosts an annual matchmaking festival. Tourists flock to the town to consult with the local Bahdoir and also partaking in more modern matchmaking activities such as speed dating.

   Engagement Practices

   • Ireland is a country rich with romance although a traditional wedding proposal may seem to be lacking poetic prose. When ready to become engaged, the potential groom may ask his lover, "Would you like to be buried with my people?" or "Would you like to hang your washing next to mine?" If she answers in the affirmative, the Bride-to-be may wear a traditional "Claddagh" ring. Although the exact origin of the Claddagh is unknown, the significance of its design has been a part of Irish tradition for over 300 years. The elements of the design, two hands holding a heart surmounted by a crown, symbolize friendship, love and loyalty. An engaged or married woman traditionally wears the ring on her left hand with the top of the crown facing away from her heart, which symbolizes that her heart is taken. "Aitin the Gander" is another common Irish tradition. During the engagement, and traditionally on the day of the wedding, the groom is invited to the bride's family home for a goose dinner. This symbolizes the beginning of the wedding ceremony. In other words, once his goose is cooked, there is no escape.

   The Wedding Day

   • In addition to their love of folklore, the Irish hold good luck charms dear to their hearts. Irish brides used to carry a horseshoe for good luck on their wedding days with the shoe ends always held upward so the luck did not spill out. Modern Irish brides still honor this custom by either carrying a small porcelain horseshoe or wearing a fabric horseshoe around a wrist. Brides also carry a "Magic Hanky". This is a lace handkerchief that is later stitched to create a christening bonnet for the couple's first child. The stitches are then clipped and the hanky is passed on to the children to carry in their weddings. Irish weddings are festive affairs. A traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage, with Irish soda bread, is standard fare. A toast made with "Bunratty Mead" -- a honey wine -- traditionally signals the end of the wedding party. Mead is believed to have powers of virility and the beverage is given credit for children born nine months after the wedding. Whether the claim is true or not, Mead is still a favored beverage at wedding celebrations.

   Honeymoon

   • The bridal couple is traditionally given a special goblet and one month's worth of mead as a wedding gift. Tradition dictates that the couple must drink mead from the goblet every day for one month following the wedding. In fact, this quaint custom of drinking honey wine for one month is responsible for the term "Honeymoon".

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: country rich, couple were, dating customs, family home, good luck, honey wine, Ireland country