这些浪漫的婚礼传统 原来起源这么黑暗！

婚礼总是和幸福、浪漫联系在一起，但在很久以前，婚礼上却充斥着恐惧，许多流传到现在的婚礼传统，起源一点也不浪漫。比如,新娘面纱和伴娘，都与驱赶恶灵有关。订婚戒指原本是用于宣誓丈夫对妻子的所有权，捧花则是为了隐藏新娘的体味。

今天就来了解一下婚礼传统的暗黑起源。

Romans used engagement rings to indicate ownership.

罗马人用订婚戒指来表明所有权

According to the American Gem Society, anthropologists believe that engagement rings date back to a Roman custom in which wives wore rings with keys attached, which indicated that their husbands owned them.

据美国宝石协会介绍，人类学家认为订婚戒指源于罗马的一个习俗，新娘的订婚戒指附带钥匙，表示丈夫对妻子的所有权。

Engagement rings began to get a little less dark in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria commissioned an extravagant diamond ring for his new wife. The accessory grew in popularity in the Victorian era, and gradually the diamond ring trend trickled down from nobility to the masses.

1477年，奥地利的麦克西米兰至公给新婚妻子定制了一枚奢侈的钻石戒指，自那以后订婚戒指的含义就没那么阴暗了。订婚戒指在维多利亚时代变得越发流行，订婚钻戒的习俗也从贵族流传到了民间。

Bridesmaids originally dressed alike to confuse vengeful spirits from harming the bride.

伴娘们穿一样的裙子是为了让恶灵分不清谁是新娘，无从加害

There is a theory that the tradition of bridesmaids dressing alike dates back to ancient Rome, the bride considered to be prime bait for vengeful spirits. So, all the women dressed alike to confuse the spirits from interrupting the bride and groom's nuptials.

有一种理论认为，伴娘穿着相似的习俗起源于古罗马时期，当时认为新娘是恶灵的主要目标。所以，所有的女性都穿着相似的裙子，让恶灵分不清谁是新娘，这样婚礼才不会受干扰。

Another theory, however, dates back to the Victorian era. Dr. Liz Gloyn, a lecturer in Royal Holloway at the University of London, told The Independent that the tradition stemmed from fear of competition.

另一种理论认为，伴娘裙的习俗起源于维多利亚时期。伦敦大学皇家霍洛威学院的讲师丽兹·格洛因博士告诉《独立报》说，该传统源于对竞争的恐惧。

"It is my belief that by regulating the bridesmaids formally into exactly the same garments, there was no room for any of them to try and outdo each other, let alone the bride, through the use of grander fabric, grander jewelry," Dr. Gloyn said.

格洛因博士说：“我认为，通过规定伴娘穿一样的衣服，伴娘就没机会比拼谁穿得更美，新娘可以不用担心被伴娘盖过风头，可以穿面料更高级的衣服，戴更奢华的珠宝。”

 

Centuries ago, a groom had to "kidnap" the bride if her family disapproved of their union. The best man was put in place to defend the groom in case the family retaliated.

几个世纪以前，如果女方家不同意两人的婚事，新郎就必须“绑架”新娘。伴郎的作用就是在女方家反击报复时保卫新郎。

The best man originated as the groom's choice protector. Many centuries ago, it was common for a groom to "steal" a bride from her family if they didn't approve of the union — and it was the best man's job to fight the family if they retaliated.

伴郎原先是新郎选定的个人护卫。许多世纪以前，在女方家不同意婚事的情况下，新郎“抢”新娘的做法很普遍，而伴郎的工作就是在女方家反击时和女方家作斗争。

It was also common practice for the best man to stand next to the groom with a sword in tow on the day of the wedding. In fact, ancient groups like the Huns, Goths, and Visigoths would store weapons in the floor of the church in the event of a brawl.

在婚礼当天，伴郎一般配着剑站在新郎旁边。事实上，匈奴人、哥特人和西哥特人等远古群落会在教堂地板上存放武器，以防斗殴发生。

brawl[brɔl]: n. 争吵；打架

 

Carrying the bride across the threshold was symbolic of the bride unwillingly leaving her family.

抱着新娘跨过门槛象征着新娘离开娘家人是不情愿的。

The practice of the groom carrying the bride across the threshold of their new home or bedroom dates back to ancient Rome. At the time, the bride had to prove that she didn't willingly leave her father's home, as doing so would have been improper.

新郎抱着新娘跨过新家或卧室的门槛，这一做法要追溯到古罗马时期。新娘这么做是要证明她不情愿离开娘家的，因为如果表现得太请愿会显得失礼。

Romans also believed evil spirits attempted to curse the couple one last time at the threshold, so the groom had to lift the bride's feet above the ground so as not to let the spirits enter her body.

罗马人还认为，恶灵会在门槛处试图最后一次诅咒新人，所以新郎必须让新娘双脚离地，以免恶灵进入新娘体内。

 

The bouquet was originally used to mask the bride's body odor, and it was often made with pungent herbs.

手捧花束原本是为了掩盖新娘的体味，过去花束通常是由味道浓烈的草药组成的。

According to the Huffington Post, the tradition of the bride carrying a bouquet dates back to the 15th century. In medieval times, people didn't smell quite as good as they do now, so brides carried fragrant bouquets to mask their own body odor. The bouquets were often made with strong herbs, like garlic and dill.

据《赫芬顿邮报》报道，新娘手握花束的传统要追溯到15世纪。在中古时代，人们的体味不像现在这样好闻，所以新娘会携带芬芳的花束来掩盖自身的体味。花束通常用味道浓烈的药草组成，比如大蒜和莳萝。

 

Actually, the reason June weddings are so popular is because people used to take their annual baths in May.

人们都爱在六月举行婚礼，其实是因为古人都是在五月份进行一年一度的沐浴的。

To this day, people fantasize about having a June wedding — but the fixation with that summer month dates back to the 15th century, and it also relates to smell. People used to take their annual baths in May, which made June the perfect time for a good-smelling public gathering.

直到今天，人们都很喜欢在六月举行婚礼，但这一偏好要追溯到15世纪，而且也和体味有关。过去人们在五月进行一年一度的沐浴，因此六月是举行公共聚会的最佳时间，那时候大家都比较好闻。

 

Veils used to be red so that the bride looked like she was on fire, which would scare maleficent spirits away.

过去头纱是红色的，新娘看上去就像一团火焰，据说这样能吓走恶灵。

Back in Roman times, the bridal veil was actually a red sheet called a "flammeum," which was designed to look like fire. The bride's entire body would be covered in it, in an attempt to scare off any evil spirits.

在罗马时期，新娘的头纱是一种名为flammeum的红布，看起来就像一团火焰。新娘全身都被红色头纱包裹着，目的是吓走恶灵。

Over time, the red went away, but veils remained a tactic used to shield the bride from maleficent forces. They also were used to weigh the bride down, and prevent them from running away.

随着时间流逝，人们渐渐不再用红色，但是头纱仍用来保护新娘不受恶灵袭击。头纱还有一个用处就是“压住”新娘，防止新娘逃跑。

maleficent[mə'lɛfəsnt]: adj. 有害的；做坏事的

 

The father handing off the bride to her husband used to be more of a business transaction.

新娘父亲亲手将女儿交给丈夫，这是因为婚姻曾经是一种交易

The tradition of the father of the bride walking his daughter down the aisle to "give her away" roughly dates back to the 1549 Book of Common Prayer and the Church of England. It was more of a business transaction than anything else, as the "giving away" referred to a transfer of property.

新娘的父亲陪同女儿走上红毯，亲手将女儿交给新郎，这一传统源于1549年英国国教的祈祷书。过去结婚更像是一笔交易，亲手交付女儿就好比资产移交。

"In Britain, as in many places, women had long been considered essentially the property of men, first their fathers and then their husbands," according to Time.

据《泰晤士报》报道：“在英国，和许多地方一样，长时间以来女性一直被视为男性的财产，先是父亲的财产，然后是丈夫的财产。”

 

Bachelor parties date back to ancient Sparta, and they have gotten more raucous as the years have gone on.

婚前单身派对源于古斯巴达，这种派对在后来变得日益粗俗喧闹

The tradition of a bachelor party, or "stag night," dates back to the 5th century BC in ancient Sparta. According to Time, "Spartan soldiers held a dinner in their friend's honor and made toasts on his behalf — with, one assumes, a Spartan sense of decorum. Since then, the events have generally grown more raucous."

婚前单身派对（stag night）要追溯到公元前5世纪的古斯巴达。据《泰晤士报》介绍：“斯巴达战士会为即将结婚的朋友摆一桌宴席，并用斯巴达礼节代表新郎祝酒。在那之后，单身派对就变得越来越喧闹。”

The more recent, wild iterations of bachelor parties gained popularity in the '80s, according to Time.

《泰晤士报》中写道，上世纪80年代，狂野的单身派对越来越受欢迎。

 

Honeymoons originated as trips to go see the family that couldn't make it to the wedding.

蜜月之旅的最初目的是为了拜访未能参加婚礼的家人

Honeymoons used to be relatively anti-climactic, originating in 18th century Britain as trips the newlyweds would take after the wedding to visit relatives who weren't able to attend.

蜜月在过去是比较平淡的一次旅行，可以追溯到18世纪的英国，新人在婚后的蜜月之旅是去拜访那些未能参加婚礼的亲人。

According to INSIDER, the word "honeymoon" became synonymous with a post-wedding vacation around 1791: "That usage first appears in a collection of German folk stories", according to the Oxford English dictionary.

据Insider网站介绍，在1791年左右，蜜月一词就成了婚后假期的代名词。根据《牛津英语辞典》，“蜜月一词的用法最早出现于一个德国传说故事集中”。

"'The new-married couple spent their honey-moon in Augspurg, in mutual happiness and innocent enjoyments, like the first human pair in the garden of Eden,' the sentence goes."

故事集中写道：“新婚夫妇在奥格斯伯格度过了蜜月，两个人感受到了共同的幸福和纯真的快乐，就像伊甸园中的第一对人类爱侣。”

anti-climactic: adj. 平淡；有虎头蛇尾之感