婚禮總是和幸福、浪漫聯系在一起，但在很久以前，婚禮上卻充斥著恐懼，許多流傳到現在的婚禮傳統，起源一點也不浪漫。比如,新娘面紗和伴娘，都與驅趕惡靈有關。訂婚戒指原本是用于宣誓丈夫對妻子的所有權，捧花則是為了隱藏新娘的體味。

今天就來了解一下婚禮傳統的暗黑起源。

Romans used engagement rings to indicate ownership.

羅馬人用訂婚戒指來表明所有權

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.

據美國寶石協會介紹，人類學家認為訂婚戒指源于羅馬的一個習俗，新娘的訂婚戒指附帶鑰匙，表示丈夫對妻子的所有權。

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，奧地利的麥克西米蘭至公給新婚妻子定制了一枚奢侈的鉆石戒指，自那以后訂婚戒指的含義就沒那么陰暗了。訂婚戒指在維多利亞時代變得越發流行，訂婚鉆戒的習俗也從貴族流傳到了民間。

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

伴娘們穿一樣的裙子是為了讓惡靈分不清誰是新娘，無從加害

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.

有一種理論認為，伴娘穿著相似的習俗起源于古羅馬時期，當時認為新娘是惡靈的主要目標。所以，所有的女性都穿著相似的裙子，讓惡靈分不清誰是新娘，這樣婚禮才不會受干擾。

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.

另一種理論認為，伴娘裙的習俗起源于維多利亞時期。倫敦大學皇家霍洛威學院的講師麗茲·格洛因博士告訴《獨立報》說，該傳統源于對競爭的恐懼。

"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.

格洛因博士說：“我認為，通過規定伴娘穿一樣的衣服，伴娘就沒機會比拼誰穿得更美，新娘可以不用擔心被伴娘蓋過風頭，可以穿面料更高級的衣服，戴更奢華的珠寶?！?/p>

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.

幾個世紀以前，如果女方家不同意兩人的婚事，新郎就必須“綁架”新娘。伴郎的作用就是在女方家反擊報復時保衛新郎。

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.

伴郎原先是新郎選定的個人護衛。許多世紀以前，在女方家不同意婚事的情況下，新郎“搶”新娘的做法很普遍，而伴郎的工作就是在女方家反擊時和女方家作斗爭。

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.

在婚禮當天，伴郎一般配著劍站在新郎旁邊。事實上，匈奴人、哥特人和西哥特人等遠古群落會在教堂地板上存放武器，以防斗毆發生。

brawl[br?l]: n. 爭吵；打架

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

抱著新娘跨過門檻象征著新娘離開娘家人是不情愿的。

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.

新郎抱著新娘跨過新家或臥室的門檻，這一做法要追溯到古羅馬時期。新娘這么做是要證明她不情愿離開娘家的，因為如果表現得太請愿會顯得失禮。

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.

羅馬人還認為，惡靈會在門檻處試圖最后一次詛咒新人，所以新郎必須讓新娘雙腳離地，以免惡靈進入新娘體內。

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

手捧花束原本是為了掩蓋新娘的體味，過去花束通常是由味道濃烈的草藥組成的。

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.

據《赫芬頓郵報》報道，新娘手握花束的傳統要追溯到15世紀。在中古時代，人們的體味不像現在這樣好聞，所以新娘會攜帶芬芳的花束來掩蓋自身的體味?；ㄊǔＳ梦兜罎饬业乃幉萁M成，比如大蒜和蒔蘿。

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

人們都愛在六月舉行婚禮，其實是因為古人都是在五月份進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，人們都很喜歡在六月舉行婚禮，但這一偏好要追溯到15世紀，而且也和體味有關。過去人們在五月進行一年一度的沐浴，因此六月是舉行公共聚會的最佳時間，那時候大家都比較好聞。

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

過去頭紗是紅色的，新娘看上去就像一團火焰，據說這樣能嚇走惡靈。

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.

在羅馬時期，新娘的頭紗是一種名為flammeum的紅布，看起來就像一團火焰。新娘全身都被紅色頭紗包裹著，目的是嚇走惡靈。

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.

隨著時間流逝，人們漸漸不再用紅色，但是頭紗仍用來保護新娘不受惡靈襲擊。頭紗還有一個用處就是“壓住”新娘，防止新娘逃跑。

maleficent[m?'l?f?snt]: adj. 有害的；做壞事的

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

新娘父親親手將女兒交給丈夫，這是因為婚姻曾經是一種交易

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.

新娘的父親陪同女兒走上紅毯，親手將女兒交給新郎，這一傳統源于1549年英國國教的祈禱書。過去結婚更像是一筆交易，親手交付女兒就好比資產移交。

"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.

據《泰晤士報》報道：“在英國，和許多地方一樣，長時間以來女性一直被視為男性的財產，先是父親的財產，然后是丈夫的財產。”

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

婚前單身派對源于古斯巴達，這種派對在后來變得日益粗俗喧鬧

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."

婚前單身派對（stag night）要追溯到公元前5世紀的古斯巴達。據《泰晤士報》介紹：“斯巴達戰士會為即將結婚的朋友擺一桌宴席，并用斯巴達禮節代表新郎祝酒。在那之后，單身派對就變得越來越喧鬧?！?/p>

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

《泰晤士報》中寫道，上世紀80年代，狂野的單身派對越來越受歡迎。

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為了拜訪未能參加婚禮的家人

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.

蜜月在過去是比較平淡的一次旅行，可以追溯到18世紀的英國，新人在婚后的蜜月之旅是去拜訪那些未能參加婚禮的親人。

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.

據Insider網站介紹，在1791年左右，蜜月一詞就成了婚后假期的代名詞。根據《牛津英語辭典》，“蜜月一詞的用法最早出現于一個德國傳說故事集中”。

"'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."

故事集中寫道：“新婚夫婦在奧格斯伯格度過了蜜月，兩個人感受到了共同的幸福和純真的快樂，就像伊甸園中的第一對人類愛侶。”

anti-climactic: adj. 平淡；有虎頭蛇尾之感

英文來源：Insider

翻譯&編輯：丹妮