Wedding Traditions and Their Meanings

By Gary M. Roberts

The meaning and reason behind the most common wedding traditions and why we do them. Traditions are wonderful but have you ever wondered why we do what we do? Why does the groom carry the bride across the threshold? Why is the "best man" called the best man? Why does the bride stand on the left side? These and many more questions are answered, plus the history and superstitions regarding the wedding ceremony. A must have for the bride and groom to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gary M. Roberts
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463329900

Gary M. Roberts

Dr. Gary M. Roberts has been a pastor and teacher for over thirty years. Besides writing, he has also been a law enforcement officer for almost forty years. He has earned a Masters Degree in Education, a Doctorate in Theology and numerous awards and certifications in law enforcement as well as for teaching. He and his wife live on a farm just outside of Savannah Georgia. His hobbies are writing, fishing and horses.

Book preview

Wedding Traditions

and their

Meanings

Gary M. Roberts

Dedicated to brides and grooms everywhere. With special thanks to my bride, Carol, for encouraging me.

Copyright © 2018 Gary M. Roberts

All rights reserved.

Forward –

Traditions are a large part of every culture in the world. They are our customs or beliefs that are passed on from generation to generation, and are typically filled with symbolic meaning or special significance. While traditions are indeed a wonderful way to pass on our heritage to the next generation, they become impractical if the original meaning is lost.

For example: A young woman was once asked by her twelve-year-old daughter, mom, why do you always cut the end of the ham (the hock) off before putting both pieces in the pan? The young mother replied, because my mother always did.

After thinking about her daughter’s question, the young mother telephoned her mother out of curiosity and asked her why she always cut the hock off the ham before putting it in the pan. Her mother said, because my mother always did.

The next weekend they all went to see great-grandma in the nursing home and asked her why she always cut the ham hock off the ham and then put both pieces in the pan. Great-grandma replied, because I never had a pan long enough to put it in whole.

So, while traditions are great to pass along, it is also important to know the meaning behind the tradition; otherwise, we are just going through the motions. It is the same principle