Lá Bainise Shona!

Shamrocks, green, leprechauns, rainbows and luck o' the Irish to you! Today is St. Patrick's Day (and your Aunt Jodi Amoroso's birthday) and since we have some Irish in us, we thought's we'd take a look wedding traditions that hail from the Emerald Isle.

Engagements years ago were sealed with a handfasting, an ancient Celtic or pagan tradition, which nowadays is included in the wedding ceremony itself. It's where the bride and groom are holding hands and a cord is tied around their wrists, binding them to one another. The cord might be braided with significant colors to the couple or they may use a ribbon. This is where the term "tying the knot" comes from.

Bride's dresses were traditionally an icy blue and she might carry a horseshoe, ends up, to symbolize collecting good luck. This horseshoe is then hung in the couple's home. The bride might also carry bells to ward off evil spirits and a lacy handkerchief which is later made into a bonnet for the couple's first baby. The bride will probably need a purse for all this stuff!

The Claddagh ring is most popular for grooms, featuring two hands holding a crowned heart. The ring, around since the 1700s, represents loyalty, friendship and love. Sometimes both fiances would wear the Claddagh (which comes from a city near Galway) prior to the wedding with the end of the heart pointing away from the body then turn it around at the wedding so the end pointed toward the body, showing they were taken.

At the reception the couple might drink Poitín (or poteen), a whiskey made from potatoes (which grown in abundance in Ireland). They might also drink the honey wine, mead. We talked February 24 about how couples would drink mead for a phase of the moon, thus the honey moon. There are plenty of Irish drinks Ayla will certainly remember from her RiRa pub days. Toasting with a "Sláinte" for "Good health!"

The phrase "Your goose is cooked" is Irish and comes from weddings. Apparently a goose is cooked by the bride the night before the wedding. Once it's done, there's no turning back for the groom. Corned beef and cabbage is a popular wedding meal.

The traditional Irish wedding cake is more of a fruitcake. With all the tokens to ward away evil spirits, you wouldn't think you'd need a fruitcake, too.

You can do a little Irish gig, step dancing (think Riverdance) or even a traditional céilí (kay-lee) folkdance at the reception.

What is so interesting to us is that little bits and pieces of each of the nationalities we've learned about are already part of weddings and receptions in various ways. It is fun to see what other culture's customs are. So there are some Irish ones to choose from. Lá Bainise Shona (Happy Wedding Day)!

Discussion: What of the above traditions would you be willing to incorporate into your wedding or reception? Which are definite "no's."

Prayer: Father, how grateful we are to You, the Creator of all peoples and nations. Lord may everything that is part of the wedding and reception, bring You praise and glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.