婚禮總是和幸福、浪漫聯(lián)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(xiàn)在的婚禮傳統(tǒng)，起源一點(diǎn)也不浪漫。比如,新娘面紗和伴娘，都與驅(qū)趕惡靈有關(guān)。訂婚戒指原本是用于宣誓丈夫?qū)ζ拮拥乃袡?quán)，捧花則是為了隱藏新娘的體味。

今天就來(lái)了解一下婚禮傳統(tǒng)的暗黑起源。

Romans used engagement rings to indicate ownership.

羅馬人用訂婚戒指來(lái)表明所有權(quán)

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(jù)美國(guó)寶石協(xié)會(huì)介紹，人類(lèi)學(xué)家認(rèn)為訂婚戒指源于羅馬的一個(gè)習(xí)俗，新娘的訂婚戒指附帶鑰匙，表示丈夫?qū)ζ拮拥乃袡?quán)。

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(méi)那么陰暗了。訂婚戒指在維多利亞時(shí)代變得越發(fā)流行，訂婚鉆戒的習(xí)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(shuí)是新娘，無(wú)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(rèn)為，伴娘穿著相似的習(xí)俗起源于古羅馬時(shí)期，當(dāng)時(shí)認(rèn)為新娘是惡靈的主要目標(biāo)。所以，所有的女性都穿著相似的裙子，讓惡靈分不清誰(shuí)是新娘，這樣婚禮才不會(huì)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(rèn)為，伴娘裙的習(xí)俗起源于維多利亞時(shí)期。倫敦大學(xué)皇家霍洛威學(xué)院的講師麗茲·格洛因博士告訴《獨(dú)立報(bào)》說(shuō)，該傳統(tǒng)源于對(duì)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)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(shuō)：“我認(rèn)為，通過(guò)規(guī)定伴娘穿一樣的衣服，伴娘就沒(méi)機(jī)會(huì)比拼誰(shuí)穿得更美，新娘可以不用擔(dān)心被伴娘蓋過(guò)風(fēng)頭，可以穿面料更高級(jí)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(gè)世紀(jì)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(bào)復(fù)時(shí)保衛(wèi)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(gè)人護(hù)衛(wèi)。許多世紀(jì)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(shí)和女方家作斗爭(zhēng)。

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(dāng)天，伴郎一般配著劍站在新郎旁邊。事實(shí)上，匈奴人、哥特人和西哥特人等遠(yuǎn)古群落會(huì)在教堂地板上存放武器，以防斗毆發(fā)生。

brawl[br?l]: n. 爭(zhēng)吵；打架

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

抱著新娘跨過(guò)門(mén)檻象征著新娘離開(kāi)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(guò)新家或臥室的門(mén)檻，這一做法要追溯到古羅馬時(shí)期。新娘這么做是要證明她不情愿離開(kāi)娘家的，因?yàn)槿绻憩F(xiàn)得太請(qǐng)?jiān)笗?huì)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(rèn)為，惡靈會(huì)在門(mén)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(jìn)入新娘體內(nèi)。

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(guò)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(jù)《赫芬頓郵報(bào)》報(bào)道，新娘手握花束的傳統(tǒng)要追溯到15世紀(jì)。在中古時(shí)代，人們的體味不像現(xiàn)在這樣好聞，所以新娘會(huì)攜帶芬芳的花束來(lái)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(ài)在六月舉行婚禮，其實(shí)是因?yàn)楣湃硕际窃谖逶路葸M(jìn)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(jì)，而且也和體味有關(guān)。過(guò)去人們?cè)谖逶逻M(jìn)行一年一度的沐浴，因此六月是舉行公共聚會(huì)的最佳時(shí)間，那時(shí)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(guò)去頭紗是紅色的，新娘看上去就像一團(tuán)火焰，據(jù)說(shuō)這樣能?chē)樧邜红`。

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(shí)期，新娘的頭紗是一種名為flammeum的紅布，看起來(lái)就像一團(tuán)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(shí)間流逝，人們漸漸不再用紅色，但是頭紗仍用來(lái)保護(hù)新娘不受惡靈襲擊。頭紗還有一個(gè)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?yàn)榛橐鲈?jīng)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(tǒng)源于1549年英國(guó)國(guó)教的祈禱書(shū)。過(guò)去結(jié)婚更像是一筆交易，親手交付女兒就好比資產(chǎn)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(jù)《泰晤士報(bào)》報(bào)道：“在英國(guó)，和許多地方一樣，長(zhǎng)時(shí)間以來(lái)女性一直被視為男性的財(cái)產(chǎn)，先是父親的財(cái)產(chǎn)，然后是丈夫的財(cái)產(chǎn)?！?/p>

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(duì)源于古斯巴達(dá)，這種派對(duì)在后來(lái)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(duì)（stag night）要追溯到公元前5世紀(jì)的古斯巴達(dá)。據(jù)《泰晤士報(bào)》介紹：“斯巴達(dá)戰(zhàn)士會(huì)為即將結(jié)婚的朋友擺一桌宴席，并用斯巴達(dá)禮節(jié)代表新郎祝酒。在那之后，單身派對(duì)就變得越來(lái)越喧鬧。”

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

《泰晤士報(bào)》中寫(xiě)道，上世紀(jì)80年代，狂野的單身派對(duì)越來(lái)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(guò)去是比較平淡的一次旅行，可以追溯到18世紀(jì)的英國(guó)，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(jù)Insider網(wǎng)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(jù)《牛津英語(yǔ)辭典》，“蜜月一詞的用法最早出現(xiàn)于一個(gè)德國(guó)傳說(shuō)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(xiě)道：“新婚夫婦在奧格斯伯格度過(guò)了蜜月，兩個(gè)人感受到了共同的幸福和純真的快樂(lè)，就像伊甸園中的第一對(duì)人類(lèi)愛(ài)侶?！?/p>

anti-climactic: adj. 平淡；有虎頭蛇尾之感

英文來(lái)源：Insider

翻譯&編輯：丹妮