down, Europeans viewed the color red in a completely different light.
Speaking of Europeans, many Eastern orthodox ceremonies featured the placement of wreaths on the heads of both bride and groom. It was done to symbolize their place as king and queen of the heavenly kingdom of Earth.
With such a wide variety of traditions out there, it is interesting to note that two of them are almost universal among human culture: the wedding veil and the wedding ring.
The Veil
Wedding veils saw their origin among the Romans. Ancient Romans believed that women were particularly susceptible to possession by demonic spirits during weddings (perhaps they had a lot of runaway brides back then). The veil was used to “confuse” these spirits. To further help the bride out, bridesmaids were dressed in clothing similar to the bride’s. They were to act as decoys for these demons.
When Christianity took over, the veil was changed to represent chastity and modesty. This really took off in Britain during the 1800s. During some Eastern ceremonies, the groom is not allowed to remove his wife’s veil until after the ceremony. Jewish faith took the exact opposite approach. In some Jewish ceremonies, the groom first validates that the bride is his intended, before placing the veil over her face.
The Ring
Wedding rings are probably the oldest wedding traditions out there. They can be traced back over four thousand years, to the Egyptians. Ancient Egyptians would make rings out of twisted pieces of plants. The ring was meant to symbolize a love with no end. Egyptians and Romans both placed the ring on the 4th finger of the female’s left hand. This was done out of the belief that there was a vein on