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almostido's avatar

Newlywed customs in Ireland?

Asked by almostido (4points) July 24th, 2011

There is a custom in Florence, Italy where sweethearts can “lock away their love” on a padlock on the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Are there any cute customs like this in Ireland? My fiance and I are planning on going to Ireland for our honeymoon, and are interested in learning about the honeymoon/sweetheart customs and traditions!

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3 Answers

Pied_Pfeffer's avatar

Welcome to Fluther, and congratulations on the upcoming wedding!

Here is one. You may not like the goal though:

The Irish translation for “honeymoon” is mi na meala, which means “the month of honey.” It was an Irish custom for the newlyweds to spend a month together drinking honeyed wine, secluded, in case their families tried to separate them. This was especially true if the couple had eloped. The belief was that after a month had passed the bride would become pregnant and her family would then desire her to remain with her new husband. Source

marinelife's avatar

“The Claddagh Ring

Named after Claddagh, a fishing village in Galway (in Western Ireland), the Claddagh ring is handed down from mother to daughter and is used both as the betrothal and wedding ring. It is worn with the crowns facing inward, toward the wrist, on betrothal, and outward, toward the nail, upon marriage. Today, it is still used as a wedding ring and it is considered improper for a person to buy one for him or herself; it must be given as a gift.”

“The Month of Honey

The word for honey is “meala” in Irish. “Mi na meala,” the month of honey, refers to the month after the wedding when the newlyweds celebrated by drinking mead, a brew made of fermented honey. Following the wedding, a sufficient amount of mead was given to the bride and groom, along with special goblets, so they could share the unique brew for one full moon after their wedding—and thus the term honeymoon was coined. It was believed that this delicate yet potent drink was the best way to ensure a good beginning for a new marriage, and it was also believed to endow powers of virility and fertility.

TheKnot

Kardamom's avatar

I believe kissing the blarney stone is still in fashion. Read about that here

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