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These days wedding season is going on. Now after marriage the couple goes on honeymoon for a few days. But have you ever thought that when neither honey nor the moon is used during this period, then why is it called honeymoon?
Honeymoon is a great phase for a couple. During this time the couple tries to understand each other well. The couple spends time together, away from family and any kind of responsibility. But have you ever thought that when there is neither a ritual of using honey during this period nor is it any connection with the moon, then why is this phase called honeymoon?
Wedding season is going on. The glitter and splendor of bands and wedding processions are visible everywhere. A few days after the marriage, the newlywed couple takes a flight to a hill station, Goa or Maldives and goes for “honeymoon”. But a question arises – where is the honey in honeymoon? Leave aside the moon, even at night most couples turn off the hotel lights and sleep. Still, why is it called honeymoon all over the world?
The tradition is thousands of years old
The answer to this is very old and also a little scary. 5000 years ago, there was a cruel custom in the tribal areas of Northern Europe (like Germany, Scandinavia) – “Bride Kidnapping”. If the boy liked the girl and the girl’s family did not agree, then the boy along with his friends would forcibly abduct the bride. Then it was kept hidden in some secret place in the forest. After the marriage ceremony was over, the real game began. The bride was not allowed to go out for a whole month so that her family members could not find her. And during this entire month, he was given a special drink every night – Honey Mead. It was believed that honey has aphrodisiac properties to increase fertility. The more honey mixed with liquor is given to the bride, the sooner the bride will become pregnant and the marriage will be recognized in the society.
Concept related to full moon
This month was the exact time when the cycle from one full moon to the next was completed – that is, a “moon” (lunar month). That is why this entire period came to be called “Honey Moon” – honey wine + a full moon. Gradually civilization progressed, the custom of picking up the bride stopped, but the name remained the same – Honeymoon! Another theory also comes from Babylonia (today’s Iraq). There, after the marriage, the father of the bride would give liquor made from honey to the son-in-law for free for an entire lunar month so that the son-in-law remains happy and sweetness remains in the new couple. Even in England, till the 16th century, honey wine was gifted to newly married couples during the “Honey Moon” period.
