As the saying goes, a bride at her wedding had best be decked with “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. What you may not know, is that she is also supposed to have a sixpence in her shoe. This Victorian saying has become so ingrained in our wedding traditions that the meaning and origin have gotten somewhat blurry. Perhaps we all are a bit more superstitious than we think, and no one wants to mess around with luck on such an auspicious day.
The first written proof of this rhyme was in an an 1871 magazine article “Marriage Superstitions, and the Miseries of a Bride Elect.” The Victorian era was rife with misfortune for women. Women’s rights in property and marriage (and basically everything else) were scant to say the least, and marriage was both a blessing and a curse. In other words, she needed all the luck she could get.
These items were lovingly provided by women in the bride’s life who were there to support, advise, and guide her through the trials and tribulations of marriage and motherhood. Something old symbolizes ancestry, while something new is a blessing for the future. Something borrowed was originally associated with borrowing the undergarments (often a garter) of someone who had born children, so that fertility might transfer to the new bride. Something blue is thought to be helpful in deflecting the Evil Eye which, if cast upon a married woman, could render her “barren,” and the sixpence in the left shoe is both to bring prosperity and to neutralize bad luck associated with the left foot. As you can see, superstition abounds.
While the significance of this rhyme has changed with the character of each bygone era, the core of the tradition holds true: Gifts given with love and imbued with luck, ancestry, prosperity, and safety at the beginning of a new life chapter are a beautiful thing.
Image by Kivus and Camera
Kai Hill
