![The wedding night](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/The_wedding_night.png)
The bedding ceremony refers to the
wedding custom of putting the
newlywed
Newlyweds are people who have recently entered into a marriage. The time frame during which a married couple is considered newlywed varies, but for social science research purposes it may be considered as up to six months into the marriage.Rebecca ...
couple together in the marital bed in front of numerous witnesses, usually family, friends, and neighbors, thereby completing the
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
.
The purpose of the ritual was to establish the
consummation
In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...
of the marriage, either by actually witnessing the couple's first
sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
or symbolically, by leaving before consummation. It symbolized the community's involvement in the marriage. The
legally binding
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
nature of the ceremony varied greatly from place to place and through time.
Traditions
![Brauysegen im Bett](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Brauysegen_im_Bett.gif)
Bedding rituals have been practised in various European cultures, the ceremony differing from place to place. The people putting the newlyweds in bed have usually included their family, friends and wider community. The ritual is often associated with music,
bawdy songs and jokes. It symbolised the community's involvement in the marriage and especially in the couple's
sexual intimacy
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...
, but also their
marital fidelity
Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riv ...
. The consummation itself, i.e. the couple's first
sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
, was not witnessed in most of
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
.
In England, the ceremony usually began with a priest
blessing
In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.
Etymology and Germanic paganism
The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...
the bed, after which the newlyweds prepared themselves for bed and drank
sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...
and
spicy wine
The use of wine tasting descriptors allows the taster to qualitatively relate the Aroma of wine, aromas and Flavor (taste), flavors that the taster experiences and can be used in assessing the overall quality of wine. Wine writers differentiat ...
. The
groomsmen
A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be s ...
and the
bridesmaid
Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...
s then sat on the sides of the bed and threw the couple's
stocking
Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...
s at them; a hit was believed to indicate that the thrower would soon marry. Finally the
curtains were drawn around the bed and the couple was left alone. Some newlyweds refused to take part in the bedding ceremony.
King Charles I of England () notably barred the door of his bedroom; however, despite his rejection, the custom remained prevalent for another century among all social classes, including the royal family.
In the 16th century, in what is now Germany, the bedding ceremony was performed to the sound of
pipes
Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to:
Objects
* Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules
** Piping, the use of pipes in industry
* Smoking pipe
** Tobacco pipe
* Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...
,
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
and "obscene noises," after which the couple was left alone and the guests continued celebrating loudly enough for the newlyweds not to be heard. In many places, the newlyweds were dressed for bed separately by their family or community and then led to the bedroom. In others, the couple was expected to rejoin the party afterwards. During the
Reformation era
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, the bedding ceremony was associated with rituals that assigned socioeconomic rights and duties to the bride as
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...
.
In
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
, it was the most distinguished wedding guest who led the bride to bed in a festive procession. After putting them in bed, the guests offered dishes to the newlyweds and quickly ate with them before leaving them alone. Due to the ritual's importance, specially decorated wedding beds were sometimes borrowed from friends, family or neighbours. The bedding eventually became merely symbolic, with the bride's parents covering the newlyweds with a blanket and then uncovering them.
Legal consequences
The original purpose of the bedding ceremony was to establish the
consummation
In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...
of the marriage, without which the union could be
annulled
Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost ...
. The legally binding nature of the ritual was unclear to many, particularly to lower classes. One marriage in Britain was annulled on the pretext that the bride had run away within 15 minutes of the ritual, and in another case, a
clandestine marriage
Clandestinity is a diriment impediment in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It invalidates a marriage performed without the presence of three witnesses, one of whom must be a priest or a deacon.
History
It was promulgated in the 16th ...
was made public when the pregnant wife shared her husband's deathbed. Public bedding in 18th-century Britain was widely believed to give additional legitimacy to the marriage.
In Scotland, although marriage was formed by simple consent and required no formalities or consummation, the bedding rituals were widespread but unstructured; a couple simply wanted someone to see them in bed together. A couple could also be pressured into marriage in this way: a person stumbling upon an unmarried couple in bed could pronounce them man and wife on the spot.
In medieval Scandinavia, the bedding ceremony was of great legal importance. Laws in many
Swedish province
The provinces of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges landskap) are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces; they have no administrative function (except for in some cases as sport districts), but remain historical legacies and a ...
s regarded public bedding as essential to the completion of a marriage, but the legal importance later diminished due to new royal laws. In Iceland, a marriage was only valid if it included the bedding ritual witnessed by at least six men.
In the case of royal marriages, the ceremony took on added significance.
In popular culture
The bedding ritual has featured in popular culture for centuries. It has been hinted at in ''The Penny Wedding'', an 1818 painting by
David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to:
* David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter
* David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist
* David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer
* David ...
, and possibly also in the homonymous 1819 painting by
Alexander Carse
Alexander Carse (c. 1770 – February 1843) was a Scottish painter known for his scenes of Scottish life. His works include a large canvas of George IV's visit to Leith and three early paintings of football matches.
Life
Carse was born in Inne ...
. Numerous songs also make references to the ceremony.
In the television series ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'', a bedding ceremony features in several episodes. It is conceived as a "
Westeros
The fictional world in which the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels by George R. R. Martin take place is divided into several continents, known collectively as The Known World.
Most of the story takes place on the continent of Westeros and in a ...
i tradition following the wedding feast", wherein the attendees forcibly undress and carry the newlyweds to their bed. The intention is to "celebrate a marriage's consummation".
See also
*
Beilager
*
Consummation
In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...
*
Yichud
In Jewish religious law (''halakha''), the laws of ''yichud'' ( he, איסור ייחוד ''issur yichud'', ''prohibition of seclusion'') prohibit seclusion in a private area of a man and a woman who are not married to each other. Such seclusi ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{portal bar, Law, Religion, Human sexuality
Wedding traditions
Beds
Sex and the law