Love Padlocks

     Throughout the ages, people have been searching for extraordinary ways to express their love for one another. Whether it be by means of breathtaking proposals accompanied with a gleaming rings or romantic vacations filled with laughs and entertainment, these people have succeeded in doing so. In the mid 1900s a fresher idea than the rest was introduced to couples all over the world; love padlocks.

     The tradition was first believed to have been established in the city of Pécs in Hungary, where students hung padlocks of all shapes and sized onto various fences and railings. Sources later confirmed that this tradition dated farther back and was actually introduced in China, where old padlocks are still seen hanging on numerous stretches of the Great Wall of China. Now, these love padlocks are seen all throughout the world, in Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, France, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom, the USA, and more. Each padlock is individually decorated with all sorts of heart-warming personal touches, really giving each and every hunk of metal it's own story and background. Love really is an extraordinary thing, a miracle, and these little padlocks are able to capture their own bits of it. 

By Julia Dankov

Наш Мастеркласс в Фотошколе ИЦФ в Харькове

Начало 4 Ноября.

http://digitalphotoart.com.ua/vyberi-kurs/author/svadba-viktor-miloslavskij/

The Irish Honeymoon

     The tradition of going on a honeymoon after a wedding is quite old and has been around for a while. Every couple dreams of going on a romantic trip of some sort with their loved one, whether it be to the tropics, the mountains, ect. The real question is though, how did such a tradition come to be? Well, we've got the Irish and their 'month of honey' to thank.

 
     Ever since the very beginning of Irish civilization, the 'month of honey' has been around, referring to the month after an Irish wedding in which the couples drink mead, a brew made of mainly fermented honey. The friends and relatives of these couples are the ones to supply significant amounts of mead, as well as special goblets to drink it out of. Such a tradition was believed to enhance virility and fertility, as well as simply set the marriage off to a good start. Although our ideas of honeymoons are quite modernized and varied, the idea and message remains the same.

By Julia Dankov

Sweden's Unusual Wedding Bouquets

      Flower bouquets are customary additions to weddings all around the globe, whether they stand in pots around the room for decoration or in lay in the hands of the bridesmaids. The Swedes, however, have quite an unusual take on the average wedding flower bouquet. If you ever choose to attend the wedding of any Swedish couple really wishing to follow one of the oldest wedding traditions in the book, then get ready to spend your entire night trying to breathe as little as humanly possible. Why, you ask? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that the Swedes often replace lilacs and lilies for smelly weeds.

      This old wedding tradition requires the bridesmaids to carry bouquets of putrid-smelling weeds in their arms for the entire night, just as any common wedding requires the bridesmaids to carry around bundles of pretty little blossoms. This is done to supposedly ward off trolls and other such evil spirits. You can only imagine how much fun the guests have at weddings like these, having to hold their breath for large portions of the entire night. On the bright side, at least they'll be sitting in rooms or restaurants that are virtually evil spirit free!

By Julia Dankov

Why the Veil?

     So you're at a wedding, waiting for the alliance of your good friends or relatives to be blessed and deemed official. You're sitting in a church or restaurant, wherever it may be, socializing amongst the other wedding guests. Out of nowhere, music starts playing, chatter subsides, and heads turn towards whatever entrance the venue has. There, the beautiful bride begins her way down the aisle or hall. Hushed whispers and proud smiles dance around the room as you look the woman over. You notice her flowing dress or any other attire, her polished accessories, and usually, her long, sweeping viel.

   
     Now, veils are very common accents to the wedding attires of brides all over the world. You may be wondering, why are they so popular, so important? The tradition of wearing a wedding veil is very old, dating back to as far as the ancient times. Yellow in ancient Greece and red in ancient Rome, the traditional wedding veil came in many varied shapes, sizes, and styles. Even in present day, wedding veils are available in thousands of different colors, materials, ect. There are many stories of the wedding veil's true origin. Some say it was worn to protect the bride from evil spirits on her day of marriage, for it concealed her face and confused these spirits. Others say it was worn to protect the bride from 'the evil eye' and to symbolize purity, chastity, and modesty. No matter the wedding veil's origin or where, when, and by whom it was worn, it really only stood for, and continues to stand for, one thing and one thing only; a truly happy event in any couple's life.

By Julia Dankov