What was the wedding in the early Roman Empire like?

In the early Roman Empire, weddings were held in a relatively simple form. Weddings are usually held at the bride's father's house. Before getting married, you should get engaged, and a couple in the future should exchange wedding tokens in front of relatives and friends of Adoplantani's wedding mural. The groom gave the bride some gifts and a ring, and the bride put the ring on her left ring finger. The sacrificial ceremony was held on the wedding day. After that, the couple promised each other, and then clasped their right hands to show their loyalty. Shaking hands is also a sign of commitment and harmony. In the evening, after the wedding reception, a cheerful team escorted the bride with a torch and arrived at the groom's house all the way under the background of flute and wedding suite. The bride was carried into the threshold by the groom. Before entering the bridal chamber, the bride must go through fire and water with the groom.

2. "* * * get married"

Ancient Roman nobles were keen to practice an ancient etiquette "eating marriage". It is called "* * * wedding" because the newlyweds have to eat bread at the wedding, and the wedding should be held in front of Jupiter's priest and notary. First, the bride's father offered sacrifices to his ancestors and gods, saying that he would marry his daughter to a certain family today; Then the groom (or his designated representative) welcomes the bride home. After the bride arrives, the groom should bathe the bride with water and help her touch Vulcan before going home to worship God. Then, kill a cow in the yard to pay homage to the god at home, and at the same time, the family and relatives sing poems to worship the god; Finally, the ceremony ended with the bride and groom eating a piece of wheat flour cake in public.

Generally speaking, people think that June is a good Yue Ji, and the exact date should be determined by the priests through divination. It is said that Caesar's father came from an ancient and prominent aristocratic family, so when he married Caesar's mother, he implemented the * * * marriage according to the above requirements. Later, Caesar's father became the chief executive of the Roman government and served as the governor of Asia. This may be the result of "auspicious marriage, God bless".

Adapt to the wedding

During the Roman Empire, the marriage of girls began at the age of 12 ~ 13, while the marriage of boys began at the age of 18. The patriarch's family circle is narrow, and boys get married when they start to work as administrators at the age of 24.

In Rome, there are many ways to get married, especially for the rich. The most solemn way is to present a gift in front of 10 witnesses. This ceremony is only used when the nobles get married, and the * * * and the end gradually disappear. The second way to get married is to "buy" his wife in front of at least five witnesses. This is a ritual handed down from ancient times, and the husband must give his father-in-law a dowry to marry his daughter. The third way, which is also the most common way, is called "custom" wedding, that is, the woman naturally enters her husband's house after living together for a whole year. In fact, only the Romans are interested in this type of marriage, at least the rich Romans. Because of the high mortality rate of women and easy divorce, it is often enough to write a divorce certificate, so the rich in Rome have to conclude three marital property marriages on average.

4. Wife exchange ceremony

In the/kloc-0th century BC, Kadong allowed Odonsius to marry his pregnant wife. But after the death of Odysseus, Kadong "remarried" his wife, which is the wife exchange ceremony. Why is this happening? Because marriage in ancient Rome was usually arranged by the father, marriage was not based on personal feelings and love, but on the necessity of harmonious coexistence and family inheritance, especially when the family had huge wealth. This task is more difficult, not to avoid responsibility or corrupt customs, but because of the high child mortality rate. At that time, only two-thirds of babies could grow up safely in early childhood, and only half of them could live to be 20 years old. Moreover, because the fertility of women over the age of 20 is greatly reduced. Therefore, in ancient Rome, it was not surprising to exchange wives or marry pregnant women.