Humans seem to be hard wired for superstitious behavior. I remember the year my little brother’s baseball team went to the national championships. On the first day of their winning streak my Dad hadn’t shaved, and because it was a chilly late spring day, he kept his winter jacket zipped up to his chin. Well, our team kept winning round after round. Fast forward to mid-summer at the final championship game and my Dad was drawing curious stares as he paced behind the dugout resembling a sweaty Yhetti in the summer heat with his winter jacket zipped up to the top! Like somehow taking a razor to his face or sporting a t-shirt would cause his son’s team to lose!
We all have superstitions that we are reluctant to challenge…just in case. Many are deeply rooted in the traditions handed down through the generations before us, and we don’t even question them. In every culture, there is no life event that holds more superstitious activity than a wedding! As wedding photographers, you can imagine we have seen A LOT of weddings. There is an element of predictability to them all, because even the most wayward, unconventional brides still abide by at least SOME closely held customs and beliefs. And this got me thinking: Where did all of these bizarre wedding traditions come from?
So begins a new series for the curious bride: The Top Wedding Superstitions & Traditions Explained.
See Karen & Jonathan’s rainy wedding day in Playa del Carmen
Rain on Your Wedding Day is Good Luck?
“I pray for rain on my wedding day!” Said NO bride. Ever.
So WHY do we always reassure a nervous bride as she looks out the window at a dark, gloomy day the reasons to want rain on her wedding day? Just to make her feel better? Perhaps a little, but it’s more than that. Our ancestors held the belief that rain on a wedding day brings good luck for 4 symbolic reasons.
Rain symbolizes fertility
Newsflash: No sooner will your wedding guests throw the rice (more on THAT later in the series!) than they will start asking when you are having kids! Most cultures believe that children are an essential ingredient for a happy marriage and a prosperous life. And since Mother Earth needs rain to grow new life herself, the belief became that a rainy wedding day meant many healthy children for the bride and groom.
See Lauren & Chris’ rainy wedding day in Akumal
Rain is cleansing
Like a rainstorm washes away the dust and dirt on the top of your car, so too should you expect that it will wash away any unhappiness and negativity from your past and allow you move forward into a fresh new chapter of your life. Or so They say.
Rain for unity
Have you ever tried to untie a knot in your shoelaces if you’ve gone splashing in puddles? It’s nearly impossible! Therefore, rain on the day you ‘Tie the Knot’ is good luck because it means that your marriage will be just as solid and binding.
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Rainy tears
Here’s my personal favorite: Rain symbolizes tears, so if it rains on her wedding day it will be the last time the bride ever sheds tears! HA!
Whatever the explanation for this strange superstition, it rained on my wedding day (in the desert!) and we are still living happily ever after!
I don’t doubt that even with this in mind, you are still hoping the sun will shine on your wedding day. But if the forecast is looking gloomy, then here is our Brides’ Guide To Coping With A Rainy Wedding Day.
Read the next superstitious tradition in our series, something old, new, borrowed & blue!
If you are getting married in Riviera Maya, and are hunting for the best Playa del Carmen wedding photographer for your beach wedding, contact us now! We are Fun In The Sun Weddings, for the best Riviera Maya wedding photography.
Do you have a rainy day Plan B? We want to hear about it in the comments below!