Bridal crown
.jpg)
The bridal crown (regionally also named differently, e.g. in Franconian Switzerland Flitterkranz or Hoher Kranz , in the Black Forest Schäppel ) is a headgear that single women wear on holidays and celebrations, most recently on their wedding day. When Marie von Sachsen-Altenburg married King Georg V of Hanover on February 18, 1843 in the castle church of Hanover , Georg V wore a large golden crown and his bride Marie von Sachsen-Altenburg a slightly smaller golden bridal crown.
history
Compared to the bridal wreath and veil , the bridal crown is probably the oldest piece of jewelry on the female head. The bride wanted to represent her purity with this symbol and was at the same time a status symbol for the family. The bridal crown was and is particularly popular in rural areas. In some areas the bride took off the crown after going to church and hung it over the wedding table as a sign of peace.
The appearance was very different depending on the area and location. In the beginning, they were decorated with flowers, fir branches, herbs and ripe fruits. In later times and still today, more valuable materials such as pearls , mirrors , silver and gold were used.
Only wealthy families could afford this valuable headdress. The less affluent could borrow it, mostly from neighbors and friends, who were then paid in kind in return. Often the churches or parishes also had such bridal crowns so that they could be borrowed there. In the course of the 18th century, the bridal crown was replaced by the bridal wreath in many places, as was already to be found as a pagan custom in the 4th century.
Why certain families or individuals understood the "unofficial" craft of making bridal crowns may have something to do with the fact that there were always people with special skills for this extraordinary work - but often the production also took place in poorer families who could earn something in this way. Thus, the quality of the crowns is very different depending on the region. The poorer an area, the more reduced and simpler the material. In wooded regions, where the glassblowing trade was very widespread, there were rather a lot of glass balls and few metal tinsel, while for example in the area around Nuremberg, where a distinctive brass drawing trade had been established since the Renaissance, mostly and in great variety brass tinsel and fewer glass balls in the Traditional costume crowns were processed. In very poor regions such as the Rhön or the Lüneburg Heath, wool pompons, fabric and paper flowers predominate.
Today bridal crowns are traditionally worn in connection with a costume or as a small edition in the form of a small crown or tiara .
Regional design
In Norway , Sweden and Serbia bridal crowns are made of silver; in Bavaria , Silesia made of gold wire, glass stones and tinsel .
In the Black Forest there are also pearls , glass balls , mirrors and ribbons or paper roses. There the bridal crown is exclusively called Schäppel and is designed differently from place to place. The collection of the Black Forest Costume Museum in Haslach gives an overview of the distribution of the Schäppels in the Black Forest .
The so-called Borta is worn by Sorbs in Lusatia .
In Thuringia, the bridal crown- like Hormt is worn with the Altenburg peasant costume .
In Finland there are paper crowns with gold sheet.
The bride from Athens wears a large crown made of filigree and adorned with pearls.
photos
- Bridal crowns from the German-speaking area in the MEK
_NIK_5787.jpg)
_NIK_5790.jpg)
_NIK_5791.jpg)
_NIK_5813.jpg)
_NIK_5836.jpg)
Coronation of the bride and groom in the Orthodox churches
In the Orthodox Churches , marriage is one of the mysteries ( sacraments ). In contrast to Catholic marriage, the sacrament of marriage is not administered by the bride and groom themselves, but by the priest ; the marriage vows of the bride and groom are the prerequisites for the administration of the sacrament. A central moment of the marriage rite is the coronation of the bride and groom.
See also
literature
- Hartmut Braun: The Schäppel and its cultural-historical origin , in: Research and reports on folklore in Baden-Württemberg vol. 1, Stuttgart 1973, pp. 165–171.
- Information on traditional costumes from the Department of Traditional Costumes and Customs of the German Heritage Association - Issue 1: Brautkronen (I) , Bonn 1997
Web links
- Schäppel of the traditional costume from Schiltach fiefdom in the Black Forest
- Traditional costume crowns in many regions
- Bridal crowns from Franconia