Acient Wedding Date Wisdom: From Seasonal Cycles to Sacred Days

Hey guys welcome to the Learn Feng Shui podcast where you'll Learn Feng Shui from a classical point of view taking out the myth and Superstition so if you're interested in learning fun Chinese astrology all things Chinese metaphysics as well as the superstitions and myths that connect it all you'll enjoy learning funu with me hey guys welcome to the Learn Feng Shui podcast where ancient traditions meet modern living I'm Candice Berlanga certified fun practitioner and a red Rippon professional with the international fun Guild today we're going to look at how people throughout history have chosen the perfect wedding dates and it's really not just based on convenience they did align with seasonal Cycles celestial events and even energetic influences so there is a lot of wisdom from European folklore and funu date selection methods and today we're going to look at those traditions and how they can still guide us today so whether you're planning a wedding your wedding day might be set already because it's a little late in the season I don't know or you just like learning about the deeper meting behind special dates I think this episode will have something for you so let's get into it when it comes to choosing a wedding day modern couples usually think about convenience they want to know which venues are open schedules maybe even their favorite time of year favorite season but historically wedding timing was deeply connected to Nature weather patterns cultural traditions and in many parts of the world people plan their ceremonies around cycles of the sun seasonal shifts and even local superstitions of when a marriage would be most prosperous let's start by looking at how the different cultures chose the best time of year for the wedding and how weather actually played a big role in these decisions it is traditional to get married usually in the spring or summer because it is preferred for good weather it also symbolizes fertility and was easier to travel back then all the sources that I have noted will be linked in the show notes Romans were superstitious and therefore the calendar played a big part in selecting a wedding date many dates were simply off limits February and may were considered unlucky months and the first Fifth and 15th were considered unlucky the month of June was named after Juno the queen of the gods and therefore was a sacred month and Robin considered this month the luckiest of all which is why I think a lot of brides do get married in June in the summer autumn was linked to harvest celebrations prosperity and stability winter was less common but tied to festivals like Ule and Christmas and more practical for noble families that had a good food storage along with the general seasonal dates for getting married there were cross quarter days that were tied to weddings also and were kind of traditional to get married on so embolic which Falls around February 1st or 2nd it represents the returning of the light and fertility and it is that midpoint between the winter solstice and the Spring Equinox then we have belane which is the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the summer solstice which is around May 1st or so it's this fire energy it's this it represented passion and was traditional for hand fasting Traditions which was just a pledge and like a declaration of marriage then we have lunasa which is August 1st and that is the Midway point between the summer solstice and the Fall Equinox and that of course represents like the first harvest and represents prosperity and marriage then we have S which of course corresponds closely with Halloween and wasn't as common but does represent mystical and spiritual unions kind of keeping on that theme of weather one thing you can actually do now is look at those jet or those solar Cycles those micro Seasons that I talk about each month so we know that During certain periods that the weather might be more crazy you know if you're trying to apply that to daily life now uh one thing you could do is check the Farmers Almanac it does have very accurate weather predictions the solar Cycles or those jety Cycles can also help if you plan those around times of year that it's supposed to be nicer so if you're planning an outdoor wedding or a reception that's going to be outside you might consider using these micro Seasons the first one you might want to consider is Ching Ming which is Tomb sweeping Festival it's called clear and bright um that starts around April 5th or so and it last till about April 20th and but that it is a time of year where the temperatures are a lot more mild and the skies are supposed to be clear another one you can use is minor and major heat so that cycle July of course is usually predictably warm weather um and if it could be pretty humid just depending on where you live but uh the whole month of July pretty consistent you know sometimes we tend to get rain here and for some reason every fourth of July of course we're outside doing our fireworks but for some reason we get like a dust storm or a rainstorm another one you can use is one called end of Heat usually the period from August 20 first or so till September 7th it's still warm but it is starting to cool down in the evening very imperceptibly very slightly making it a little more comfortable so if you're going to have outdoor wedding you might want to consider around that time another one is the Autumn Equinox because there's more balanced temperature and it can be more ideal for a fall wedding and by September 22nd orish around that time the temperatures more balanced we have more balanc day and nighttime just like we do in the spring but of course the spring it's very unpredictable in the weather uh uh dates you want to avoid or jet Cycles you want to avoid or a wake Awakening of in which is now March 5th or so through around March 20th unpredictable rain storm season starts we have had the worst wind um it's usually pretty pretty common here in West Texas to get really windy Springs we had like almost zero visibility with the dirt it was so crazy so obviously if you're going to have some sort of outdoor wedding March is not the time to do it especially if regionally for you it's a time where there's dust storms a lot of wind uh White do is another a time you want to avoid September 7th or so through the 22nd the weather starts cooling down really fast at night and there's more Morning Dew and fog and the grass could just be a little wetter so you might want to avoid that two others you want to avoid really the month of October the month of October there is usually a risk of a early Frost and it gets quite cold at night for sure so those are just uh sometimes you want to avoid planning an outdoor wedding according to those micro Seasons keeping on the theme of weather if you get a little rain don't worry because it's actually supposed to mean good luck so there is weather folklore or superstitions surrounding weather also and again starting with rain it says that rain is said to wash away worry Sadness and Sorrow as such it's said to bring luck and good fortune to newlyweds especially in the baby department and it's said to increase fertility the Hindus have a saying a wet knot is more difficult to unravel and in America we tend to look at rain on our wedding day not ironically like Atlanta Moret says but rather in a good light and in Ireland on the other hand rain May mean a sorrowful future lays ahead if it's overcast if the sky is cloudy or particularly windy this can mean difficult times lay ahead for seemingly otherwise Happy couple don't get discouraged though marriage is typically a system of compromises and battles to be fought together and from which you two will emerge Victorious and snow snow on your wedding day uh could symbolize warmth and peace so much like one seeks during a harsh winter if you see a incoming storm planned for your wedding day don't get discouraged this may symbolize Beauty and work out nicer than you may imagine I think getting married in the snow sounds beautiful what does a sunshine say about a a wedding day that's usually what you want but a sunny day doesn't have superstitious undertones necessarily but it may however make easier travel for you and your guest there's a common tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon upside down 30 days before your wedding which is said to bring about good weather when your wedding day rolls around I just thought that was a fun little tidbit to include you know I love a good weather lore uh looking back at the Ancients and how they selected wedding dates lunar cycles was a big consideration and the ancient Greek believe that marriages consummated during the full moon were the most prosperous and the happiest but a waning moon bed ill for wedded bliss the full moon is considered to be an ideal time to accept a marriage proposal and folklore has it that if a young woman sees a dove on the new moon at the same instant she should say bright moon clear Moon bright and fair lift your right foot there will be a hair and when she removes her shoe she'll actually find a hair that is the same color as her future husbands and a new moon in your dreams promises increased wealth or a happy marriage wedding dates corresponded with the moon cycles and we know that the observance of the lunar cycles is huge in uh Asian cultures but apparently has little to do with wedding planning another way the Ancients would select their wedding date would be around a religious and Saint days I think because most people were kind of together already the churches were full usually Catholic or Orthodox Traditions influen these wedding dates and the popular Saints Day for marriage of course is St Valentine's Day with this obvious modern connection to love that's my husband got married actually it was a special date for both of us St Martin's Day November 11th it was a traditional day because there was Harvest celebrations and communal feasting going on that kind of clashes with what we said about not getting married during the month of November different societies had different beliefs um St John's day around June 24th or so was a midsummer festival and that symbolized fertility and then St Lucy's day around December 13th that light overcoming darkness and does correspond closely with the winter solstice I think it was a thing that they went ahead and kind of piggybacked on the fact that people were in town visiting remember people had to travel back then and it was could be quite difficult to come several times a year so if they're already there for a feast in their Hometown it just makes sense to have a priest marry you a lot of folklore and poems did surface around the dates that are believed to be best for weddings usually corresponding with days of the week and the months one of the poems that focuses on the days of the week says Monday Brides will be healthy Tuesday Brides will be wealthy Wednesday Brides do best of all Thursday Brides will suffer losses Friday Brides will suffer crosses and Saturday Brides will have no luck at all which is very general right it's a very general statement because I mean in the St age who has time to get married on weekday usually those are planned for Saturday so I would take that with a grain of salt another poem here reads married when the year is new he'll be loving kind at true when February birds do mate you would not dread your fate if you w when March winds blow joy and sorrow both you'll know Mary and April when you can joy for a maiden and a man marry in the month of May you'll surely Ru the day marry when June roses grow over land and sea you'll go those who in July do W must labor for their daily bread whoever wet in August be many A Change Is sure to see marry in September's Shrine you'll be living rich and fine if in October you marry love will come but rich is Terry if you wed in Bleak November only Joys will come remember when December snows fall fast marry and true love will last and I just thought that was a pretty pretty fun little poem again these are just to be taken as just a fun little folklore just a fun traditional thing to look at for wedding date selection um going back to Eastern Traditions one thing that's very commonly used with date selection for weddings is to look at a good date for the couple and this is done by looking one at the zodiac signs and it can get very very detailed so you want to avoid days that Clash your zodiac sign it's probably best to hire somebody who specializes in date selection and specifically for weddings because it can actually get pretty complex in Chinese metaphysics there's also a system called the 12-day officers where each day carries a specific energy that influences certain activities so if you see on my date selection part part of my blog I usually will put which activities are best for that specific date so you can kind of think of it like this Cosmic calendar some days are naturally better for beginning celebrations or even long-term commitments and those dates would be called uh first one is an established day it's a day that represents New Beginnings establishing something going and starting something new it's a strong choice for couples wanting to get married stable day is actually a really good one too it symbolizes like a long-term stability symbolizes Harmony just that long-term commitment again stability as as in the date says it's a really good choice for marriage also I think one of the best dates that's just good for all around anything is one called a success day a really lucky day it's really auspicious and it's supposed to ensure a long and happy fruitful marriage but just like there's good dates with that 12-day officers there's bad dates and there's probably more bad dates than good ones if you use this specific method of date selection the first one just like it says in the name it's called destruction day it's associated with disruptions and instability it's good for uh groundbreaking and it could be good for demolition but is not good for a marriage the next is a danger day which is actually good for arranging your bed and Funway adjustments and activations but it's not really good for marriage it is not really ideal for like these major life events more for functua praying stuff like that it also carries the connotation of just like it says danger and so there's this underlying component of if you do something risky as you might get injured so you risk getting injured or something on your wedding day or maybe having one of your guests or something bad happening on your wedding day Clos day you don't want to get married on a Clos day it symbolizes endings rather than Beginnings so just avoid the close day and the remove day it just represents removing an energy you're taking something away and obviously you don't want that connotation or that energy to be behind your marriage you want something to be lasting in long term and then lastly is a full day so it's kind of an energy where if you start something that day the energy will continue so it said if you move on a full day you will move again if you get an accident on a full day you'll get an accident again it's just something that is repetitive so if you get married on a full day you don't want to get married again carries a connotation of having more than one spouse you want to avoid those days something to kind of remember when planning your wedding one thing you do need to remember is that every culture has their own Traditions if specific days are better for you then you need to make sure that you're following that different cultures have different dates that are luckier to get very different traditions and all kinds of stuff different folklore and everything so remember to choose what works best for your beliefs your cultural traditions and even the weather if you're planning off the weather or something like that don't get too worried or too worked up or too FOC focus on something being bad if that makes sense because I feel like when you focus on is this a bad day is this bad for me then what you're going to get is bad what you need to be thinking is let me pick the best day you know that works for both of us don't overthink things and I'm sure your marriage will be long and prosperous remember choosing wedding date isn't just about picking a good day that looks good on the calendar but we can align with these Energies and we can find wisdom in the way our ancestors approach timing so if you're planning a wedding or just like learning about this deeper meeting behind the dates I hope this episode gave you a new perspective on how to choose a date with intentioned next week will be since of spring in folklore of the rabbit so hopefully you enjoyed this episode don't forget to give a little bit of of a review all right guys I'll catch you guys next week for free energy mapping of your floor 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