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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Irish Customs Part 5 - Honeymoon

The word for honey is meala in Irish. The word for honeymoon is mi na meala, the month of honey, and refers to how the bride and groom spend that period of time.
Irish monks first produced the fermented honey brew called mead for medicinal purposes then found it could make well people feel even better.
Following the wedding, a sufficient amount of mead was given to the bride and groom, along with special goblets, so they could share the unique brew for one full moon after their wedding, thus the term honeymoon was coined.
It was believed that this delicate yet potent drink was the best way to ensure a good beginning for a new marriage, and was also believed to endow powers of virility and fertility.

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