Fraternity-Testvériség, 2011 (89. évfolyam, 1. szám)
2011-01-01 / 1. szám
Fraternity | Testvériség traditional weddings with costumed folk dance ensembles that perform for tourists. In most cases, Hungarian couples who marry incorporate a few historic practices in their ceremony to show they value Hungarian traditions and customs. For example, at my own wedding, a minister and a Hungarian priest gave us our vows both in English and in Hungarian, a nice touch for both groups in attendance. History of the Wedding Ring Mystic significance has been associated with the wedding ring from the earliest times. Its circular continuity is accepted as a symbol of eternity and of the stability of affection. Greek and Roman rings were often inscribed with typical sentences like “May you live long” or “I bring good fortune to the wearer.” “Live happy” or “I give this love pledge” are others that have been found dating back to Roman times. However, wedding rings were little valued until the Greeks gave them deeper significance. In the middle ages, the ring symbolized solemn betrothal preceding matrimony and were sometimes exchanged between lovers who were about to separate for long periods or time. English writer Geofrey Chaucer describes a woman as giving her lover a ring, upon which a love-motto was engraved, and she received one from him in return. Shakespeare alludes to the custom in his play “Two Gentlemen of Verona” when Julia gives Protons a ring saying, “Keep you this remembrance for thy Julia’s sake” and he replies, “Why then, we’ll make exchange; here, take you this.” The fourth finger of the left hand has long held the wedding ring dating from an ancient belief that from this finger a nerve goes directly to the heart. It was customary from the middle of the sixteenth to the dose of the seventeenth century to inscribe or engrave a motto or “posy” inside the ring which consisted frequently of a very simple sentiment in commonplace rhyme such as “My heart and I, until I die” or “When this you see, remember me.” Many times, the wedding ring is an heirloom in the family and is transferred from mother to daughter when she marries. The French gave added significance and sentimentalism to the wedding ring in the early part of the 20th century. Since that time, the custom of exchange and engraved sayings has been adopted by the English and the rest of the world. My own wedding band is inscribed with the most endearing Hungarian word I know: “örökké” which means “forever.” Marriage Advice from Zsa Zsa Gabor Hungarian icon and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor’s TV talk show acumen and her multiple marriages lent so much credibility to her aphorisms on men and marriage that Zsa Zsa's witticisms landed on posters, in quote books, and became part of feminist girl-talk. She never failed to repeat these sayings for effect. The following are some of my favorites that I've collected over the years. ■ Husbands are like fires — they go out when unattended. ■ How many husbands have I had? You mean apart from my own? ■ I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house. ■ I believe in large families; every woman should have at least three husbands. ■ I could never be in love with an Italian. They are not even faithful when they are faithful. ■ I never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back. ■ Darling, any intelligent woman can find her target and she can marry him. • We were both in love with him. I fell out of love with him, but he didn't. ■ You never really know a man until you have divorced him. ■ A girl must marry for love and keep on marrying until she finds it. ■ A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then, he's finished. ■ Getting divorced just because you don’t love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do. ■ Maybe I meet Mr. Right tomorrow. 11
