The Honeymoon

Image copyright © Shelly Perry /
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The traditional Western honeymoon is, of course, well known to us all. It's a vacation for the newly married couple, a holiday to start their married life. If they're lucky they might get to travel and visit a beach resort or luxury hotel in somewhere like Hawaii, Tahiti or Fiji. For those not so well off even a week at a destination miles from the nearest tourist centre can be romantic. After all, some honeymooning couples barely see their surroundings.

Today the term has even entered politics and business - prime ministers, chat show hosts and managers are said to have their "honeymoon period". But how did this tradition start? What is the origin of the honeymoon holiday? What does the word actually mean?

Honey Moon

The phrase honey moon is believed to refer to the sweet "honey" period after marriage. A "moon" referred to a month, so the honey-moon was the sweet month after marriage. But - like the moon - the passion of first love eventually wanes, hopefully to wax full again later.

Honey is also believed to refer to mead, a sweet, fermented drink also known as "honey wine". Tradition said that the new husband and wife would drink mead for their first month. This was something the average person would not be able to afford to buy so such indulgence was the height of luxury.

In Gaelic the phrase for homeymoon is mi na meala which means literally "month of honey". It was a custom for Irish newly weds to be given a month's supply of mead along with special marriage goblets from which to drink it.

Not all honeymoon folklore is so pleasant. In some cultures - Scandanavia is often cited - the groom used to "steal" the bride away from her family. Whether or not the bride was a willing accomplice in this "kidnapping" would depend on circumstances. In the case of the Vikings the "bride" is unlikely to have consented, however in other cultures the "kidnap" might in reality have been closer to an elopement. Tradition had it that the couple would hide away for a month until the bride's family had ceased searching for her.

I think most couples today would prefer the modern view of the honeymoon as a vacation package involving an exotic Caribbean location, a luxury hotel suite and lashings of champagne!

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