Marriage Customs Comparison

    Many customs of marriage were carried out in the Middle Ages. Some are still even used to this day. For example, in present day, the groom stands on the right side of the alter while the bride stands on the left. This is because it is believed that Eve was formed from a rib in the left side of Adam. These positions and meanings were also true in the middle ages.

    Another similarity of the marriages is the ring exchange. The middle ages, only the wealthy exchanged rings though. For poorer people, a broken coin piece was given the bride while the groom kept the other piece. Today, all marriages consist of a ring exchange. Also, the wording of what the priest says is similar.

    For the ring exchange, the rings were placed on the fourth finger, the same as in present day marriages. The large feast afterwards was not much different from present time either. Feasts occurred at celebrations after the wedding. At the feast, which was in a grand hall or a courtyard, there were minstrels, jugglers, and other entertainers. In these occasions, prisoners were sometimes freed and beggars went to the doors for scraps of food.

    In conclusion, marriages in the middle ages were similar to marriages in present day. Some were even different. There was similarities such as ring exchange, ceremony wording, and the afterwards feast. The ring exchange in the middle ages was only for the wealthy. As for the poor, a broken coin’s pieces were exchanged in the place of rings. Positions were the same as present time and the reasons for the also.