文化常识：西方婚礼传统的8个奇怪起源

 　1.Wedding announcements: The Catholic tradition of "posting the banns" required a couple to announce their wedding in print; this helped ensure they were not related.

　　宣布婚礼：“根据规定”的天主教传统要求夫妇宣布他们的婚姻并打印出来;这有助于确保他们没有血缘关系。

　　2.Fathers walking brides down the aisle¹: Because weddings used to be business transactions, fathers walked brides down the aisle to transfer ownership to grooms³. Romantic!

　　父亲陪伴新娘穿过走廊：因为婚礼过去常常视为商品交换，父亲陪伴新娘穿过走廊并把所有权交给新郎。好浪漫!

　　3.Bachelor parties: Originally held by Spartan⁴ soldiers, bachelor parties were wild fetes to kiss the single life goodbye.

　　同学会：一开始是由斯巴达士兵举行的，同学会期间，人们疯狂的亲吻着和单身生活说再见。

　　4.Best man: "Best" used to refer less to the friendship quality and more to the man's sword skills. Because you can never have enough backup support for a runaway⁵ bride.

　　最佳伴侣：“最佳”更少用来提及友情的质量而更倾向于人的射箭技巧。因为你没有足够的后方支持对于逃跑的新娘。

　　5.Ceremony: The bride stands to the left during Christian⁶ wedding ceremonies, because the groom² needed to be ready to fight off suitors with his right hand.

　　庆典：在基督教婚礼上新郎站在左边，因为钻戒会带在求婚者的右手上。

　　6.Ring placement: Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, because ancient Greeks and Romans believed that a vein⁷ in that finger led directly to the heart.

　　戒指的放置：订婚和婚礼戒指会戴在左手的第四个手指上，因为古希腊和罗马人认为那个手指的血管直抵心脏。

　　7.Tying the knot: The phrase is derived⁸ from the literal practice of tying couples together to symbolize⁹ the commitment of marriage.

　　系同心结：这个短语由期望夫妇永结同心的字面意思而来象征婚姻的达成。

　　8.Tossing bouquets¹¹: Newlyweds used to go in another room to seal the deal immediately after the wedding ceremony. Guests hung around outside to ensure the marriage transaction was completed, but men used to grab at the bride as she walked with her groom. So one inventive bride threw her bouquet¹⁰ to create a distraction¹², and other brides followed suit.

　　扔花束：新婚的人们过去常常去另一个房间在婚礼后立刻做该做的事。客人们会在外面四处走确保婚礼过程完成了，当新娘扔花的时候人们习惯于去抢。这种创造性的举动分散了她们的注意力，接到花的人会成为下一位新娘。

1 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

2 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

3 grooms   

n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• Plender end Wilcox became joint grooms of the chambers. 普伦德和威尔科克斯成为共同的贴身侍从。 来自辞典例句
• Egypt: Families, rather than grooms, propose to the bride. 埃及：在埃及，由新郎的家人，而不是新郎本人，向新娘求婚。 来自互联网

4 spartan   

adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人

参考例句：

• Their spartan lifestyle prohibits a fridge or a phone.他们不使用冰箱和电话，过着简朴的生活。
• The rooms were spartan and undecorated.房间没有装饰，极为简陋。

5 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

8 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

10 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

11 bouquets   

n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香

参考例句：

• The welcoming crowd waved their bouquets. 欢迎的群众摇动着花束。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• As the hero stepped off the platform, he was surrounded by several children with bouquets. 当英雄走下讲台时，已被几名手持花束的儿童围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。