Honeymoon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A honeymoon is the traditional holiday taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion. Today, honeymoons are usually celebrated somewhere exotic or otherwise considered special and romantic.
[edit] Origin of the word
The Oxford English Dictionary offers no etymology, but gives examples dating back to the 16th century.
In these commercial times, when there are large numbers of people at a typical honeymoon destination, it is questionable whether the average couple get to celebrate their honeymoon in "seclusion" as the dictionary quotes suggest.
A honeymoon can also be the first moments a newly-wed couple spend together, or the first holiday they spend together to celebrate their marriage.
| “ | The first month after marriage, when there is nothing but tenderness and pleasure" (Samuel Johnson); originally having no reference to the period of a month, but comparing the mutual affection of newly-married persons to the changing moon which is no sooner full than it begins to wane; now, usually, the holiday spent together by a newly-married couple, before settling down at home. | ” |
One of the more recent citations in the Oxford English Dictionary indicates that, while today honeymoon has a positive meaning, the word was originally a reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon. This, the first known literary reference to the honeymoon, was penned in 1552, in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum. Huleot writes:
| “ | Hony mone, a term proverbially applied to such as be newly married, which will not fall out at the first, but th'one loveth the other at the beginning excedingly, the likelyhood of their exceadinge love appearing to aswage, ye which time the vulgar people call the hony mone. | ” |
In many parts of Europe it was traditional to supply a newly married couple with enough mead for a month, ensuring happiness and fertility. From this practice we get honeymoon or, as the French say, lune de miel[1][2]
There are many calques of the word honeymoon from English into other languages. The Welsh word for honeymoon is mis mêl (honey month). In Arabic it is shahr el 'assal also translated to honey month. The Spanish word for honeymoon is la luna de miel (the moon of honey), and the Italian luna di miele (same translation). The Persian word for it is mah e asal which has the both translations honeymoon and honey month, mah in Persian meaning both moon and month).
[edit] References
- ^ Gayre, Robert (1986). Wassail! In Mazers of Mead. Brewers Publications - Boulder, CO. ISBN 0-937381-00-4. , p.22
- ^ Acton, Bryan (1968). Making Mead. The Amateur Winemaker. SBN 900841-07-9. , p.14
da:Hvedebrødsdage de:Flitterwochen es:Luna de miel fr:Lune de miel he:ירח דבש id:Bulan madu it:Luna di miele ja:新婚旅行 lt:Medaus mėnuo nl:Huwelijksreis pl:Miesiąc miodowy uk:Медовий місяць zh:蜜月
