Science has finally found why weddings exist
Weddings may seem like a modern concept but in actual fact, they have been around for thousands of years.
A new study has found that ancient humans first started the union of marriage in an attempt to avoid inbreeding.
British and Danish scientists examined burials from our ancestors born at least 34,000 years ago. They tested the genetic information from several human remains to find that there was little to no evidence on interbreeding.
This suggests that early humans deliberately sought out partners from outside their own tribes.
Objects and jewellery were also found with the skeletal remains further suggesting that wedding-like rituals existed. Just as we use a ring to symbolise marriage today, our ancestors did a similar thing in their ceremonies.
In fact, the study, which was published in the Science journal, may have just shown why we exist today and why our ancient counterparts like Neanderthals all died out.
“What this means is that even people in the Upper Palaeolithic, who were living in tiny groups, understood the importance of avoiding inbreeding,” senior author Professor Eske Willerslev said. “The data that we have suggest that it was being purposely avoided. This means that they must have developed a system for this purpose.”
Although it’s unclear what ancient humans’ wedding ceremonies consisted of, a number of our modern day marriage traditions have (not quite as) old origins.
Queen Victoria set the path for wearing a white wedding dress after donning the pure colour in 1840. The veil is said to originate from ancient Rome as people believed it would protect the bride from evil spirits on her big day.
Bouquets also have similar ancient beginnings. Women used to carry bunches of garlic, herbs and spices to keep away those same nasty spirits. They were also a way of warding off the plague, according to some historians.
And ever wondered why you wear your engagement and wedding ring on that finger? You can thank ancient Greeks. They believed that the so-called ring finger housed a vein that led straight to the heart. Quite romantic when you think about it.
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