The garter tradition, which is thrown like a bride’s bouquet, is borrowed from Western culture. This custom traces its history from France, but it has especially successfully taken root in the USA. Nevertheless, one cannot fail to notice the popularity of this kind of entertainment in European countries.
Traditions
According to tradition, unmarried young people gather behind the back of the groom, who had previously removed the garter from his bride’s right leg. He can do this with his hands, but some prefer to add peppercorns and pull off the accessory with their teeth.
By the way, the garters on the legs of the brides are not located at the same height. The left garter is slightly closer to the upper thigh. After the wedding, it can serve as a family heirloom, as well as an interesting souvenir.
The removal process itself is done by hand, but some people prefer to do it with their teeth. It will be useful to say that this does not always happen smoothly and often the bride has to help her chosen one.
As they say, tastes are not debated, but not every environment can accept this with approval. If senior relatives are present at the celebration, then the young ones may not be able to avoid discomfort and awkward situations.
After that, the young man without looking throws a garter over his head, and single men try to catch her.
The meaning of the ritual
A particularly interesting feature of such a ritual is its sacred meaning. It is believed that the guy who caught the garter or the man will soon find his love, and if he is in a relationship, then the time for pre-wedding unrest is approaching.
In other cases, such luck may be considered successful in women, as evidenced by the resulting accessory. The lucky one can even tie his hand with such an ornament and so go through the whole festival, and then either return the garter to the bride, or leave it for memory.
What does the accessory look like?
Such a souvenir, although it is nowadays purely decorative, previously served quite practical purposes. Stockings were attached to the garters, preventing them from leaving their wearer.
Of course, the garter made by hand is now much appreciated. In addition, it can be decorated to your own taste and, adding a little imagination, turn into a real masterpiece.
No less interesting are the garters, which passed as a relic from one bride to another, because once the accessory had to be worn on the bride of a man who was once lucky to catch her.
But not every girl can agree to the secondary use of someone else’s underwear, which, incidentally, is a garter, even despite signs. Therefore, it is quite difficult to find such options, and these traditions gradually go down in history, although they linger in the sideboards of some women.
Do not forget that the homeland of such traditions is the more liberated west, which means that you should not expect this practice to spread widely in the post-Soviet space.
On how to play friends at a wedding by throwing a garter, see below.
