Drink? That sounds easy enough.
For the most part, I like the bring cake toppers to people’s attention because they tend to be ridiculous, tacky, or just plain odd. Just check out Godawful Wedding Crap for some chuckle-worthy examples! But every so often I come across a cake topper that I wouldn’t dream of using but is nonetheless culturally relevant to a culture not my own. Thus, I bring you the Native American wedding vase topper.
Like I said, it’s not my thing. But the wedding vase has been a part of the traditional ceremony for many a long year. In the past, the parents of the groom-to-be would craft and fire the vase a few weeks before the wedding. When it is complete, the bride- and groom-to-be, and his parents and her parents, aaaaaand all his relatives visit the bride-to-be’s home. She then shows all of these people the tools and equipment she will use to set up a happy home. I’m talking clothing, cookware, linens, furniture…everything.
The assorted family members present then heap sage advice upon the couple. Finally, the bride drinks a little holy water from one side of the vase, the groom drinks a little from the other side, and bada-bing, bada-boom, they’re hitched.
Because these vases are an intrinsic part of the marriage ceremony, they are treasured as works of art. A couple keeps their wedding vase until the husband or the wife outlives their spouse. The remaining half of the couple then gives the vase to a couple known to have a happy marriage, and the cycle, presumably, continues.
Now I love the sentiment, even if I don’t particularly care for the topper. I wouldn’t mind displaying one of the full size vases I linked to above, however. Oddly enough, I’m fairly sure my grandparents have one, if not more than one of these. I just never knew what they were until today!
You know, I’d be tempted to skip the ‘feed each other a slice of cake’ routine and just do the drinking from the vase tradition instead of having it as a cake topper.
Wonderful notion, Audrey — then no one has any reason to chant “Smash it,” or goad anyone into making a messy mistake!
That really is a cool tradition though! I would love to have had something that was passed down the generations.
Say what you will, it’s still better than those Precious Moments porcelain gewgaws. Or Hummels, for the social climbers.
I am so with you there, raincoaster!