傧相

　　The typical American wedding includes a bridal part y, which is composed of, in addition to the happy coupl e, a best man, a maid or matron of honor, ushers and br idesmaids of equal numbers, and usually flower girls. T here are several possible explanations for this group o f attendants.

　　The most obvious and practical explanation is that the wedding party is enlisted to see to it that many sm all details of the ceremony are not ignored, and everyt hing goes well, and to emotionally and physically suppo rt the bride and groom on this one of the most importan t days in their lives. The best man seems toserve as th e "expressman" of the ceremony, charged with "moving th ings along smoothly"; the bridesmaids would assist the bride with dressing, and help to move the bride's belon gings to her new home.

　　A second explanation is based on the idea that the attendants are the modern version of rival war parties, from the days of marriage by capture. Ushers have thus evolved from the groom's men (indeed, ushers used to be called groomsmen) and bridesmaids from the bride's defe nders; the best man plays the role of the groom's stron gest and most reliable supporter. This idea, however, f ails to explain why the bride's defenders, surely origi nally male, should have changed gender over the centuri es. Probably the attendants, rather than warriors, woul d be seen as a group of witnesses, who stand by the cou ple to attest to their character and to the validity of the union.

　　A third and superstitious theory takes the attendan ts as substitutes for the new couple. In the days when evil spirits were thought to be a potential threat to a ny ceremony, the bride and groom dressed their friends identical or similar to their own, to confuse the demon s. If the bride stands out dramatically from her brides maids today, it may be because we have ceased to be wor ried about demons.

　　As for flower girls, their appearance in weddings t oday can undoubtedly add joy to the scene, and may be h elpful to the adults to manage the tensions of the cere mony. This custom may come from the weddings of medieva l times. It was the custom then for two young girls, pr eferably sisters, to walk before the bride and groom, c arrying wheat sheaves, a symbol of fruition since the R oman era. Since bearing was, then as now, hazardous as well as joyous, having young virgins care for the ferti lity symbols may have been a way to weaken their destru ctive potency. The presence of the youngster sent a sym bolic appeal to the gods for blessing and protection.