Even the custom of the groom's having a "best man" is based in marriage rituals of the past. Long ago, men in various cultures would kidnap their brides. On the expedition, the prospective groom would take along his "best man,"usually his best friend or best warrior, who would help him in his endeavors. It was up to the best man to see to it that the groom got away with his kidnapped bride. It was also the best man's job to see to it that the bride's family did not discover where the happy couple was honeymooning. The "honeymonth" or honeymoon lasted for a month, during which time the best man had to .
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keep the bride's family from finding out where the couple was. By the end of that month, hopefully, the bride would already be pregnant and her family would agree to allow her to remain a wife.
Once married, the happy couple would probably soon look to having children. There are all kinds of superstitions associated with fertility, birth, and babies. Probably everyone has either been subjected to or has witnessed a birthday spanking. This custom originated with the Druids and was also practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The belief was that spanking young girls promoted long life and fertility. With the passage of time, spankings were administered to both sexes as a wish for long life. Superstitions about babies include ways to predict the sex of the unborn child. Supposedly, a baby carried high will be a girl, while one carried low will be a boy. Also, the wedding ring of the mother-to-be can be used as a predictor of the gender of the unborn child. In this process, the future-mother's wedding ring is tied onto a thread and suspended above her open palm. If the ring swings in a circular or oval motion, the baby will be female; if it swings in a straight line, the child will be male.
