The wedding tradition of"something old,something new,something borrowed,something blue" has been around for hundreds of years. Many brides have been asked on their respective wedding days if they have gathered something old,new,borrowed and blue to carry with them as they walk down the aisle. The tradition of carrying or wearing one of each item is said to bring luck and fortune to the newly married couple. Have you ever stopped to think what the saying really means? What is its origin and what does each item represent?

　　The original saying dates back to the Victoria times and states,"Something old,something new,something borrowed,something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe."

　　Something old…… A bride may wear or carry something old to represent her continued ties to her family and her old life. Many brides wear a piece of family jewelry as their old item. Some brides wear the wedding dress worn by their mother or grandmother. In many cases,something old may also be something borrowed.

　　Something new…… Wearing something new is supposed to represent success and hope in the bride's new life and in her marriage. If the bride purchased her wedding dress new,it may represent her new item,but any item that is new may be used. Something"new" is usually the easiest category1 to fill.

　　Something borrowed…… The borrowed item should be something borrowed from a friend that is happily married. It is suggested that their happiness will rub off on2 you and bring lasting happiness to your marriage. Some brides borrow an item of clothing,a piece of jewelry,a handkerchief or perhaps a beaded purse.

　　Something blue…… Wearing something blue dates back to biblical3 times when a blue wedding dress was worn to represent purity,fidelity4 and love. Over time this has changed from wearing a blue dress to wearing just a blue band around the bottom of the bride's wedding dress to modern times where it is commonplace for the bride to wear a blue garter5.

　　Silver sixpence…… Placing a silver sixpence in the bride's left shoe is said to be a symbol of wealth. This not only refers to financial wealth,but also a wealth of happiness and joy throughout her married life. Since most brides probably don't even know what a sixpence is,this part of the tradition is not used very often in modern times. However,if a bride would like to include it in her wedding,she can purchase a silver sixpence from many companies that sell bridal supplies such as garters and invitations.

　　Some brides are more traditional than other and may take a great deal of care in selecting one item for each category. It may be traditional for the women in their families to wear the same piece of jewelry.

　　Other brides aren't bound by tradition but still may choose to carry out the custom at someone else's request. If they don't want to carry numerous items,they may simply carry two handkerchiefs in a small beaded bag they may choose to buy a new,white handkerchief and borrow a blue one from a family member. That would provide them with something new the white handkerchief,as well as something that is old,borrowed and blue the blue handkerchief. The handkerchief just may come in handy6 during the wedding for drying their joyful tears.

　　“有舊、有新、有借、有藍”的婚禮習俗已經有好幾百年的歷史了。許多新娘在她們舉行婚禮的當天都曾被問到是否已經備好了那些“有舊、有新、有借、有藍”的服飾，以穿戴它們緩緩走過教堂內的通道。穿戴這每一件服飾的傳統據說各有其獨特的涵義，但都能夠給新婚夫婦帶來吉祥和財富。你曾想過這種說法到底是什么意思嗎？是如何起源的？每件服飾各有何涵義？

　　最初的說法源自維多利亞時代，原文是：“有舊，有新，有借，有藍；在一只鞋里放一枚六便士的銀幣。”

　　有舊　　　新娘可以穿著或佩戴一樣舊衣物來象征她和她娘家及過去生活之間的歷史紐帶。許多新娘佩戴一件家傳的珠寶飾品作為“有舊”的選擇。有些新娘穿著她們母親或祖母穿過的結婚禮服。實際上，舊的東西同時也可以是借來的東西。

　　有新　　　穿戴一樣新衣物是要象征新娘在新生活和婚姻中擁有成功和希望。如果新娘置辦的是新的結婚禮服，那它就可以是她的“有新”，但是任何別的新服飾也是可以的。“有新”常常是最容易做到的。

　　有借　　　借來的服飾應該是從一位已幸福地結了婚的朋友那里借來的。據說他們的幸福會惠及于你，給你的婚姻帶來長久的美滿。有些新娘會去借來一種衣著用品、一件首飾、一塊手帕或者一個飾以珠子的手袋。

　　有藍　　　穿戴一件藍色服飾源自《圣經》時代，當時藍色結婚禮服代表著純潔、忠誠和愛情。隨著時間的推移，這一傳統已從穿藍色結婚禮服，演變成后來的在新娘的結婚禮服下擺處縫上一圈藍色的鑲邊，再演變到現代的普遍做法――新娘用藍色的吊襪帶。

　　六便士銀幣　　　在新娘的左腳鞋子里放一枚六便士銀幣據說是財富的象征。它不僅代表財產上的富有，還代表婚姻生活的幸福與快樂。由于今天許多新娘恐怕連一枚六便士是什么樣子都不知道，傳統習俗的這一部分在現代婚禮中已經不常被遵守。但是，如果新娘想要在她的婚禮中包括這一項目，她可以從許多出售如吊襪帶和請柬等婚禮用品的公司里買到六便士銀幣。

　　有些較為傳統的新娘或許會花很多心思選擇每一件服飾。傳統的做法是：同一家族的女性佩戴同一件首飾。

　　而有些新娘不太為傳統所束縛，但在別人的請求下也會遵循這一傳統。如果她們不想面面俱到，她們可以就攜帶一個小小的珠子手袋，里面裝有兩塊手帕――她們可以買一塊新的白色手帕，然后從家人那里借一塊藍色手帕，這樣她們就“有新”――白色手帕，還“有舊、有借、有藍” ――藍色手帕。手帕在婚禮中正好可以派上用場――擦拭喜悅的淚水！

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