"When the garter is finished then there's a fertility hankie for the same wedding heading on to a pillow!!" Sue
*** "Christine Springett's fertility hankie in Lace for Special Occasions has...wheat sheaves...her other Beds lace wedding hankie has hearts with sheaves of wheat in the heart, and I can only assume it also has fertility symbolism..." lrb *** "seems most probable as the corn dollies, made (traditionally) from the last sheaf of corn to be cut, were a fertility symbol to ensure a good harvest the following year. So whether the fertility symbolism of the lace handkerchief is literally to wish the bride fertility, or whether it's to wish her prosperity in all she does is open to interpretation." Jacquie *** In reading the digest, this was the first I have heard of a "fertility hankie" but googling brought up a bunch of interesting Irish traditions about marriage: http://hubpages.com/hub/Irish-Wedding-Customs-Superstitions-and-Lucky-Traditions I enjoyed reading about the symbolism that I was going to ask about and was answered later. So the "seeds" for a new crop are possibly the parallel, or husks in gleaning gold or harvesting? Curious if this is British or specifically Irish. My ancestry includes English and Scottish, and many times a hankie was given and then offered to be sewn into a baby's bonnet later (since most look at you confused at the idea that they would sew...). When Sue said "on the pillow" reading quickly I thought of "under the pillow" like grooms cake can be used for those who wish to dream of future husbands, and placing this "fertility hankie" under the pillow might bring children faster (or at least dreaming of them), but it was my creative imagination. Not a bad idea though! LOL Lovely, learning traditions and customs that sometimes get lost, or diluted. Best, Susan Reishus - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
