The Origin of Honeymoons

Although there are a number of theories about the origin of the “honeymoon”, Wikipedia provides the following insights.

Ancient Babylon

Some believe that the honeymoon originated as an ancient “Babylonian practice that involved drinking mead, a honey-based alcoholic drink, for a lunar month after a marriage.”

Literature

The first literary reference to the word honeymoon was in 1552 in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum. It held that the word honeymoon “was a sardonic reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon.”

Norse

Others claim that the word honeymoon, is actually, “a vulgarization of the Norse word hjunottsmanathr. After kidnapping one's bride, she was kept hidden away until pregnant or her family stopped looking for her, and then was brought back to formalize the wedding.”

Honeymoons Today

Regardless of its origin—today the honeymoon is a time for a couple to celebrate their marriage and new life together and their love for one another that made it possible.

We cordially invite you to share the joys and pleasures of your honeymoon while being pampered in the luxury and romantic elegance of “the mansion built as a wedding gift”—The BEALL MANSION.

© Copyright 1997-2006 The BEALL MANSION...An Elegant Illinois Bed & Breakfast B&B Inn Boutique Hotel (Greater St. Louis Bed & Breakfast B&B Inn Boutique Hotel)