No Trivial Matter

The Unwashed Dark Ages?

Some medieval trivia is nothing more than nonsense designed to make the people of the Middle Ages look ignorant and slovenly: 

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and were still smelling pretty good by June. But they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.³

Soap was invented by the Gauls sometime before Christ, and by the end of the ninth century it was in widespread use in Europe. It was soft, much like today's liquid soap, until hard (cake) soap came into use in the twelfth century.

Going without bathing was considered a penance, even in the early Middle Ages. Public bathhouses were not uncommon, and many were closed down during the Black Death in the mid-fourteenth century due to fear of contagion. (They were also popular spots for assignations.) At home, folks were known to take baths by the fire in the winter and out in the garden in the summer.

This is not to say that everyone in the Middle Ages smelled as fresh as a daisy on a daily basis. But it is extremely doubtful that bathing only once a year was acceptable, let alone common, and absolutely ludicrous to think that the reason brides carried bouquets was to hide their stench.

Flowers had many symbolic meanings; in the Church, roses symbolized the Virgin Mary, and in chivalric romances they symbolized passionate love. Bridal bouquets may have been carried for either of these or a dozen other reasons. And, since it was uncommon for gardens in northern medieval Europe to produce flowers past June, it's conceivable that June was a popular month for weddings because brides could still take advantage of fresh flowers when it was at last warm enough to celebrate a wedding outdoors.

 

Next Page > Keeping it Real > Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Note

3 This tidbit is part of a large list, varieties of which have been circulating around the Internet for some time. I've seen it on two medieval mailing lists and it was sent me by three different visitors. It was probably started as a joke; unfortunately, some people seem unaware of the humor and consider its contents factual. [back]

 

 

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