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 aisle¹. 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 jewelry² 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 lasting³ 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 commonplace⁴ 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 joyful⁵ tears.

　　“有旧、有新、有借、有蓝”的婚礼习俗已经有好几百年的历史了。许多新娘在她们举行婚礼的当天都曾被问到是否已经备好了那些“有旧、有新、有借、有蓝”的服饰，以穿戴它们缓缓走过教堂内的通道。穿戴这每一件服饰的传统据说各有其独特的涵义，但都能够给新婚夫妇带来吉祥和财富。你曾想过这种说法到底是什么意思吗？是如何起源的？每件服饰各有何涵义？

　　最初的说法源自维多利亚时代，原文是：“有旧，有新，有借，有蓝；在一只鞋里放一枚六便士的银币。”

　　有旧　　　新娘可以穿着或佩戴一样旧衣物来象征她和她娘家及过去生活之间的历史纽带。许多新娘佩戴一件家传的珠宝饰品作为“有旧”的选择。有些新娘穿着她们母亲或祖母穿过的结婚礼服。实际上，旧的东西同时也可以是借来的东西。

　　有新　　　穿戴一样新衣物是要象征新娘在新生活和婚姻中拥有成功和希望。如果新娘置办的是新的结婚礼服，那它就可以是她的“有新”，但是任何别的新服饰也是可以的。“有新”常常是最容易做到的。

　　有借　　　借来的服饰应该是从一位已幸福地结了婚的朋友那里借来的。据说他们的幸福会惠及于你，给你的婚姻带来长久的美满。有些新娘会去借来一种衣着用品、一件首饰、一块手帕或者一个饰以珠子的手袋。

　　有蓝　　　穿戴一件蓝色服饰源自《圣经》时代，当时蓝色结婚礼服代表着纯洁、忠诚和爱情。随着时间的推移，这一传统已从穿蓝色结婚礼服，演变成后来的在新娘的结婚礼服下摆处缝上一圈蓝色的镶边，再演变到现代的普遍做法——新娘用蓝色的吊袜带。

　　六便士银币　　　在新娘的左脚鞋子里放一枚六便士银币据说是财富的象征。它不仅代表财产上的富有，还代表婚姻生活的幸福与快乐。由于今天许多新娘恐怕连一枚六便士是什么样子都不知道，传统习俗的这一部分在现代婚礼中已经不常被遵守。但是，如果新娘想要在她的婚礼中包括这一项目，她可以从许多出售如吊袜带和请柬等婚礼用品的公司里买到六便士银币。

　　有些较为传统的新娘或许会花很多心思选择每一件服饰。传统的做法是：同一家族的女性佩戴同一件首饰。

　　而有些新娘不太为传统所束缚，但在别人的请求下也会遵循这一传统。如果她们不想面面俱到，她们可以就携带一个小小的珠子手袋，里面装有两块手帕——她们可以买一块新的白色手帕，然后从家人那里借一块蓝色手帕，这样她们就“有新”——白色手帕，还“有旧、有借、有蓝” ——蓝色手帕。手帕在婚礼中正好可以派上用场——擦拭喜悦的泪水！