The Story Behind June Weddings By Donna Schlachter (with Giveaway)

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In America, June is a popular time for weddings. Flowering trees are often in bud, and those early summer blooms such as lilacs and apple blossoms are prevalent. But have you ever wondered why June was selected as the most popular month to get hitched?

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According to many sources, this tradition dates back to the Romans, and their goddess of fertility, Juno, who is likely closely related to the Greek goddess Hera.

 

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Another story credits the practice with the warming temperatures which encouraged bathing, so having your annual bath and getting married seemed like a good idea.

Then again, the Christian tradition of Lent might have had some effect on the choice of dates. Couples longing to wed had to wait until after the Lenten season was passed, usually by mid-April, and then banns could be posted, which often carried the couples to the end of May before they could legally wed.

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Flowers are another interesting part of the wedding tradition. Before the 18th century, bathing was not so popular, so often flowers were included in the ceremony to cover the scent of unwashed bodies. And waiting until June meant the choices for blooms were greater.

 

No matter the reason for the date, weddings are an important milestone in every couple’s life, and in the romance stories we love to read. Testing Tessa is one of those stories. While the heroine, Tessa, doesn’t set out to find a husband, she soon finds that the love that develops for one of her patients extends to his father. But can Seth, a widower, let go of the past and look beyond his dead wife’s memory to see the positive attributes of another woman? You can learn more about this story at https://www.amazon.com/Testing-Tessa-Donna-Schlachter/dp/1943688761

 

Question for readers: Leave a response to the following question to be entered into a random drawing for an ebook or print (US only) copy of Testing Tessa.

 

Which do you think is the best reason for marrying in June? Your answer doesn't have to be one of the theories mentioned above. 

Resource: https://brombergs.com/the-tradition-of-the-june-bride/





About Donna:

Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick. As a hybrid author, she writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts, and has been published more than 30 times in novellas and full-length novels. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Writers on the Rock, Sisters In Crime, Pikes Peak Writers, and Christian Authors Network; facilitates a critique group; and teaches writing classes online and in person. Donna also ghostwrites, edits, and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management. You can find her at www.HiStoryThrutheAges.com

A Pancake by Any Other Name—with Giveaway By Donna Schlachter

As a child growing up in eastern Canada, the Tuesday before Lent was called “Pancake Day”. Traditionally, we ate pancakes for supper. The batter was prepared as usual, and when my mother spooned the mixture into the frying pan, she tucked an aluminum foil-wrapped coin into each pancake.

You can imagine our excitement as the children endeavored to eat as many pancakes as possible, because then we increased our chances of finding the cakes with a dime or maybe even a quarter inside. Most had a penny or nickel, but that didn’t deter us.

Each year, we’d ask why we ate pancakes for supper just one day a week, and my mother always told us because it was a tradition. She didn’t know the reason. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered the reason.

Dreamstime.com

 

Pancake Day hails from the observance of Lent and marks the beginning of the season. Held on the Tuesday before Lent, it’s also known as Shrove Tuesday. It was a day of confession and self-examination, which has become Mardi Gras in the United States. Because Lent was commonly a time of fasting from favorite foods, Pancake Day was begun as a way to rid the home of eggs, sugar, and fat (usually butter).

Dreamstime.com

Pancakes hold a longstanding place in history, first mentioned by Ancient Greeks around 600 BC. Around 1100 AD, Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday became a traditional way to adhere to the church’s admonition to self-deny. National Pancake Day originated in the USA in 1985, although depending on one’s country of origin, has been celebrated here much longer than that.

Regardless of which traditions you adhere to regarding Lent, Pancake Day is still a fun way to change up your menu and encourage your kids to eat.

Now, if we could just find a way to hide money inside vegetables.

Giveaway: Leave a comment, and I’ll draw randomly for a free print (US only) copy of “The Pony Express Romance Collection”. Share one of your family traditions, and leave your email address disguised from the bots as name AT email DOT extension (for example: Donna AT HiStoryThruTheAges DOT com)



 

 

 

 

 

Resources:

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Pancake-Day/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shrove-Tuesday

https://holidays-today.com/holidays/national-pancake-day.html





About “The Pony Express Romance Collection”:

Join the race from Missouri, across the plains and mountains to California and back again as brave Pony Express riders and their supporters along the route work to get mail across country in just ten days. It is an outstanding task in the years 1860 to 1861, and only a few are up to the job. Faced with challenges of terrain, weather, hostile natives, sickness, and more, can these adventurous pioneers hold fast, and can they also find lasting love in the midst of daily trials?

About Donna:

Donna writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts, and has been published more than 30 times in novellas, full-length novels, and non-fiction books. She is a member of ACFW, Writers on the Rock, SinC, Pikes Peak Writers, and CAN; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com