Honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple's relationship—whether they are in matrimony or not—that exists before getting used to everyday life together.
History
The custom in Western culture and some westernized countries' cultures of a newlywed couple going on a holiday together originated in early-19th-century Britain. Upper-class couples would take a "bridal tour", sometimes accompanied by friends or family, to visit relatives who had not been able to attend the wedding. The practice soon spread to the European continent and was known in France as a voyage à la façon anglaise, from the 1820s onwards.Honeymoons in the modern sense—a pure holiday voyage undertaken by the couple—became widespread during the Belle Époque, in the late 1800s as one of the first instances of modern mass tourism.
According to some sources, the honeymoon is a relic of marriage by capture, based on the practice of the husband going into hiding with his wife to avoid reprisals from her relatives, with the intention that the woman would be pregnant by the end of the month.
Etymology
The honeymoon was originally the period following marriage, "characterized by love and happiness," as attested since 1546. The word may allude to "the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest".According to a different version, of the Oxford English Dictionary:
Today, honeymoon has a positive meaning, but originally it may have referred to the inevitable waning of love, like a phase of the moon. In 1552, Richard Huloet wrote:
In many modern languages, the word for a honeymoon is a calque or near-calque. Persian has a similar word,, which translates to 'month of honey' or 'moon of honey'.
A 19th-century theory claimed that the word alludes to "the custom of the higher order of the Teutones to drink Mead, or Metheglin, a beverage made with honey, for thirty days after every wedding", but the theory has been challenged.
The first recorded use of the word honeymoon to refer to the vacation after the wedding appeared in 1791, in a translation of German folk stories. The first recorded native-English use of the word appeared in 1804.
Modern practice
The modern purpose of honeymooning varies by culture. For those in an arranged marriage, a honeymoon is a time to get to know one another. For some cultures, it is a time for the couple to become sexually intimate. For other cultures, the purpose of the honeymoon mainly involves spending time to relax, creating a shared memorable experience for the couple, and adjusting to married life.According to the 2023 Global Wedding Report done by The Knot, among the 15 countries surveyed, an average of 75% of couples took a honeymoon. Honeymoons are most popular in European countries. Conversely, fewer than half of couples in India take a honeymoon. Beach resorts are the preferred location for many couples.