A honeymoon is the traditional trip taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage, and presumably, consummate it. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in secluded, exotic, warm, or other places that are thought to be special and romantic.
Warm, sunny beaches; rugged, scenic coastlines; culturally rich cities; and mountain retreats are all popular honeymoon destinations. Properties that cater to adults provide the peace and quiet most honeymoon couples strive for after a hectic wedding.
Some couples dedicate a great deal of thought to planning in a honeymoon and use a honeymoon timeline to help organize their trip.
The origin of the word honeymoon
The Oxford English Dictionary offers no etymology at all, but dates the word back to the 16th century:
- The first month after marriage, when there is nothing but tenderness and pleasure" (Samuel Johnson); originally having no reference to the period of a month, but comparing the mutual affection of newly-married persons to the changing moon which is no sooner full than it begins to wane; now, usually, the holiday spent together by a newly-married couple, before settling down at home
One of the oldest citations in the OED indicates that, while today honeymoon has a positive meaning, the word was actually a sardonic reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon. This, the first literary reference to the honeymoon was penned in 1552, in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum. Huleot writes:
- Hony mone, a terme proverbially applied to such as be newe maried, whiche wyll not fall out at the fyrste, but thone loveth the other at the beginnynge excedyngly, the likelyhode of theyr exceadynge love appearing to aswage, ye which time the vulgar people cal the hony mone
It has also been said that the origin of the word is based upon the practise of newlyweds drinking mead (a honey-based drink) during the first month (and therefore "moon") of marriage. The drink supposedly increased virility and fertility. Thus the first month of marriage became a honeymoon. Another possible origin that has been talked about is that it comes from Honey's moon. Honey is what a married copule calls eachother, and moon in the context refers to the buttocks. This originates from the days when couples rarely saw eachother naked before marriage, and the night of the honeymoon would often be the first time someone saw their honey's moon.