Culture

Over of Cultures

Cymric

A Celtic people known as Britons.

Roman

Those who hold onto Roman traditions. Most live in cities such as London and Eburacum.

Saxons

People of Germanic descent, including Saxons and Angles.

Picts

The proto-celtic primitive people far to the North.

Irish

Those from the Western Isles, namely Eire.

French

Germano-Franks of western Europe.

Occitanians

Of Gaelic-Romano origin.

Marriage

Everyone appears at their best when coming together for a wedding. Lords and Ladies are accompanied by their full entourage both to honor the bride and groom and to impress their peers and onlookers. Guests always include a knight's vassals, extended family, neighbors, and as many higher-ranking lords as can be invited.

Marriages are arranged by the couple's parents or other caretakers. In some cases, indulgent parents will allow love to determine mates, although the normal process is to unite families for purposes of income, alliance and opportunity. Marriages may be approved while the prospective bride and groom are still the children, and these arrangements can include contracts for dower and dowry. Subsequent breaking of these arrangements for any reason other than the death of one of couple is a cause for serious resentment. It is not unusual for the bride and groom to see each other for the first time on their wedding day. Formal betrothal between adults requires at least 40 days notice, thus granting sufficient time for anyone to give reasons why marriage should not occur. In the Uther and Anarchy Periods secular approval is sufficient, although starting in the Boy King Period priestly approval begins to take hold of society. By the Romance Period priestly approval is required. The early wedding ceremony requires no priest, for it is a secular ceremony. By the time of the Romance Period the church has subtly intruded into the civil ceremony and the wedding requires a priest's blessing. Later, a priest is required to conduct what has become a religious rite.

On the day of the wedding the couple each prepare separately, assisted by the bridesmaids and the groomsmen. Everyone wears their best clothes. A formal wedding dress is uncommon, but if one is made then it is usually blue in color, not white, since it is medieval color for purity. Black must never be worn as it bodes an evil marriage. Bridesmaids dress similarly to the bride, and groomsmen like the groom. After the Boy King Period brides commonly wear a crown of woven flowers, and if they are as rich as royalty these will be orange blossoms imported from Spain or farther afield. The bride, groom, and guests assemble and, with full entourage, parade to the church.

Everyone watches for omens. The route will be carefully chosen to avoid bad omens, and an advance party will clear the way if necessary. Bad luck will ensue if a pig, lizard, blind man, monk, nun or pregnant woman were seen. An open grave is ill luck, and if crossing water is necessary the pair must cast something valuable into the stream to negate ill effects. Good luck will come if they encounter a lamb, toad, spider, or chimney sweep. Rainbows and falling snow are good luck, while falling rain is bad. The actual marriage occurs outside the church, in front of the front doors.

The bride stands to the left and groom to the right, as viewed by the spectators. The formal promises of dower and dowry are exchanged there before the collected witnesses. The bride's father (or warden) formally gives her to the groom. Both parties voice acceptance of the bond, and rings are exchanged. Wedding rings were customarily worn on the thumb. The whole wedding party then goes into the church for a Mass to bless and celebrate the union. A feast after the Mass celebrates the union. This is a long and joyful affair, with multiple courses of food and entertainers between each course. The newlyweds sit side by side at the front, and throughout the meal share spiced wine from a wedding cup. Multiple toasts from the guests increase the intake of wine. Dancing follows the meal. Wedding gifts are not given to the pair. Instead each guest brings a small cake and these are stacked up. During the feast the newlyweds attempt to lean over the pile and exchange a kiss which will bring them luck and prosperity.

At an appropriately late hour the pair departs the feast, followed by their groomsmen, bridesmaids and best friends. This departure is not private in any manner. The wedding guests all attempt to snatch a fragment of the bride's dress to obtain good luck, often leaving it in tatters. The bride's garters are considered especially lucky, and in later periods these are cast backwards to slow the crowd down and save the dress. The couple separate before the bed chamber. The presiding priest blesses the bed and withdraws. The bride and her maids enter, and they undress her and prepare her for the upcoming event with advice and goodhearted earthly talk, and place her in bed under the covers. The groom withdraws elsewhere and his groomsmen undress him and put a nightgown on him, also with appropriate advice and bawdy jesting before escorting him to the bed chamber. In some cases the helpers withdraw discreetly, in others they remain partying until the pair throws them out, and in some cases these helpers remain in the chamber to witness the consummation of the wedding. The next day the husband may present his wife with a morning gift, often furniture or other objects of wealth and status. They then begin their life of love, or in an arranged marriage, discovering whether love will bloom between them.

Economy

Clothes

To help with any confusion. The period is close to 12th century, and its hyper scale too. The book goes from 5th century to 12th century and beyond pretty quick in styles and equipment.

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Clothing during this Period shifts from 5th- or 6th-Century dress to later medieval fashions. Men wear both a long-sleeved undertunic and an overtunic of fine wool or linen. The overtunic has no sleeves, and is fastened at the waist by a belt. Legs are covered with chausses, which are thick stockings. Thick leather shoes are common. The cloak is knotted and pinned at the right shoulder. Hair cuts are short, with a soup-bowl style being popular among knights, in part because it suits the type of helmets being worn. Men are clean-shaven.

Women wear sleeved undertunics like a man’s. The overtunic, called a bliant, fits tightly at the waist and flows into a skirt. The neck is cut low to reveal the undertunic beneath and is laced up the sides. Belts are worn around the waist, and the cloak is attached with a cord across the neck.

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