Why is a honeymoon called a honeymoon?

Answer 1

In ancient Babylon the father of the bride was required to provide his knew son-in-law with all the Mead he could drink for the first month after the marraige. Mead is an alcoholic drink made from honey so this month was often called the honey month or honey moon.

Answer 2

Honeymoon
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A honeymoon is the traditional trip taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage, and presumably, consummate it. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in places that are secluded, exotic, warm, or otherwise considered special and romantic — for example, warm, sunny beaches, scenic coastlines, and mountain retreats. A recent trend among couples is to combine the wedding and honeymoon into one experience. This is typically called a "weddingmoon" or a "destination wedding."

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The origin of the word honeymoon
Look up honeymoon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.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 Oxford English Dictionary 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.
Or, in modern English:

Honeymoon, a term proverbially applied to the newly-married, who will not fall out (quarrel) at first, but they love the other at the beginning exceedingly, the likelihood of their exceeding love appearing to assuage [any quarrels]; this time is commonly called the honeymoon.
It has also been said that the origins of this word date back to the times of Babylon. In order to increase the virility and fertility of the newlyweds, the father of the bride would provide his son in law with all the mead (a honey-based drink) he could drink during the first month of the marriage (and therefore "moon"). Given that the English word is only four hundred years old, direct attribution to Babylon is questionable (though often repeated). The custom of drinking mead after a wedding for a month was also a medieval custom, however, and in practice at the time the word first appeared. [1]

Another two possible explanations of the word honeymoon are to do with the date that weddings traditionally took place. Weddings once commonly took place upon the Summer solstice both for religious reasons earlier on and also for the practical reason that it was the time between the main planting and harvesting of crops. As it was at this time of year that honey was first harvested it is possible that this is the source. Another alternative is that "Honey Moon" is a name given to the moon when its path is close to the southern horizon. Its light shines though the haze and dust of our atmosphere giving its light a honey color for the whole month

Answer 3

From what I recall from Anthropology class, my instructor told me back in the Resistance period, the French and the Germans men, would find a woman they wanted to be with in another village. At night, the man would bring along a group of his best men and they would kidnap the girl (sneak in her house at night while she was sleeping). They would then take the woman to secure location and basically say , listen please don’t be scared i want to marry you, please get to know me. They would keep the woman as captive over a period of 30 days (full moon) during this period back in the days, the drink of the choice was HoneyDew (the alcohol choice of the day). Over this period of 30 days the man would get to know the woman, and profess his love (while drinking honey dew the whole time). The hope was after 30 days, the man told the woman you can go free now, or marry me. The word Honeymoon was dereived from this whole process and more focus set on the drink that would make it possible (by getting drunk) honeydew.

Sorry I probably left a lot of good details out but thats what I remember.

Answer 4

Today, the tradition of a honeymoon following nuptials has, long way from its original meaning. Today's "happy ending" to the wedding event is a far cry from its much different beginnings. The word honeymoon has its roots in the Norse word "hjunottsmanathr" which was anything but blissful. Northern European history describes the abduction of a bride from neighboring village. It was imperative, that the abductor, the husband to be, take his bride to be into hiding for period of time. His friends assured his and her safe keeping and kept their whereabouts unknown. Once the bride's family gave up their search, the bride groom returned to his people. This folkloric explanation presumably is the origin of today's honeymoon, for its original meaning meant hiding.

The Scandinavian word for honeymoon is derived, in part, from an ancient Northern European custom in which newlyweds, for the first month of their married life, drank a daily cup of honeyed wine called mead. The ancient practices of kidnaping of bride and drinking the honeyed wine date back to the history of Atilla, king of the Asiatic Huns from A.D. 433 to A.D. 453.

So that leaves us with the question of where the "moon" in the word "honeymoon" originates. One piece of folklore relates that the origin of the word moon comes from a cynical inference. To the Northern Europeans the terms referred to the body's monthly cycle and, its combination with honey, suggested that not all moon's of married life were as sweet as the first. British prose writers and poets, in the 16th and 17th centuries, often made use of the Nordic interpretation of honeymoon as a waxing and waning of marital affection.

Answer 5

The word honeymoon has its roots in the Norse word "hjunottsmanathr" which was anything but blissful. Northern European history describes the abduction of a bride from neighboring village. It was imperative, that the abductor, the husband to be, take his bride to be into hiding for period of time. His friends assured his and her safe keeping and kept their whereabouts unknown. Once the bride's family gave up their search, the bride groom returned to his people. This folkloric explanation presumably is the origin of today's honeymoon, for its original meaning meant hiding.

The Scandinavian word for honeymoon is derived, in part, from an ancient Northern European custom in which newlyweds, for the first month of their married life, drank a daily cup of honeyed wine called mead. The ancient practices of kidnaping of bride and drinking the honeyed wine date back to the history of Atilla, king of the Asiatic Huns from A.D. 433 to A.D. 453.

Answer 6

In days of old (I don'y remember the timing here) They would brew Mead to drink in celebration of the event, and they would celebrate the wedding for a month.

Mead is made from honey, and the cycle of the moon is generally a month. therefore - mead = honey, month = moon - honeymoon.

Answer 7

Apparently this is why:
It's thought to have originated in medieval times in either Germany or Ireland. When a couple first got married, they would drink a toast of honey wine (mead) or honey beer. For the next month they would drink this honey brew every night, ensuring fertility and happiness.

Answer 8

Because when your on your honeymoon your supposed to rub honey on your girl or mans moon, lol

Answer 9

Honeymoon is the vacation taken by groom to prepare himself to work under new boss

Answer 10

As Hugh Grant said in Four Weddings and a Funeral
Honey because it's as sweet as honey and moon because it's the first time the husband has seen his wife's bottom(but I think that part might be a bit outdated)