June Bride ジューンブライド

June Brides in Japan is a thing. Yes it is the rainy season also, but there are some advantages to getting married at this time!

June? Really!

June, the month of perpetual rainy and overcast weather with humidity galore, is also one of the most famous (its popularity is disputed) months to get married in Japan. It wasn’t always like this. Traditionally the autumn was prefered and is still very popular today. However, since the Japanese were exposed to the idea of June weedings through such movies as “June Bride” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” in the 1950’s, things changed. June is now considered a fortuitous month for a long happy marriage for some very non-Japanese reasons. So why is it a good idea to be a June bride in Japan?

For the Love of Juno, Goddess of Marriage and Wife of Jupiter

Through exposure to Western media the idea of the June Bride was popularized thoughout Japan. So where does this Western idea itself come from? June is the month for the goddess Juno (Herra), who was also goddess of marriage and childbirth. She was also the very jealous wife of Jupiter (Zeus), but that doesn’t figure here. The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that marriages conducted during her month would be especially lucky and long lasting. It seems this was also to ensure that pregnancy would not interfere with the fall harvest.

June weddings also coincided with two other events: the end of the three month season for sowing the fields when marriage was prohibited and the bride’s annual bath. It seems that from March through May marriage was forbidden as preparing the fields and farms for the new year took precedence, so June was the soonest people could get married in the new year (the year beginning in April).

Though Romans and Greeks definitely had a strong bathing culture, the time after them saw regular bathing take a nose dive. In the middle ages it was considered normal to take one good bath a year, usually in May. This is where we get the phrase “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” and brides carrying bouqets of flowers in front of them (they were beginning to get stinky again and wanted to hide their natural aroma).

How Does “June Brides in Japan” Fit?

Well, at first June brides in Japan (ジューンブライド) seems like a mismatch, but there are some things going for weddings in June in Japan. June is a low travel season, so hotels and banquet halls are free from tourists and other celebrations at this time. But also international travel to exotic wedding locals in Hawaii and Europe are less expensive.

Also at this time of year flowers are very plentiful, especially Juno’s flower, the lilly, but also hydengaes, lilacs, etc. The weather is also temperate other than the rain. The heat of summer is held at bay with little wind and since most marriage ceremonies mostly occure indoors, the rain should not be a problem. The country is very green and lush, perfect for photos.

So if you are looking to get hitched and want to spend more money on your new life together than a ceremony, then then being a June Bride in Japan might be for you.

References

In English

Rain & Vows: Why Is June A Wedding Season In Japan?

June brides and Okinawa wedding traditions | Japan Update

What to Expect at a Japanese Wedding / Japan Travel Centre

If you’re asked to a Japanese wedding

“For they say when you marry in June, you’re a bride all your life.”

In Japanese

What is the meaning and origin of June Bride? Introducing ways and ideas to incorporate in Japanese weddings!.

June Wedding Meaning and Origin of “June Bride”

The bride admires June Bride! 3 real origins and rainy season measures in Japan

Image thanks to Wikimedia Commons and the 1935 film 爆弾花嫁 Bakudan Hanayome.

About the Author

Pjechorin

I have lived and worked with my family in Japan since 2005. For many years I have been interested in the very practical and creative side of Japanese culture. In my free time I travel around, enjoy hiking in the countryside and cities, and just generally seeing and doing new things. This blog is primarily a way for me to focus my energies and record and teach others about what I have learned by experience constructively. I am interested in urban development, and sustainable micro-economics, especially home-economics, and practical things everyday families can do to survive and thrive through these changing times.