In some countries, it is women, not men, who get down on one knee to ask for their loved one’s hand in marriage. Where does this tradition, which takes place on a specific date, come from?
In the mindset, the marriage proposal is generally carried out by the man. It is often up to him to choose the ring, organize the event and choose the words that will accompany the proposal. A norm for many and yet, some daring women do not hesitate to thumb their noses at traditions by reversing the roles and asking for their spouse’s hand in marriage themselves. A trend that has been emerging for several years now.
“Since the mid-2000s, the number of women initiating marriage proposals appears to have increased“, affirms sociologist Florence Maillochon in her work “The passion of marriage” (published by PUF). Whether they want to take their destiny into their own hands or whether they don’t want to wait, they each have a good reason to ask their loved one to marry them. This is what some stars have done, such as Élodie Frégé or comedian Claudia Tagbo. These women who want to take the plunge obviously ask themselves questions, but overall, they don’t see this request as “like a real obstacle course“unlike men,” the specialist explains.
This phenomenon, which is growing more and more, is rather common in Ireland. Because in this country, it is a real tradition that dates back to the 5th century and which is called “The Ladies’ Privilege”. Indeed, Irish women are encouraged to ask the famous question to their partner: “Will you marry me?” every four years on February 29.
In the land of 40 shades of green, the tradition is linked to Saint Bridget of Kildare who, according to legend, pleaded with Saint Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland, editor’s note) to grant women the right to propose to men. This gave rise to the idea that this day offers a special freedom and equality to women in the realm of love and marriage.
In England and Scotland, this tradition has also been adopted, with stories and games around this concept. For example, it is said that if a man refuses a woman’s proposal on February 29, he must pay her a fine, or a gift that can range from a kiss to a silk cloth or even twelve pairs of gloves. This last custom would allow the woman to hide the absence of an engagement ring.
