By KiddieDaily Editors · Jul 2, 2026 · 3 min read · Ages 8–10 · 1 source

Why Do We Call It a Honeymoon?

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Share on XShare on RedditCopy ArticleAdd us as a preferred sourceWeddings are incredibly stressful, no matter how much you love your future spouse.

So, it's nice to have a getaway for just the two of you afterwards. Taking a vacation after becoming an officially wed couple has been a tradition that's lasted for centuries, though the idea of it being romantic is a more modern invention. But why do we call that trip a honeymoon?

Weddings are incredibly stressful, no matter how much you love your future spouse. So, it's nice to have a getaway for just the two of you afterwards. Taking a vacation after becoming an officially wed couple has been a tradition that's lasted for centuries, though the idea of it being romantic is a more modern invention.

But why do we call that trip a honeymoon? There are a few different explanations for why 'honeymoon' is used to describe a newlywed holiday, or just the time in which a couple is completely wrapped up in each other. One reason ties into the ancient practice of bride kidnapping, and the other relates to a Pagan wedding ritual.

Either way, the word 'honeymoon' has existed since the fifth century. There are a few different explanations for why 'honeymoon' is used to describe a newlywed holiday, or just the time in which a couple is completely wrapped up in each other. One reason ties into the ancient practice of bride kidnapping, and the other relates to a Pagan wedding ritual.

Either way, the word 'honeymoon' has existed since the fifth century. Honeymoon Hideaway-->Honeymoon HideawayThe first use of the word 'honeymoon' in English was in the mid-1500s, but the term came from the ancient Norse word “hjunottsmanathr,” which has two meanings: "honey month" and "in hiding." The hiding definition described the act of bride kidnapping, where a man captured a woman to take her as a wife. They would hide long enough for the bride's family to give up searching, or until she was pregnant.

The first use of the word 'honeymoon' in English was in the mid-1500s, but the term came from the ancient Norse word “hjunottsmanathr,” which has two meanings: "honey month" and "in hiding." The hiding definition described the act of bride kidnapping, where a man captured a woman to take her as a wife. They would hide long enough for the bride's family to give up searching, or until she was pregnant. Some scholars, like Samuel Johnson in his Dictionary, have suggested that the "honey month" definition describes the sweetness of the first month of marriage.

Others, such as Richard Huloet, believed that "hjunottsmanathr" was better translated as "honeymoon," and that it meant that, like the moon, love wanes after a month or so. Some scholars, like Samuel Johnson in his Dictionary, have suggested that the "honey month" definition describes the sweetness of the first month of marriage. Others, such as Richard Huloet, believed that "hjunottsmanathr" was better translated as "honeymoon," and that it meant that, like the moon, love wanes after a month or so.

Honey Mead Tradition-->Honey Mead TraditionWhether "honeymoon" or "honey month" was related to the tenderness of new love or waning love by the 1500s, the tradition of the honeymoon is much older. In the fifth century, honey mead was given as a wedding gift for the bride and groom. There would be enough for one lunar cycle, or one month, and the couple was to drink the mead each day for the entire month.

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