Plural of epithalamium or epithalama; wedding songs or poems written to celebrate a marriage and honor the newlywed couple.
From Greek 'epithalamion' (ἐπιθαλάμιον), combining 'epi' (upon) and 'thalamos' (bridal chamber), literally 'upon the bridal chamber.' The plural reflects different linguistic traditions.
Medieval and Renaissance poets competed to write the most elaborate epithalamia—elaborate wedding songs—and these poems reveal what each era thought was the deepest purpose of marriage, from procreation to love to economic alliance.
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