The origin of the word "honeymoon" lies in the mead, or "honey wine."

What is Mead, the world's oldest alcoholic beverage? Unraveling the sweet story of newlyweds from the brewery.

Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by diluting honey with water and fermenting it with yeast.

Humans have long transformed various ingredients into alcohol through the wisdom of "fermentation," such as sake from grains, wine from grapes, and beer from malt. Among these, mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages.

Its history is said to date back as far as nine or ten thousand years, and honey wine has been cherished for a long time as an offering to the gods or as a pleasure for royalty and nobility, from ancient Egyptian temples, ancient Greek feasts, Viking banquets in Northern Europe, to medieval European monasteries.

Perhaps people found sanctity in the act of turning honey, a gift of nature itself, into alcohol.

Incidentally, the origin of wine is said to be around 6000-8000 BC, in the area around present-day Georgia (South Caucasus), and the origin of beer is said to be around 4000-8000 BC, during the Mesopotamian civilization (Sumerians).

The custom of sharing honey wine for a month of marriage

There are various theories about the origin of the word "honeymoon," and it is said that mead is deeply involved, but the current situation is that it is too ancient to be clearly understood.

According to one theory about its origin, in ancient Europe, particularly among Germanic peoples and in Northern Europe, there was a custom of giving newlyweds a month's worth of mead after their wedding.

It is said that the newlyweds spent their time together, sharing this honey wine every day until the moon waxed and waned, which is for one lunar cycle, approximately thirty days.

Honey wine has long been believed to have restorative and invigorating properties, and honey itself was a symbol of abundance and fertility. Therefore, the wish for healthy offspring was likely contained in those cups.

As someone involved in brewing, giving a gift of nature's sweet bounty transformed into alcohol through the miracle of fermentation for a new beginning of a couple seems to me to be the most beautiful custom.

"Honey" and "Moon" tell of a sweet month

"Honey" is honey, "Moon" is moon.

In other words, a honeymoon was literally a month spent with honey wine. This is the most poetically transmitted theory for the origin of "honeymoon."

In Japanese, the period of early marriage is also called "mitsugu" (蜜月), which is said to be a direct translation of the English word that has become established.

However, from a linguistic perspective, there are different theories, including a somewhat bitter interpretation that the sweetness of newlywed life, like the waxing and waning of the moon, eventually fades away.

It is beyond the capacity of a brewer to determine which is true, but as someone in the brewing profession, I am deeply drawn to the story that it originates from honey wine.

Japanese celebrations and sake, their universality

Turning our attention to Japanese sake culture, weddings and sake are also inextricably linked.

From the sansankudo (three-three-nine times) ritual cups at Shinto weddings, to the celebratory sake served at receptions, and the indispensable cup for joyous occasions.

Japanese people, too, have always shared the blessings of fermentation at life's milestones.

Although the ingredients differ, Japanese sake brewed from rice and mead brewed from honey both serve as a medium to connect people through the steady work of unseen microorganisms.

It seems that we are once again taught that sake is not just a drink, but something that brews the time spent together.

In conclusion

Standing in the brewery, listening to the quiet breathing of the fermenting mash, I feel that the prayers and wishes that people have entrusted to sake for thousands of years still flow continuously through this brewery.

Such a rich story of brewing is hidden in just one word, "honeymoon."

Thinking about this, the depth of the craft of brewing permeates my heart.

Our brewery offers support for those who are about to get married to brew their own sake.

We support the experience of making your own celebratory sake for your wedding, from loosening the steamed rice and putting it into barrels, to stirring the fermenting mash, bottling, and labeling.

Of course, please be assured that our brewery will fully support you with the management and difficult parts.