A TOAST TO THE HAPPY COUPLE

JFK and Jackie and classic gown

HOW THE WORLD COOKS
BY MYRA WALDO
A June wedding is the young womans dream. The weather is usually concillatory, often better.  As James Russell Lowell said:"And what is so rare as a day in June? Then if ever, come perfect days." The mothers shed a few tears, the fathers breathe a sigh of relief, the young couple kisses, and then the guests must be fed. First of course comes a toast, traditionally made with a punch. Alcoholic or not, it's as traditional as kissing the bride.
The word punch probably comes from the Hindustani punch, meaning five. For five was the traditional number of ingredients which, when combined blended into a happy union, like the newlyweds, hopefully. Originally the five consisted of the strong(liquor) and the sharp(spices). Later, when tastes changed the spices were removed and heres how a poem sums its up:

Where oer' a bowl of punch we make,

four striking opposites we take, the strong, the weak, the sour, the sweet, together mixed, most kindly meet.