The History Of Linen: From Ancient Pharaohs To Modern Day Wedding Linen Rentals

When you are shopping for wedding table linens, you may not know that the fabric you are choosing has an ancient and elegant history. Linen started with humble beginnings–it comes from the flax seed and is the earliest vegetable fabric to be woven but soon became a symbol of refinement, dignity and good taste. When you are choosing wedding linen rentals, you can feel assured that you are following in the path of kings, priests and leaders of taste by selecting linens for your wedding linen rentals.

The Symbolism of Wedding Table Linens

Linen textiles may be the oldest in the world. Their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns and various types of fabrics which dating back to about 8000 B.C. have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Linen similar to that used for your wedding table linens was used in the Mediterranean in the pre-Christian age. Linen was sometimes used as currency in ancient Egypt. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen because it was seen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. This symbolism suits wedding table linens perfectly, as a wedding also represents a moment of newness and pure love.

Wedding Table Linens and A Royal Past

In the earliest Biblical times, linen appears as the fabric of choice for high-ranking religious and government officials, not to mention the Saints! Priests of all denominations have been known to wear linen because of its purity, and linen was the favorite fabric of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs–often the fabric is one of the few surviving artifacts found in ancient ruins. For help with custom linens for your next special event visit http://www.magicalpartyrentals.com.

Nearly 4,000 years ago, the Phoenicians (known for their ships and trade on the high seas) opened up new channels of commerce to the peoples of the Mediterranean and introduced flax growing and the making of linen into Ireland before the birth of Christ. Hundreds of years later, Belfast would have The Royal Manufactory of Linen and Damask, and would serve some of history’s greatest royal families with the highest quality linen fabrics, including providing for their wedding table linens.

Wedding Table Linens Today

Today, linen is embroidered all over the world, especially in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. The Italians have mastered the dying of this fiber, which results in its extraordinary variety and depth of color unequaled on cotton.

Egypt and Ireland are the two countries that come to mind in connection with the ancient history of linen, and up to the 1950’s, Ireland, France and Belgium were considered the finest producers of flax. Now, it is also massively cultivated in China. So, when you are choosing wedding linens, you know that you are participating in the exciting history of one of the world’s most widely respected fabrics.

From this history of linen we learn that linen is the noblest cloth, it is the strongest and purest material, it is unharmed by germs, and it resists time and humidity, while gaining extreme softness with time. You may have experienced the fact that the most delicious of all linen sheets are the ones that have been stored in grandmother’s cupboard. Learn more about wedding linen rentals at http://www.magicalpartyrentals.com/rentals/weddinglinenrentals.html.

It was the cloth of Pharaohs, Priests, and Kings. It remains the noblest and most luxurious material for the confection of the finest lingerie and nightwear, bed and table linen, decorative fabrics and, of course, wedding table linens. From the finest handkerchief to the thickest double damask tablecloth, there are literally dozens of ways to spoil yourself with linen. Start with the linens you choose for your wedding and experience what it means to become a part of history.

About the Author: Janet Ireland is a special event decorating enthusiast and frequent contributor to Magical Party Rentals.com, a premier Internet resource for wedding chair cover rentals. Making dreams a reality online since 2003.