The term "honey moon" originated with the Norse practice of consuming large quanities of Mead during the first month of a marriage. Mead is fermented honey, the most ancient fermented beverage.
Mead is a honey-based drink thought to be the first alcoholic drink made by man - some 5,000 years ago. Even after grapes began to be cultivated by early civilizations for the making of wine, mead was still considered a superior drink because it was made from honey - a treasured commodity because it was the only known sweetener in ancient times and it had supposed medicinal qualities.
Thousands of years ago mead was also thought to be an aphrodisiac, making this belief the basis for the term "honeymoon". At weddings in ancient Babylon, the father of the bride would provide mead to the new couple for a month (which at that time, was lunar-based and went from full moon to full moon) to assure fertility and the birth of a son.
Bill Baily, the owner of Desi's Dew Meadery in Rougemont, makes mead commercially. A couple of years ago, he gave a presentation for our beekeeping group.
Try some if you ever have the opportunity - honey in any form is good for you!
