question: What’s the origin of couples sharing a bed together?
comment: Humans sleep together for warmth as well as comfort. In the wild humans cuddle up together to stay warm at night, it's instinct. Sleeping together with a partner is an extension of that.
passages: Bedding ceremony
  
  The bedding ceremony refers to the wedding custom of putting the newlywed couple together in the marital bed before numerous witnesses, thereby completing the marriage. In most traditions the newlyweds were put in bed by their family, friends, and neighbors.
  
  The purpose of the ritual was to establish the consummation of the marriage, either by actually witnessing the couple's first sexual intercourse or symbolically, by leaving before consummation. It symbolized the community's involvement in the marriage. The legally binding nature of the ceremony varied greatly from place to place and through time.
  
  Section::::Traditions.
   Bedding rituals have been practiced in various cultures, the ceremony differing from place to place. The people putting the newlyweds in bed have usually included their family, friends and wider community. The ritual is often associated with music, bawdy songs and jokes. It symbolised the community's involvement in the marriage and especially in the couple's sexual intimacy, but also their marital fidelity. The consummation itself, i.e. the couple's first sexual intercourse, was not witnessed in most of Western Europe.
   The original purpose of the bedding ceremony was to establish the consummation of the marriage, without which the union could be annulled. The legally binding nature of the ritual was unclear to many, particularly to lower classes. One marriage in Britain was annulled on the pretext that the bride had run away within 15 minutes of the ritual, and in another case, a clandestine marriage was made public when the pregnant wife shared her husband's deathbed. Public bedding in 18th-century Britain was widely believed to give additional legitimacy to the marriage. In Scotland, although marriage was formed by simple consent and required no formalities or consummation, the bedding rituals were widespread but unstructured; a couple simply wanted someone to see them in bed together. A couple could also be pressured into marriage in this way: a person stumbling upon an unmarried couple in bed could pronounce them man and wife on the spot.
   In Scandinavia, it was the most distinguished wedding guest who led the bride to bed in a festive procession. After putting them in bed, the guests offered dishes to the couple and quickly ate with them before leaving them alone. Due to the ritual's importance, specially decorated wedding beds were sometimes borrowed from friends, family or neighbours. The bedding eventually became merely symbolic, with the bride's parents covering the newlyweds with a blanket and then uncovering them.
  
  Section::::Legal consequences.
   In the 16th century, in what is now Germany, the bedding ceremony was performed to the sound of pipes, drums and "obscene noises", after which the couple were left alone and the guests continued celebrating loudly enough for the newlyweds not to be heard. In many places, the newlyweds were dressed for bed separately by their family or community and then led to the bedroom. In others, the couple were expected to rejoin the party afterwards. During the Reformation era, the bedding ceremony was associated with rituals that assigned socioeconomic rights and duties to the bride as housewife.
   In medieval Scandinavia, the bedding ceremony was of great legal importance. Laws in many Swedish provinces regarded public bedding as essential to the completion of a marriage, but the legal importance later diminished due to new royal laws. In Iceland, a marriage was only valid if it included the bedding ritual witnessed by at least six men.
  
  In the case of royal marriages, the ceremony took on added significance.
  
  Section::::In popular culture.
   Bundling (tradition)
  
  Bundling, or tarrying, is the traditional practice of wrapping two people in a bed together, usually as a part of courting behavior. The tradition is thought to have originated either in the Netherlands or in the British Isles and later became common in colonial United States, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Some Nebraska Amish may still practice it. When used for courtship, the aim is to allow intimacy without sexual intercourse.
  
  Section::::Origin.
   In England, the ceremony usually began with a priest blessing the bed, after which the newlyweds prepared themselves for bed and drank sweet and spicy wine. The groomsmen and the bridesmaids then sat on the sides of the bed and threw the couple's stockings at them; a hit was believed to indicate that the thrower would soon marry. Finally the curtains were drawn around the bed and the couple were left alone. Some newlyweds refused to take part in the bedding ceremony. King Charles I of England () notably barred the door of his bedroom; however, despite his rejection, the custom remained prevalent for another century among all social classes, including the royal family.
   Throughout the 1700s, there was an extensive sexual policing of young people. The restrictions in place included mandatory chaperones when on dates and attending public events, as well as other socially acceptable customs such as bundling. The latter refers to times when a male courter would spend the night in the same bed as his female companion—which was often both necessary and practical, as many courters lived a fair distance from their love interests and the majority of homes had limited beds. When bundling, both partners remained fully clothed and wrapped in separate blankets, sometimes with a "bundling board" between their bodies, to ensure that no sexual activity would take place. Many intimate same-sex friendships were developed as a response to such sexual policing practices. Intimate relationships between friends were considered a socially acceptable method of sexual expression outside of marriage, as well an outlet for emotional desire that was otherwise limited at this time.
   When ritual nuptials bride and groom were successively introduced into a festive, ties and double bed. Regional differences, they were to each other put or sit to bed. In any case, the pair was covered with a joint cover (hence "in cahoots" as an expression of belonging together). The process had legal force and therefore need witnesses who should bear witness to the legal consummation of marriage later. The oldest surviving Saxon law ("Saxony Mirror" in 1220) it says: "Er ist ihr Vormund und sie ist seine Genossin, und tritt in sein recht, wann si in sein Bett tritt"(He is her guardian and she is his companion, and enters his right, when shi occurs to bed). A senior witness or relative (sometimes also a lawyer) inquired the consent of the couple. The whole rite belonged to "Muntehe", the guardianship of the woman went from father to husband over.
   BULLET::::- A celebration called "Krevati" (Greek for bed) is organised in the new home of the couple, where family and friends place money and their children on the couple's new bed to bring fertility and wealth to the marriage.
  
  BULLET::::- A sugar cube upon the bride on her wedding day promises a sweet marriage.
   Bed-sharing was widely practiced in all areas up to the 19th century, until the advent of giving the child his or her own room and the crib. In many parts of the world, bed-sharing simply has the practical benefit of keeping the child warm at night. Bed-sharing has been relatively recently re-introduced into Western culture by practitioners of attachment parenting. Proponents hold that bed-sharing saves babies' lives (especially in conjunction with nursing),
   Bed-sharing is standard practice in many parts of the world outside of North America, Europe and Australia, and even in the latter areas a significant minority of children have shared a bed with their parents at some point in childhood. One 2006 study of children age 3–10 in India reported 93% of children bed-sharing while a 2006 study of children in Kentucky in the United States reported 15% of infants and toddlers 2 weeks to 2 years engage in bed-sharing.
   It is possible the precedent for bundling came from the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, in which Ruth, a widow, and Boaz, a wealthy landowner, spend a night together in a grain storage room. Tradition says they did not touch, and the pair later got married.
  
  Section::::Courtship practice.
  
  Traditionally, participants were adolescents, with a boy staying at the residence of the girl. They were given separate blankets by the girl's parents and expected to talk to one another through the night. Occasionally a "bundling board" or bundling sack was placed between the boy and girl to discourage sexual conduct.
   Some historians have used the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed as another example of a relationship that modern people see as ambiguous or possibly gay, but which was most likely to have been a romantic friendship. Lincoln and Speed lived together, shared a bed in their youth and maintained a lifelong friendship. David Herbert Donald pointed out that men at that time often shared beds for financial reasons; men were accustomed to same-sex nonsexual intimacy, since most parents could not afford separate beds or rooms for male siblings. Anthony Rotundo notes that the custom of romantic friendship for men in America in the early 19th century was different from that of Renaissance France, and it was expected that men would distance themselves emotionally and physically somewhat after marriage; he claims that letters between Lincoln and Speed show this distancing after Lincoln married Mary Todd. Such distancing is still practiced today.
   Brigid would be symbolically invited into the house and a bed would often be made for her. In the north of Ireland a family member, representing Brigid, would circle the home three times carrying rushes. They would then knock the door three times, asking to be let in. On the third attempt they are welcomed in, the meal is had, and the rushes are then made into a bed or crosses. In 18th century Mann, the custom was to stand at the door with a bundle of rushes and say "Brede, Brede, come to my house tonight. Open the door for Brede and let Brede come in". The rushes were then strewn on the floor as a carpet or bed for Brigid. In the 19th century, some old Manx women would make a bed for Brigid in the barn with food, ale, and a candle on a table. In the Hebrides in the late 18th century, a bed of hay would be made for Brigid and someone would then call out three times: "'" (", come in; thy bed is ready"). A white wand, usually made of birch, would be set by the bed. It represented the wand that Brigid was said to use to make the vegetation start growing again. In the 19th century, women in the Hebrides would dance while holding a large cloth and calling out "'" (", come over and make your bed"). However, by this time the bed itself was rarely made.
   Tangley was the last point for the drovers who walked their sheep over the downs to the Weyhill Fair in October each year. Tangley offered refreshments and lodging to the drovers, and their flocks in the form of five inns or beer houses, of which two remain – The Fox to the south and The Cricketer’s in the centre of the village.
  
  BULLET::::- Cricketers Arms
  
  BULLET::::- The Fox Inn
   The bachelor party dates back as early as the 5th century B.C. The ancient Spartans celebrated the groom's last night as a single man in which they held a dinner and made toasts on his behalf.
   Section::::Later tradition.
   Bedsit
  
  A bedsit, bedsitter, or bed-sitting room is a form of accommodation common in some parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland which consists of a single room per occupant with all occupants typically sharing a bathroom. Bedsits are included in a legal category of dwellings referred to as houses in multiple occupation (HMO).
   Initial assumptions on co-sleeping may place it in a context of income and socioeconomic status. Generally, families of low socioeconomic status will be unable to afford a separate room for a child while those of high socioeconomic status can more easily afford a home with a sufficient number of rooms. However, statistical data shows the prevalence of co-sleeping in wealthy Japanese families and the ability of poor Western families to still find a separate space for their child, suggests that the acceptance of co-sleeping is a result of culture.
  
  Section::::Prevalence.:Cultural factors.
   In many Western cultures, marriage usually leads to the formation of a new household comprising the married couple, with the married couple living together in the same home, often sharing the same bed, but in some other cultures this is not the tradition. Among the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, residency after marriage is matrilocal, with the husband moving into the household of his wife's mother. Residency after marriage can also be patrilocal or avunculocal. In these cases, married couples may not form an independent household, but remain part of an extended family household.
   A furniture set consisting of a sofa with two matching chairs is known as a "chesterfield suite" or "living-room suite". Also in the UK, the word "chesterfield" meant any couch in the 1900s, but now describes a deep buttoned sofa, usually made from leather, with arms and back of the same height. The first leather chesterfield sofa, with its distinctive deep buttoned, quilted leather upholstery and lower seat base, was commissioned by Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773).
   Bosom sex was often practised between young women. This refers to the act of revealing or fondling of the breasts by a female companion, often while in bed. Bosom sex signified a deep bond and trust between the women performing it. While this practice was not inherently sexual, it is one of the more documented forms of physical intimacy within same sex intimate friendships and today would certainly be categorized as a sexual act.
   Co-sleeping is a practice in which babies and young children sleep close to one or both parents, as opposed to in a separate room. Co-sleeping individuals sleep in sensory proximity to one another, where the individual senses the presence of others. This sensory proximity can either be triggered by touch, smell, taste, or noise. Therefore, the individuals can be a few centimeters away or on the other side of the room and still have an effect on the other. It is standard practice in many parts of the world, and is practiced by a significant minority in countries where cribs are also used.
  