“They have their own wedding, we have ours!” - a famous phrase from a popular movie. In fact, this solemn rite has exactly as many features as there are nations. How do different nations celebrate this significant event, and how do they prepare for it? Italian women cook a huge pot of spaghetti the day before their wedding. German women enthusiastically break dishes the day before... And these are just some of the traditions that are strictly observed before the wedding in different countries. A short tour of different countries will show us some specific details of the wedding ceremony.
Wedding ceremonies and traditions of China
It would seem that when preparing for the wedding, everyone should rejoice and congratulate the bride and groom. But people living in China prefer to do the opposite. The crying of the bride and family begins a month before the wedding. An unusual wedding ritual involves crying and lamenting every day for half an hour. After 10 days, the mother-in-law picks up the baton, and on the eve of the wedding ceremony, they are supported by friends and other women from the clan. But the ubiquitous red color at a wedding represents joy, love, and prosperity. There is so much of it in the Chinese wedding theme that it is impossible to think about the sad event. Wedding gifts are wrapped in red cloth or paper, and only the glasses from which the newlyweds drink at the wedding are tied with a red ribbon.
During matchmaking, the groom sends a scarf to his chosen one and patiently, albeit with bated breath, waits for her answer, which, according to tradition, consists of slippers knitted by her; they are certainly accompanied by either a bunch of sweet bananas, meaning an unconditional “Yes!”, or a bunch of bitter green onions - a symbol of a categorical “No!” In the southwestern part of China this custom continues to this day.
Popular borrowings
Many wedding ceremonies of different peoples of the world came to our country from other cultures, but this does not make them alien. For example, the already established stage of the celebration, in which the bride throws her bouquet to her unmarried guests, was observed for many years at European weddings. The same applies to the garter, which the groom removes from his beloved’s leg at the end of the evening - the custom came from the USA.
Bride kidnapping, which is often carried out at weddings, originated quite a long time ago, and in several countries. In Japan, England, Ireland, Italy and Albania, for a long time, girls from high social classes were kidnapped as a joke in order to force the groom to work harder in winning the hand and heart of his beloved.
Wedding ceremonies and traditions of the Philippines
Only a rich enough person can now be a groom in this country. Pre-wedding events and rituals require non-stop expenses, you even have to pay for the right to visit the bride! Food and drink in the presence of the bride are paid separately, as well as conversation with her. Most likely, there are strictly established tariffs for these pre-wedding “troubles”. It’s curious, what if there are several suitors vying for a girl’s hand? The bride’s parents can directly enrich themselves by “charging what is due according to tradition,” especially if they also have several daughters...
According to Indian custom, the bride's family is responsible for accepting the proposal.
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The event, called manni or nishitartham, is attended by family members from both families. The couple then performs several rituals and performs the oath ceremony.
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15 traditions from around the world that you might not know about
American wedding ceremonies and traditions
In America, it is considered good luck if the bride's outfit follows the formula: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Everything is clear here: the bride’s outfit must certainly contain something that has long belonged to her or her family; something new - never worn; something foreign, borrowed for a while, in order to be sure to return it; I also need some kind of blue or dark blue item. A mandatory and main requirement is that all this should be in plain sight. Another noteworthy detail: it is the bride's family that bears the wedding expenses. About 80% of the US population belongs to one of the Christian denominations, so, as a rule, it all starts with a beautiful ceremony in church. Alternatively, you can invite a priest to perform the marriage in any other place convenient for the newlyweds: a private house, a park, or the ocean coast. An important detail: one or two weeks before this, lovers go to the state marriage registration office. The marriage certificate is sent to the newlyweds by mail.
After the ceremony, the celebration moves to a restaurant (bar, rented hotel or private home), where dishes are changed according to the menu, and alcohol flows like a river - in this Americans are not much different from us. Walk like that! They start planning the event at least six months in advance, and more often even a year in advance, immediately after the engagement. The issue of wedding gifts in America is usually resolved this way: the newlyweds register at one of the large stores (Macy's, Nordstrom, Target), where they make a list of gifts - utensils, decorative items, electrical appliances. Everything is available and inexpensive. Guests just have to make one of their wishes come true - they don’t even have to go to the store to do this; a gift from the list can be ordered online. In the same way, you can order holiday packaging and gift delivery to the newlyweds.
Vows
The touching moment when the newlyweds say the most sincere and tender words of love to each other in front of all the guests will undoubtedly become the decoration of the wedding ceremony.
The opportunity to speak from the heart, to choose the tone and mood of the vows, to see tears in the eyes of guests is one of the reasons why newlyweds are increasingly choosing the format of on-site registration instead of formal registration at the registry office. If you find it difficult to put your feelings into words, use the help of the classics. And don't miss our tips on how to write the perfect wedding vows! Save Saved
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Wedding ceremonies and traditions of Great Britain
The Scots are skilled masters of inventing all sorts of signs, and they themselves strictly monitor their observance. Grooms, for example, are required to throw a special, “named” checkered shawl over the bride’s shoulders, i.e. a shawl with a check of some kind - this is considered a sign of union; brides should sew some kind of talisman on the back of their wedding dress. A large dish of fresh bread and buns is broken “for good luck” over the bride’s head. The old shoe, which is thrown out of the young couple's car after the wedding ceremony, must be caught by the bridesmaids; the one who catches him will marry next. This symbol of future marriage may not be very elegant, but such are the signs and customs of the Scottish highlanders.
The rite of passage into a wife involves throwing mud, in the literal sense of the word. The custom says that the more smeared a girl is, the less negativity there will be throughout her married life. The ritual is unusual. All invited guests diligently throw mud at the bride, smear her with soot, and pour sauces over her wedding dress. The mixture turns out sticky and unpleasant. This is exactly the beauty that will walk through the streets. In the summer, she is obliged to visit all the pubs she comes across. On the wedding day, it is customary for grooms to wear a national men's skirt - a kilt, which, as usual, is worn without underwear underneath.
Dance with parents
The bride's dance with her father is one of the most exciting and beautiful moments of the celebration. This can be either a simple slow dance to beautiful music or a more complex and vibrant number - if you and your dad are both creative people and want to surprise your guests! But preparing such a dance will require classes and rehearsals, so discuss with your dad in advance whether he is ready to go to the choreographer.
Particular attention should be paid to the selection of music and surroundings. If you want even the most resistant of guests to be moved to tears, complement your speech with a slideshow of children's photographs. This will create a very cozy and nostalgic atmosphere!
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Dance with parents: TOP 40 compositions
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Wedding ceremonies and traditions of the French
The French are world famous romantics. And what could be more romantic than unexpectedly releasing a large flock of light-winged and beautiful butterflies during a wedding? Or: at a wedding banquet, the bride and groom are required to drink from a special two-handed wedding cup. This cup is a family heirloom; it is passed down from generation to generation as a talisman for a successful marriage. Being loud is one of the most annoying wedding traditions. It is common in some areas of France and is called chavari. This means that people must have metal accessories that create a lot of noise. The families of the bride and groom gather near the house where the first wedding night is to take place and begin to organize a concert. But instead of singing, the young couple hear screams, and spoons, pans, and pots serve as musical instruments. This is done in order to kill the romance and lure the newlyweds out into the street with drinks and snacks. After which they are released, giving them privacy.
According to French tradition, the groom and his friends are expected to meet the bride and her family at her home. They take a whole motorcade of cars, often honking and yelling to announce their happiness to the whole world. And passers-by shout out good wishes to them. The bride must wear a white dress, which symbolizes her purity and innocence. The sock dance is an integral part of any French wedding. The unmarried siblings of the bride or groom are forced to wear funny socks and do a happy dance, and guests throw money at the performers, which the bride and groom will later collect. Some couples include traditional French tunes in their wedding music as a way to honor their French roots. The French, in order to avoid unnecessary wedding gifts, do not hesitate to indicate to the invitations that guests bring only money.
Modern China
Today, Chinese young people choose and marry those they love. However, in order to show your respect for the parents of the other party, official permission from the parents for the wedding must be obtained in advance.
One of the wedding customs is preparing a dowry. The bride's family buys various things that will be useful to the new family. The wedding should be held on a day that symbolizes goodness and good energy.
Wedding. Source: wikipedia.org
— The groom arrives at the house of the bride’s parents and greets his future relatives. The couple then heads to the house of the groom's parents, where the newlyweds greet his parents together.
— At the banquet, the newlyweds must drink half a glass of wine from a glass tied with a ribbon. Then the newlyweds change hands and drink the other half of the wine.
According to modern Chinese traditions, young people choose each other out of love.
- In some provinces of China, fish is served at the banquet table, which should not be eaten entirely - this symbolizes a good beginning and end to marriage.
— After the banquet, the friends of the newlyweds continue the night with games and dancing.
Wedding rites and traditions of the Greeks
A traditional Greek wedding is filled with numerous ceremonial rituals dedicated to the Holy Trinity. In Greece, brides wear yellow or red veils representing fire to ward off evil spirits. Some modern brides still decorate their bouquets with a mixture of herbs and plants that symbolize fertility. Among the Greeks, small children first enter the newlyweds’ bedroom and jump, having fun on their marriage bed. Only after them the bride and groom appear. This procedure is considered a guarantee of healthy offspring and well-being. The bride and groom are protected from the evil eye by small eyes that their best friends attach to their clothes. Another feature is that just before the wedding, the happy bride writes the names of her unmarried girlfriends on the soles of her shoes. But only those girls destined to get married soon will have their names erased from their soles before the celebrations are over.
Greek weddings sometimes turn into cooking competitions, with guests bringing baked goods and sweets to the ceremony to earn praise. Greeks dance a lot during wedding celebrations. Kalamatiano is an energetic circle dance that is performed at the very beginning at the reception. Sometimes, the bride and groom perform a "money dance" during which guests throw bills at them. At a Greek wedding, it is customary to smash dishes on the floor as a sign of happiness. At the end of the ceremony, the groom cuts the ribbon that binds the newlyweds, and the couple “sells” the pieces to the guests.
Kenyans perform dress up
In Kenya, the newlywed wears his beloved's clothes throughout the honeymoon to feel the full weight of a woman's burden. Agree, somewhere deep down this seemingly frightening tradition seems temptingly fair to us.
Nikita Stepanov: “Kenyans are incredibly lucky that there is no cold winter on their lands, otherwise newly-made husbands would have to suffer in a mink coat and their wife’s boots. Among similar rituals in Rus', it was customary for entertainment to arrange wedding dressing up as animals and birds.”
Wedding ceremonies and traditions of India
In a society ruled by caste, people believe in reincarnation, and wedding traditions are strong. Here, temporary marriage is practiced for girls who are ugly or have teeth. The groom is chosen from among our smaller brothers. Hindus believe in infusing all sorts of evil spirits into girls with an unsightly appearance. The only way to drive out an evil spirit from an Indian woman is to marry her to a pet. An Indian wedding is all painted in yellow and red, and this is probably why every celebration of the birth of a new happy family usually takes place next to a large blazing fire. The color of the bride’s wedding dress should be bright red; in addition, the groom smears the forehead and parting of the hair on the bride’s head with red paint - all this as a symbol of the fact that she is now becoming his wife.
For hundreds of years, rituals have been preserved unchanged in India, however, depending on the area, they may have their own characteristics and differences. Following the ancient tradition suggests that on the wedding day neither the bride nor the groom should eat anything until the evening. Only after the wedding ceremony has been completed can they break this miniature fast. So, there are as many customs as there are peoples on earth. In Russia, for example, it is customary to decorate a wedding celebration with balloons, while in Mexico they prefer freshly picked, still living flowers; they are used to decorate the bride’s hair, the hall, tables, and cars.
One thing remains common and unchanged everywhere - wishes to the newlyweds happiness and love, and a long married life. There is a belief: the younger brother should not marry before the older one, so as not to cause trouble. If the latter is still single, he chooses a tree spouse, thus approving the younger one's marriage. The newly-made wife is cut down after the ceremony. An integral part of Indian pre-wedding rites is the muharat mandap, where the bride and groom are smeared with turmeric, a yellow powder that makes their skin smooth. In addition, the bridesmaids hand-paint the girl's hands and feet with henna patterns. Red symbolizes good luck in Hinduism, which is why brides in India wear traditional red colored sarees with white and gold detailing. The most important part of a Hindu wedding ceremony is Saptapadi, or the exchange of vows. At this time, the bride and groom must walk three circles with the sacred fire. After the first round (seven steps) they exchange vows. After the third, the groom gives the bride a silver ring as a sign of love. The couple also exchanges flower garlands as an additional symbol of their feelings. Guests at Indian weddings wear traditional attire in subtle colors. Instead of cake, Indian newlyweds usually feed each other honey and other sweets.
Where did the tradition of crying bitterly at a wedding come from?
To the cries of “Bitter!” At a wedding, the newlyweds kiss and delight the guests with their display of love.
Versions of the origin of the custom
There are several options for the origin of the tradition.
- According to legends, in order to scare away all evil spirits from a young and happy family, it was necessary to show that there was no place for joy at the wedding. Therefore, the evil spirits, hearing the word “Bitter!”, calmed down and showed no interest in the young people.
- In ancient times, weddings usually took place in winter or autumn. Just during the coldest time of the year, a snow mountain was built in the bride’s yard, which was doused with water. At the top of the mountain there was a bride with her bridesmaids, but the groom had to climb up the slippery slope behind his beloved, and everyone present shouted to him: “Slide!” Having received his main prize, he and his bride rolled down the slope. Over time, this exclamation has changed into what is now commonly said at a wedding.
- It is believed that a wedding guest who follows the tradition of shouting “Bitter!” takes on some of the bitterness of the couple’s future life together. Thus, it makes family life easier for the couple and makes it more joyful and happy. Only married men who were in a strong marriage could scream. Following them, their wives pronounced the cherished word.
This is a very symbolic tradition of a modern wedding, which has become a real hallmark of Russian culture and which no other wedding rituals of the peoples of the world can boast of.
Italian wedding
They prepare for a wedding in Italy for at least a year. But first there must be an engagement - the moment when a man gives a ring to a girl and meets her parents. A very serious step! All cars in the wedding cortege are decorated with white ribbons. Driving through the streets, they continuously buzz - notifying everyone about the event. After the ceremony, the newlyweds are sprinkled with rice as they leave the church. In the restaurant everyone shouts “Bacio!” (kiss). Usually the newlyweds are allocated a separate table, but they cannot sit at it: they need to pay attention to all their relatives, take pictures with everyone, take part in friends’ jokes, dance, drink wine and... many times “Bacio!” Well, the profession of toastmaster is not in demand in Italy: temperamental Italians do not need verbal entertainment, they themselves will make any flowery speech you want. But singers and musicians are invited, so they can entertain the guests. And, of course, to accompany the newlyweds during their first dance.
As for gifts, Italian newlyweds echo the American and German ones - they leave a “marriage list” in the store and send the store’s business cards to guests along with the invitation. There is another interesting tradition in Italy: friends of the newlyweds trick the newlyweds into luring out the keys to the house in advance and prepare “ambushes”: they sprinkle spices on the marital bed or set alarm clocks at the wrong time and hide them throughout the room, trying to “annoy” the spouses on their wedding night, more precisely, to make the night sleepless and stormy. But more often the company simply knocks on the window in the middle of the night and demands... to feed them. Fortunately, the young wife always has a pan of spaghetti ready for this occasion. It only remains to add that Italians marry late. Early marriage is considered to be between 30 and 35 years of age.
Rwandan women scratch their husbands
In Rwanda, Africa, women have every right to scratch, bite and beat their husbands throughout their honeymoon. It is believed that the bride is full of internal aggression, and in order to become flexible and soft, she needs to let off steam. The newlyweds meet only at night, and during the day the young wife gains strength in her parents' house.
Nikita Stepanov: “I do not rule out that newlyweds during this period are interested in other pastimes. And bites and scratches on husbands’ bodies do not appear at all from the negative attitude of their wives towards them.”
Jewish wedding
At the beginning of the ceremony, the bride's head is covered with a veil. Then she, following the groom, goes under the ritual canopy of the chuppah, where the people closest to them await them. Here, under the chuppah, a new family is born. While the rabbi reads prayers, the bride circles the groom 7 times. God created the Earth in seven days, so the girl builds the walls of her future family. And so the man puts on a gold ring for his beloved. According to tradition, it must be without stones and officially belong to the groom - either purchased by him with his savings or considered a family heirloom. After this, the marriage contract is read out - the ketubah, which spells out the rules that a man must henceforth observe in relation to his wife: provide, protect, take care that her beauty is preserved as long as possible. The amount that will be paid to the woman in the event of a divorce is also stated here. True, this part of the agreement is more a tribute to tradition than a true agreement; the amount indicated is symbolic.
Then the newly-made family has to go through the third wedding ceremony - visiting the privacy room. Previously, upon entering there, the newlyweds found themselves alone for the first time and the man was allowed to touch his wife. Today, when marriages are more often concluded by love than by “arrangement,” this part of the ritual is observed as a sign of respect for tradition. The newlyweds retire for 3-5 minutes and soon join the guests. It's time for a feast. Jewish weddings are usually held on Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday. Shabbat Hatan is held on Saturday. Moreover, Ashkenazis hold it on the last Saturday before the wedding. And Sephardim - on the first Saturday after the wedding. On this day, the man goes to the synagogue, where he reads the Torah with special solemnity. With this honorable act, the community (although not only those who pray in this synagogue come to Shabbat Hatan, relatives and friends of the bride and groom’s families from other communities and even from other cities are invited) gives parting words and wishes a happy family life. After morning prayers, the groom treats everyone to desserts and sweets.
The Germans break dishes and saw logs
It turns out that in Germany the custom of breaking dishes on the porch of the bride’s house is considered to bring good luck. After this, the pedantic and neat German groom goes to sweep the steps, and the bride is obliged to check his work. So not all couples get married. After the ceremony, the newlyweds saw the log in two. This difficult procedure symbolizes the beginning of living together.
Nikita Stepanov: “In Russia, newlyweds also hit a pair of crystal wine glasses for good luck. The more fragments, the happier the family life will be.”
Wedding ceremonies and traditions of Denmark
In this Scandinavian country, it is mandatory for the bride and groom to dance their first dance at the wedding, surrounded by invited guests. During the dance, the circle constantly contracts. Finally, all the guests converge so tightly that the bride and groom can no longer move - they can only kiss each other deeply. Immediately the men grab the groom and quickly pull off his shoes, after which they cut off his socks from the heels and toes with scissors. At the same time, the girls are strenuously trying to tear the bride’s veil into ribbons. These ribbons are subsequently tied to car antennas for good luck.
Ancient China
In those days, a Chinese man could have as many women as he wanted and could afford. Situations where the young concubine was a teenager, while the husband was an ancient old man, were in the order of things.
Poor families often sold their young daughters to rich families in order to get some money and also to get rid of the useless women in the family.
Marriages arranged by parents were also common. The young people got married because their parents decided so. Sometimes young people saw each other for the first time at their own wedding. Arranged marriages were also common: the wedding was organized even before the birth of the children with the consent of the parents on both sides.
Japanese wedding
In the Land of the Rising Sun, a couple in love exchanges special coins, yuino, during their engagement, which symbolizes their boundless trust in each other. At the obligatory wedding reception, the bride and groom should take no less than nine sips of traditional Japanese sake. Moreover, they are considered husband and wife after the first sip. Recently, weddings are increasingly being held in a new manner. For example, the European custom of releasing balloons into flight is becoming popular.
source https://mamsy.ru
