A Look Into Wedding Customs From Around The World
If you come to think of it, a wedding is probably the most important of all rites ever inaugurated by man. Weddings institutionalize and bring some form of order into the collective act of procreation, an activity without which our species would die out. The importance of marriage is that it is the symbolizes, and at the same time, hopes for the fidelity that strengthens the union between the couple, the fertility that will grant offspring and material abundance and the spirituality that will guide the family to their proper goals.
Among the different nations in the globe, many different symbols and rites meant to express those aspirations have been used at weddings.
The disappearing apple act in Chinese weddings
In China, there is a customary ritual often performed after weddings before the guests of the wedding reception. This involves suspending an apples by a string in between the newly wedded couple. The couple is supposed to bite the apple at the same time and hands-free. At the moment they lean forward to do so, their closest friend is supposed to pull the apple up into the air and the newly weds end up kissing each other on the lips.
Although this has been performed millions of times, it never fails to elicit joy and laughter among the guests. That is probably because the act symbolizes something important; the fact that in their pursuit of material abundance, the couple should not forget about the bonds of love.
The Colombian candle of unity
In Colombia, after the wedding ring is inserted into the bride’s finger, the couple lights up two candles which are given separately to each of them. With the candles lighted, they approach a third candle and, with their candles, light it up. They snuff out the candles in their hands after that.
The first two candles which are put out may be interpreted to stand for the death of their old personality as they transform themselves by the act of uniting in marriage. The third candle stands for the union of the two. Taken from another aspect, the ritual could also stand for the birth of a new life as a result of their union. The putting out of the two first candles stands for the part of themselves that die in order to procreate.
Japan’s strong family ties
A peculiarity in some Japanese weddings is the practice of making the wedding couple drink three times from a vessel of rice wine. After doing so, they turn towards each other to say their vows. At the same time, the members of both families also turn around towards the other family.
It is easy to imagine that in ancient times, when women were often abducted, the wedding minister might need to make the wedding couple drunk to ascertain whether they really wanted to be wed. Perhaps the three sips of rice wine is all that remains of just such an ancient practice.
From the fact that the couple’s families also faced one another when the couple pronounced their vows is a way of saying that those vows also held the respective families in a close bond of friendship.
Other than those mentioned above there are many more, beautiful wedding practices from all around the world that can be incorporated in weddings to make them more meaningful.
Jameson Daniels is a writer for skylighter.com check out his colored smoke or his ice fountain.
