If there is one moment every girl looks forward to from the day they start playing with Barbie dolls and watching the whole plethora of Disney princess movies, it is their wedding day and the moment when a beautiful gemstone engagement ring is placed on their finger. The wedding day is a magical day that will be oft-remember and treasured for the rest of her life. We all have the image firmly cemented in our heads. Bride looking stunning, gently strides down the aisle all dressed in white, veil shielding her face only to be revealed to the husband to be.
Of course this is the classic Western world depiction of a marriage and nowadays wedding ceremonies span a variety of flavours. Some choose off-white/ cream dresses, some are modest and some are not, some choose garden weddings and some prefer a simple registration at the town hall. In fact it is interesting to take a look at wedding ceremonies and traditions around the world.
For starters, some of the most imaginative and colorful wedding dresses come from the Indian subcontinent. Pakistani wedding clothes are made not only for the bride but for close family friends as well and tend to be color coordinated. The wedding dress is made up of two pieces, a shirt and a skirt, both of which are embellished to the max! Slowly strolling down the aisle is often more due to the weight of these two items rather than an attempt at grace!
Arranged marriage is still common in these parts of the world as is the case in China and some parts of Africa as well. Arranged marriage where parties are introduced to each other and decide for themselves should not be confused with forced marriage where some coercion is implied.
In Greece, two or three days before the wedding, the couple organizes a celebration called Krevati (Greek for bed) in their new home. In Krevati, friends and relatives of the couple put money and young children on the couple’s new bed for prosperity and fertility in their life. After the custom, they usually have a party with food and music.
In the Philippines, weddings held within the same year by two siblings, usually sisters, are frowned upon as it is regarded as bad luck.
In the traditional Japanese Shinto wedding, the Japanese bride-to-be may be painted pure white from head to toe, visibly declaring her maiden status to the gods. An elaborate ceremony is then held at a Shinto shrine.
In times gone by, Eskimo women used to be married by the age of 15-16. Dowry or gifts were not offered to the parents and the wedding ceremony took the form of a fake kidnapping in which the bride pretended to be vexed whilst her husband to-be would have to drag her away by force kicking and screaming!
In a modern South Korean wedding, one of the traditions that is still performed is that of ‘Paebek’. The groom’s family formally accepts the bride into their home. The bride and groom change into ceremonial wedding hanbok. Red dots are drawn or adhered to the bride’s cheeks and forehead to symbolize youth and virginity.
And finally but by no means least, a Maori style wedding can be a truly unique & emotional experience. Performed in front of Maori people with the blessing of a Maori Priest, come prepared for traditional song, dance and entertainment.
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