Wedding Traditions by CyperusGreetings.com

Wedding traditions in Thailand begin with the preparing of food for the monks who then in turn bless the bride and groom. At the wedding ceremony its Thai tradition for the couple to sit face-to-face with their hands pressed together and their fingers pointed up under their chins. The couple’s hands are also linked by a chain of flowers. The oldest relative leads the ceremony. He wishes the couple good luck by dipping their hands in a conch shell filled with water. Another tradition is the payment of the dowry, instead of the bride’s parents paying it like in India, the role in Thailand is reversed. The groom’s family pay’s the bride’s family for the loss of their daughter and also the loss of a valued worker and caregiver.

Korean wedding traditions include the introduction ceremony where the bride is accepted into the groom’s family. After the couple exchanges vows the groom then formally introduces his new wife to his parents. Marriages that occur in Korea normally incorporate ducks and geese into the ceremony. Ducks and geese mate for life and represent faithfulness and commitment to one another.

Leading up to the wedding there are many Filipino wedding traditions performed including the Paninilbihan, which is a series of tasks the groom must perform to woo the bride’s family’s approval. While the Paninilbihan is an old tradition, it still plays an important role in a modern Filipino society. Tasks men perform these days include running of errands, fixing light-bulbs and driving his girlfriend’s mom to the supermarket.

The Buddha (founder of the Buddhist faith) did not consider weddings to be of a religious event but more of a social occasion. The ceremony normally takes place in a temple. The wedding can be held at anytime and after the ceremony the couple is blessed by a monk.

In a traditional Chinese wedding the bride and groom don’t actually meet until the wedding day. All the organizing is left to the parents, which for Western couples sounds ideal. On the wedding day the bride starts with a ceremonial bath, which is infused with grapefruit to cleanse her of evil spirits. The wedding dress is red, which represents the Chinese color of luck and good fortune. The groom also has his own ritual to perform called “the capping”; kneeling before his ancestral alter his father places a red cap on his head indicating his transition to manhood. Instead of a spoken deceleration, vows are exchanged by the couple sipping wine from cups connected with a red string. A lavish reception follows the ceremony, during which guests are served eight courses (eight being a lucky number for the Chinese).

Japanese wedding traditions are based on Shinto religious customs. The Japanese bride wears a kimono, which is a long sleeved robe. Throughout the day she’ll wear several different colored kimono’s. Her hair is combed up and covered with a white cloth and her face is painted white. The wedding is held in a Shinto shrine attended only by family members. A ritual which is performed at the end of the ceremony involves the couple drinking from three flat stacked nuptial cups of sake, which is essentially the exchange of vows. Lobster is a very popular dish served at Japanese weddings due to its bright red color, which is the Japanese color of luck. Fish is another important meal served at weddings. The fish are arranged on plate in a circle, which is the symbol of eternity.