从婚礼习俗看中美文化差异.docx
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从婚礼习俗看中美文化差异.docx
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从婚礼习俗看中美文化差异
1BriefIntroductionoftheWeddingCustoms
Marriagehaslongbeenoneoftheprimaryelementsofhumanrelationseversincetheancienttime.Itexistsinalmosteverycountry.Weddingistheceremoniesheldbytwopeoplewhowanttobecomeacoupleandbywhichtheytellpeoplethefactthattheyhavealreadybecomehusbandandwife.Anditistheproofoftheirlove,theirhappiness,andwillalsoleavemanysweetmemoriestothem.Weddingcustomsreflectstimeandethnicfeaturesandhastheirculturalandfolklorecharacteristicsaccordingtodifferentcountries,regionsandethnics.Differentweddingcustomsformedtheirshapesaftertheappearanceofmarriage.Weddingcustomisnotonlytheunityofpluralisticsociallifestylesandfeatures,butalsothedevelopmenttendencyofsensesofvalue,includingvaluesonaesthetic,ethnics,religionandpsychology,whicharetheculturalaccumulationandspirituallegacyofhumanbeings.NowIwouldliketostatetheweddingculturaldifferencesbyintroducingtheChinesetraditionalweddingcustomsanditschangesaswellastheAmericanone.
2ChineseTraditionalWeddingCustoms
Asaveryimportantriteinone’slife,weddinghaslongbeenanemphasizedsubjectforChinesepeople.Wecandividethewholeceremonyintothreeperiods:
beforetheweddingceremony,duringtheweddingceremonyandaftertheweddingceremony.Andsomeancientbooks,suchasTheBookofRiteandRitesofZhou,divideitintosixsteps:
Proposing,AskingtheName,AskingforFortune,SendingBetrothalPresentstotheGirl’sFamily,andDiscussingtheDateofWeddingandMeetingtheBride.Theyarealsoknownasthesixetiquettes.(WangYe,2006:
57
2.1BeforetheCeremony
ThesesixetiquettesthatImentionedabovewerealsoknownastheperiodbeforetheweddingceremony.
Proposingcomesfirst.Theboy’sfamilyretainsamatchmakertobringalivewildgoosetothegirl’sfamily,whichisthesymbolofthewill-be-couple’sfaithfulnessandeternallove.Ifthegirl’sparentsagreewiththemarriage,theywillacceptthewildgooseandtheboymayproposetothegirlformally.
Thenextstepisto“AsktheName”.Theproceduregoesasfollows:
theboy’sfamilyasksthematchmakertogotothegirl’shometoaskhernameandbirthdayinordertoaugurywiththemarriage.Thepresentthematchmakertakesshouldalsobeawildgoose,andifthegirl’sfamilyagreestotellthename,theywouldacceptthepresent.
AskingforFortuneisoneofthemostimportantstepsinthesixetiquettes.Theboy’sfamilywillretainawizardtoseethereasonabilityofthemarriagebytestingthecouple’snamesandbirthdaysthattheyacquiredfromtheformerstep,andwhetherthemarriagewould
becarriedonsuccessfullyornotdependsontheresultofthedivination.
Iftheresultisgoodtothem,thenthegirlacceptsthebetrothalpresentsthataresentbytheboy’sfamily,andwillbebetrothedtotheboy.ThisstepiscalledSendingBetrothalPresentstotheGirl’sFamily.
Whentheboyandthegirlaresuitableandwellpreparedtogetmarriedaccordingtothelaw,theboy’sfamilywillchooseagooddayfortheweddingandaskthematchmakertotellittothegirl’sfamilyfordiscussion.
ThelaststepofthesixetiquettesisMeetingtheBride.Thisis,inanarrowsense,whatwecalltheweddingceremony.Itisalsooneofthemostimportantstepsinthewholeprocess.Thegroompicksupthebridewithapalanquinwhilethebrideiswaitingatherhome.(HeXiaoming,2007:
86
2.2DuringtheCeremony
Thedaythatthegroommeetsthebrideistheliveliestdayduringthewholeprocessoftheweddingceremony.Twopeoplewillcarrytwobigredlanternsandwalkinthefrontofthewholeteam,andbehindthetwopeopleisthegroomwhoridesatallandstronghorse;thentheChineseOboeteamandateamofroustaboutscarryingbetrothalgifts.Thewholeteamissurroundedbymusicandhappiness.
Afterthebrideispickedupandarrivesattheboy’shome,thecoupleperformsthetraditionalThreeBows.Firstly,theybowtothegreatHeavenandEarth,andsecondly,theybowtotheirparents,andfinally,theybowtoeachother.AftertheThreeBowsthegroom’smotherpicksuponedumplingwhichisinthe“bowlofchildren”byusingapairof“chopsticksofchildren”,blessingthebride’spregnancy.Aftertheblessingrite,therewillbeabanquetheldbytheboy’sfamily;everyonetherewillenjoyaluxuriousdinner.ThenaprogramcalledRevelryintheBridalChamber,whichisalsonamed“NaoDongfang”bytheChinese,willbeon.Itisoftenveryinteresting;peopletherewillmakeithappyandlivelybyplayingpracticaljokesonthecouple,andsometimestheywillfriendlyembarrassthebridetoachievethisgoal.(LiGuimei&YuFangqin,2000:
12
2.3AftertheCeremony
Thentheweddingceremonynearlycomestoanend.Buttherestillremaintworitestoperform;theyaremeetingtherelativesofthespouses,andgoingbacktothebride’shometothankparents-in-lawandotherpeople.Tillthen,theChinesetraditionalweddingcomestoanend.
2.4ChangesintheCeremony
Withitsdrossandessence,themiscellaneousandtediousChineseweddingcustomshavekeptthetraditionsforhundredsandthousandsofyearseversincethefirstonewas
performedandnowitisintegratedintothemodernsociety.Theessencebecomesbeautifulsceneryofthecity,whilesomedrossandcomplexritesareabandoned,however,someofwhichstillcanbeseentoday.This,tosomeextent,enablestheChinesemodernweddingcustomstocomeintoexistence.Butaccordingtodifferenteras,Chineseweddingpresenteddifferentkindsofvisages.
Duringtherepublicanperiod,itisinthespiritofdevelopingpeople’sspirituallifeanddoingawaywithsuperstitionthattherepublicangovernmentintentionallycarriedouttheNewLifeMovement.Asaresult,theweddingcustomsthatwereveryclosetopeoplewereinevitablyinfluenced,sometraditionalcomplexriteswereabolishedandsomenewstylesofthewesternkindwereintegratedintothenewcustoms.Afterdecadesofyears,manypeopletookoffthemandarinjacketandcheongsam,putontheblacksuitandwhitedressinthewedding.
AftertheestablishmentofPeople’sRepublicofChina,Chinesegovernmentadvocatedthesimplicityandmodestyofholdingtheweddingceremony,sothetraditionalonegraduallylostitspower.Peopledidnotstandontheoldritesandcustoms,hencetheweddingceremonywasheldsimplyandrustically.Greenuniformtooktheplaceoftheweddingcostumes;dailynecessitieslikewatch,bikeandsewingmachineplayedtheroleofbetrothalgiftsandmarriageportion.
Astimegoesby,nowadayspeoplearemoreliterate;theynotonlyprompttheChineseweedingtoabolishtheoldcomplexritesandcustomsaswellasdross,maintainthebasicfeatureandessencelikeThreeBows,butalsohavebeendevelopingitbyabsorbingthewesternone’sadvantages.(ShanQi,2005:
274
3TheAmericanTraditionalWeddingCustoms
InthebookAllDressedinWhite,CarolWallaceholdsthattheAmericanweddingcustomstodayoriginatedinthemiddleofthe19thcentury.Shesaysthatthecustomstookitsshapebycombiningthereligiousceremonyandthebanquetheldlatertogether,andtheprinciplestheyfollowtodayareweddingcustomssprunguparound1850sintheAmericanupperclass,whichthengraduallyinfiltratedintothecommonpeople.(Wallace,2001:
49Asfarasweknow,theAmericanweddingcanbecategorizedintothreekinds.Theyarereligiousmarriage,whichisheldbyapriestinchurch;secularmarriage,whichisthenon-religiousonethatisheldbylocalofficials;andcommonlawmarriage,whichistheonethatdoesnotneedtoreceivethemarriagecertificatenorholdaceremony.(LiuNing,2006:
10However,thereligiousoneisadoptedbymostAmericanpeopleanditistheoneIwillintroducetoyou.
3.1BeforetheCeremony
Generallyspeaking,thespouses’friendswillbeinvitedtothepartiesheldbeforethe
weddingcomes.Asthegirl’sfamilywillholdabridalshower,whichonlyallowswomentoattendtogivepresentstothewill-be-bride,whiletheboy’sfamilywillalsoholdabachelorparty,whichonlyallowsmentoattend.Andafterthepartiestheywillholdabetrothalceremonyandmakethepreparationsfortheweddingceremony.Inthebetrothalceremonythecoupleexchangesbetrothalrings,whichrepresenttheunbreakablerelationsandthedutytheyhavetobearaftertheygetmarried.
Traditionally,ontheweddingday,thegroomcannotmeetthebridenoreventakealookatthebride’sdressbeforetheysetfootonthechurchland.AndanothergreatfeatureofAmericanweddingisthatthebridealwayswears“somethingold,somethingnew,somethingborrowedandsomethingblue”.(LiChanglei,2000:
220
3.2DuringtheCeremony
Theweddingceremonyusuallytakesplaceatthechurch.Whenitbegins,thechurchplaysweddingmarchcomposedbyWagner,andthebridewalksslowlythroughthecorridorofthechurchwithherfatherontothechancel.Atthesamemoment,aflowergirlwhoisinchargeofthrowingflowerswalksinfrontofthemandthrowspetalsintotheairtomakeahappyatmosphere.Thenthefatherbringshisdaughtertothegroomwhowearsfulldressindeepcolor.Afterthat,thebridewillstandontheleftsideofherwill-be-husbandandthepriestwillmakethemstandinginfrontofhimwiththeirfacesfacinghim.Soonthepriestwillpresideoverthetraditionalweddingceremony.Aftertheoathismadeandweddingringsareexchanged,thepriestsays“Inowpronounceyouhusbandandwife,andhopeyouwillbebothveryhappy”inasolemnway,thentheweddinginchurchcomestotheend.Surroundedbythemusicofsolemnestandhappiness,thecouplewalkshandinhandthroughthec
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