AMERICAN WEDDINGS
(Nehir Çakmak)
Weddings in America are
just as diverse as the couple who comes together to share their lives forever.
American Traditional weddings take place in a church with family and friends in
attendance to help celebrate this joyous occasion. I am really interested in
American culture. I attended some weddings in USA and found their customs quite amusing. Most of them are quite similar to Turkish customs. I would like to share
them with you. Here are some fun customs carried out in every American Wedding:
The Garter: Tossing the garter is much like the bouquet
toss, but for the single men. The single man who catches the garter is believed
to be the next to marry. Many times, the eager and drunken guests would destroy
the bride’s dress in their attempt to gain a lucky charm. In order to prevent
this from happening, the bride’s garters were removed and thrown to the unruly
crowd to distract them. Today, the tradition of tossing the wedding garter is
much tamer. I was so amazed when I first heard about it. I think it is so much
fun.
The
bouquet: The woman who
catches it, superstition has it, will be the next to marry. In a similar
process, her groom tosses the bride's garter to the unmarried men, followed by
the man who caught the garter placing it on the leg of the woman who caught the
bouquet. While still common in many circles, these practices (particularly the
latter) are falling into less favor in the 21st century. This customs is very
common in other cultures too.
Throwing Rice: The act of attendants throwing rice at
the new couple after their wedding ceremony signifies that they wish the couple
happiness and prosperity. In recent years rice has been replaced with things
such as birdseed and even blowing bubbles. It has been thought that rice is
hard to clean up, and birds could just eat the birdseed.
Flower Girls: Flower girls are the cute girls at the head of
the wedding procession. They spread petals down the aisle for
the bride to walk on flowers. The flowers the girls carry or strew
about symbolize fertility and hope. The beauty of flowers and the cuteness of
flower girls add cheer to the wedding festivities. I think it would be so cute
if we had flower girls in Turkish weddings.
White Wedding Dress: The wedding dress
nowadays is usually believed to have to be white or ivory, as this symbolizes
purity. This custom is quite universal.
A common rhyme regarding
wedding dress superstition goes :
Married in white, you will have chosen
right.
Married in grey,
you will go far away.
Married in black, you
will wish yourself back.
Married
in red, you wish yourself dead.
Married in green, ashamed to be seen.
Married in blue, you
will always be true.
Married in pearl, you
will live in a whirl.
Married
in yellow, ashamed of your fellow.
Married in brown, you will live out of
town.
Married in pink, your fortune will
sink.
The Ring Bearer: The Ring Boy or Ring
Bearer is a young boy who is special to the couple and is tasked to carry a
pillow with the wedding rings on it during the procession. During the exchange of vows, the ring boy
hands the pillow to the couple for them to exchange the rings. We do not have
such a custom in our culture.
Wedding
Cake: Wedding cakes are
not just dessert to be served to guests during reception. The wedding cake is
cut together by the couple during the wedding reception. Then the husband and
wife exchange bites of the cake. This is the first act the couple does together
as husband and wife.
The Wedding Car: The wedding car is the first venue for a couple
to be alone and have privacy after they leave the church or the reception.
Wedding cars are usually decorated with flowers, or a sign that says Just
Married, or hung with tin cans. These tin cans clank along the pavement as the
car moves. This culture is also quite similar to Turkish culture.
Gift
registration: Couples today can window shop around
favorite specialty stores and sign up with the bridal registry. In the
registry, they can specify what they need or want. The stores where the couple
is registered can be announced during the engagement, or written in the wedding
invitation. This way, well-wishers can check out from the store most convenient
to buy from and decide on a gift that will surely be used and liked by the
couple. This custom is quite beneficial to the couple in terms of financial help. Similarly, in turkish
culture, we give golds and money to the couple in their wedding.
Bridal
Shower and Groom's Stag Party: These parties are
organized by the maid of honor for the bride, and the Best Man for the groom.
It is also done days before the wedding, sometimes the day before. The ladies
and gentlemen enjoy the night with activities they consider enjoyable. It is
the party that signifies farewell to the bride's and groom's carefree, single
life. We also have such a custom in our own culture such as ‘’Bekarlığa Veda
Partisi’’ as we call it.
EUROPEAN WEDDINGS
(Zeynep Eda Alpsoy)
Europe has a
very rich cultural background due to hundreds of years' experience and being
the source of world's most striking and important events such as Renaissance,
Reformation and 1st - 2nd World Wars. This diversity in culture has effects on
the wedding cultures of the European countries such as Germany, Czech Republic,
Scotland, Finland, France, Spain , Turkey ...Although Europe is only one
continent, it consists of many countries, and these countries' cultures vary
from each other considerably. Here are the wedding cultures in European
countries:
Germany
The bride wears a circlet embellished with flowers and jewelleries instead of a crown. The couple, also, chops up a log. This symbolizes overcoming the hardships in life together. Lastly, the guests scatter rice over the heads of the groom and bride, it is believed that rice brings abundance in the couple's home. It is believed that the bride will bear as many children as the numbers of rice that are stuck in her hair.
Scotland
The bride is brought out of the house and made dirty by a mixture that consists of tomato paste and eggs the day before the wedding day, and then the bride is made to go around the streets to show herself to the people. Also, the bride's feet are washed by the elderly people in the family the same day. In the wedding night, the bride puts coins into the both of her shoes. One surprising fact about Scottish weddings is that the groom and all other male guests wear skirts, and they are famous for it all around the world.
England
Most of the
world’s enduring wedding traditions take its source from the old England
culture. The most common white wedding gown tradition, which is now common all
around the world, traces its origin back to the Tudor Dynasty. The shoe
throwing at the wedding carriage, which is also an old English tradition, symbolizes the hapiness and fruitfulness of the marriage if one of the shoes hits the carriage. The royal family in England is, also, famous for their wedding customs and celebrations as in the case of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
France
The bride takes a long shower to cast off the old love affairs' effect and old thoughts. The groom picks the bride up from her house , and they go to the church together. On their way to the church, many children wait with white ribbons in their hand. The bride cuts these ribbon, and this ritual symbolizes their going through the hoops with the help of each other. They also drink wine from their family's cup of wedding.
Belgium
The bride's family imprints her name on to a handkerchief. They exhibit that handkerchief in the wedding, and then it is brought back to home. If the bride has a sister , her name is, also, imprinted on the handkerchief and this object goes on bein exhibited at home.
Czech Republic
While the couple enters the wedding court, a number of plates are broken into
pieces by others in front of the bride's and groom's feet. The couple cleans
the trashes altogether.Secondly, they drink the same soup with a single spoon.
Lastly, The groom's close friends kidnap the bride and hide her somewhere. If
the groom manages to find her, this symbolizes the protectiveness of the him.
Finland
The bride wears a handmade golden crown at the wedding. At the end of the wedding, she gives it to an unmarried lady, and it is believed that the girl who is given the crown wil get married soon.
Bosnia -
Herzegovina
The groom's family goes to the bride's house to request her family's consent as in Turkey. If the coffee is sugary, it means that they support this marriage and consent to it; however, if the coffee is not cooked with sugar, it means they do not want their daughter to get married to that boy.
Sweden
In the wedding ceremony, if both of the couple are around the wedding court, there will be no problems. However, if the guests cannot see one of them - the bride or the groom. They will line up to kiss the bride or groom. If the bride is not seen, the female guests line up to kiss the groom. If the groom is not around, the male guest will form a line to kiss the bride.
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The brides dance in the wedding ceremony only if they are given money. At the wedding reception, the bride will dance with her father while a relative holds out an apron. Guests who place money in the apron win the opportunity to dance with the bride. After a time, the groom will throw in his wallet, thus surpassing all the other contributions. He will then run away with his new wife to their honeymoon.
The Netherlands
The guests write their good wishes and hang up them on the tree which is put next to the bride's and groom's table. The bachelor party is, also, very important in the Netherlands as they are famous for their celebrations.
Italy
The groom in
Italy carries a piece of iron to keep
the evil spirits away from their marriage. It is considered to bring bad luck
for a bride to wear any gold until wedding rings are exchanged. The world famous
Italian cuisine has an important place in the weddings, as well. Sweet liquor
and strong drinks ar served to the guests. The guests and the couple toast many
times in the wedding by saying different wishes such as “for a hundred years”, “kiss
fort he bride”, “hurray fort he newlyweds.”
Spain
In Spain,
the bride used to wear and still can wear black silk wedding gown with an
intricately embellished black veil. Dancing is an important element in Spanish
wedding receptions, they dance a "sequidillas
manchegas"
Western
European wedding traditions have come down to us from many countries and many
cultures to blend together seamlessly into the romantic wedding traditions that
we know and cherish today.
AFRICAN WEDDINGS
(Şeyda Akkaya)
Africa is a large continent which
contains some of the oldest civilizations on earth. It is home to a wide
diversity of cultures, and this colorful diversity is reflected in its wedding
traditions. There are more than 1,000 cultural units in Africa
and each of them has its own marriage traditions. For example; many northern Africans have been
influenced by Muslim traditions, while in southern Africa , there are more
Christian, Hindu, and Jewish traditions. These traditions trace their origins back to hundreds or even
thousands of years ago.
African weddings are a family affair and involve the combining of
two lives, two families, and sometimes even two tribes. The concept of family is one of the connective ideas of the
African continent.
In many African cultures children
are encouraged to marry at a very young age like 13 or 15, that is when they have
reached physical maturity. Girls are
trained to be good wives from an early age. They may learn secret languages to
talk with other married women without their husbands understanding what is
being said.
- Wedding ceremonies can be detailed, and some of them last more than one day. Often, fantastic ceremonies are held during which many couples are united at the same time.
- In Somalia, a man is allowed to have up to four wives if he can support them all, and it is common for a girl to be engaged before she is born.
- In contrast to differences in cultures, there are some common customs, values, views, and experiences which provide uniformity.
Tying a Knot
In some African tribes, the bride and the groom tie their wrists together
with a piece of cloth or braided grass to represent their commitment.
Libation Ceremony
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Some Africans pour holy water or alcohol onto the ground to honor their
ancestors and prayers are recited to the ancestral spirits.
Jumping the broom
Since African slaves were forbidden to marry in
America in the past, they would make a public declaration of their love and
commitment by jumping over . Today, this ritual is a symbol for the start of
the couple making a home together. It has become very popular for couples to
"Jump the broom" at the end of their wedding ceremony. They use a handmade and beautifully decorated broom in this ritual. This custom is generally performed at the couple's
home after the wedding.
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Tasting
the Four Elements
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The bride and groom taste four flavors that
represent different emotions in a relationship. Sour (lemon), bitter
(vinegar), hot (cayenne), and sweet (honey) are used generally. By tasting
each of these flavors, the couple symbolically demonstrates that they will be
able to get through the hardships in life, and, in the end, enjoy the
sweetness of the marriage.
DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
VIDEO
As we stated before, there are a lot of different cultures in Africa and this video is from a Yoruba traditional wedding. First of all, they attach importance to their clothes, and they change their dresses several times during the wedding ceremony. These dresses are very ostentatious, colorful,and huge. Not only the bride and groom but also guests wear traditional clothes. Secondly, one of the most essential traditions is the dance. All people dance together for hours and even days. Gifts are, also, important in African wedding rituals. We chose this video because it is funny and colorful. The most beautiful thing is that they are always smiling. Now, enjoy the beauty of the world's cultural diversity!
SONG
Felix Mendelssohn' s "Wedding March", written in 1842, is one of the best known pieces for wedding ceremonies. Actually, he wrote this piece for Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. After used in the wedding of Princess of England, Victoria, and Prince of Prussia - Frederick William, this song started to catch on. We chose this march because it is special to marriage ceremonies for us. Most of us have the melody of this march in their mind, it represents the weddings or love affairs. This music has the connotation of happy ending, as in weddings, in our mental lexicon. That is why we wanted to add it to our wiki project. Although this melody is very well known as a wedding music, we do not use it in Turkey. It is mostly played in European and royal weddings. We hope you will like it !
NEWS
We
chose this news because we are interested in different wedding customs and
traditions of the countries across the world. In this news, you can see the great wedding
pictures reflecting interesting traditions from different countries. There are
brief explanations of the culture below the pictures, so you can get useful and brief information about each countries’ wedding customs. Another reason why
we chose this news is because it has more visual components than written. We
think it will make you enjoy the news more since we all know that reading long
news bores people. As a group, we found the Asian weddings quite colorful and
ornamented. As you can see, Asian and Arabic customs, especially the way they
dress are very different from the West (European and American). Which one
is the most appealing to you? Read the news and look at the pictures carefully
and choose your favourite :) !
GRAMMAR POINTS
Articles
At this Korean wedding, two
female helpers, similar to bridesmaids in an American wedding, help with the general process of the ritual. They assist the bride taking a bow, which in
traditional times was supposed to be the
first moment that the bride and
groom saw each another. The bow is
not easy to do alone due to the
heavily clad traditional wardrobe. (Joohee Cho/ABC)
Relative Clauses
In Moscow, the couple is
presented with fresh bread and salt,
which they eat to ensure health and prosperity. After every vodka shot, the
guests shout "gorka," which
means sour. They keep chanting it until the newlyweds kills to ensure a sweet
future together. (ABC News)
During the Chinese wedding
ritual, the bride and groom exchange vows in the banquet hall and then take
part in a lavish feast. This extremely strong Chinese liquor, called Maotai, is plentiful and enjoyed
by all. (ABC News) -(reduction in
relative clause)
Conjunctions
During the Chinese wedding ritual, the bride and groom
exchange vows in the banquet hall and
then take part in a lavish feast. This extremely strong Chinese liquor, called
Maotai, is plentiful and enjoyed by all. (ABC News)
At this Korean wedding, dancers celebrate the matrimony with
lotus-printed fans before the
beginning of the ceremony. Here, the dancers use their fans to display the full
blooming of a lotus flower. The fan dance is one of Korea's favorite
traditional dances and is often performed to mark auspicious occasions. Even
while all the performances are under way, the bride does not appear in front of
the guests because she is to wait until the groom comes to escort her to the
ceremony. (Joohee Cho/ABC)
Gerunds
In Moscow, the couple is presented with fresh bread and salt,
which they eat to ensure health and prosperity. After every vodka shot, the
guests shout "gorka," which means sour. They keep chanting it until the newlyweds kills to
ensure a sweet future together. (ABC News)
At this upper-middle class wedding in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
men from both the bride's and the groom's family meet to celebrate. The groom
greets the male members of the bride's family with kisses. According to Islamic
law, men and women celebrate separately. And in keeping with Muslim tradition, the bride is traditionally not photographed.
(Lara Setrakian/ABC)
PICTURE
This photograph is taken in a Turkish photography studio. You can easily feel the Turkish sense of humour and imagination. In the photo, the groom is made to look like an eagle, and he catches the bride with his paws and carries her away to their new home. We found this photo very funny because photoshop tricks are used in a subtle witted manner. The photo seems like the masterpiece of an amateur photographer or photoshop maker. The photo represents the couple's synergy and loyalty because they seem very close and dependent to each other in the photo. Each of them looks happy; that is, also, related to our topic because everyone, who gets married under normal circumstances, will be happy. We know you smiled when you looked at the photo, that is enough for us ! :)
Group Members: Zeynep Eda ALPSOY, Şeyda AKKAYA, Nehir ÇAKMAK
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