Saturday, November 6, 2010

“A Look at Some Wedding Traditions in Asian Cultures - Associated Content”

“A Look at Some Wedding Traditions in Asian Cultures - Associated Content”

A Look at Some Wedding Traditions in Asian Cultures - Associated Content

Posted: 25 Oct 2010 12:44 PM PDT

A wedding is often the most important, or one of the most important, days in the participants' lives. But its significance goes beyond just those individuals. It can also be an important cultural expression, a
 ceremony often steeped in tradition with deep religious meaning. A wedding can be the closest thing ordinary people have to a coronation or great state dinner—something that transcends their normal life and connects them to their ancestors and their culture as a whole.

Asian cultures have many fascinating marriage traditions, from the extravagant to the simple and dignified, from the joyous to the solemn. Here are a few interesting wedding customs from different countries in Asia:

* Iran

An Iranian wedding custom dating back to Persian times is for the groom to purchase ten feet of sheeting as his bride's ceremonial wedding dress, and then ritualistically wrap it around her in preparation for the wedding ceremony.

For marital good fortune, during the ceremony a happily married woman holds a translucent shawl over the couple's head. After the wedding vows are exchanged, crumbs from two decorated sugar cones are sprinkled onto the couple's heads.

* India

Indian brides wear red or pink saris for their wedding, elaborately decked in jewelry, with their hands and feet painted with henna in decorative patterns.

The Indian groom wears a turban with a veil of flowers to protect him from evil spirits. After vows are exchanged, the groom's father showers the couple with flower petals, and then passes a coconut over their heads in a circle three times to ward off evil spirits.

Sweets symbolizing a sweet life, eggs symbolizing fertility, and money symbolizing prosperity are all incorporated in various respects in most Indian weddings.

* China

An astrologically auspicious wedding date is chosen for weddings in China, and the ceremony is sometimes timed to end at the bottom of the hour, so that the couple's new life starts with the upward movement of the clock hand.

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