A Black (And White) Wedding:
Traditional Filipino and Spanish Marriage Ceremonies
The concept of marriage has existed in nearly all human cultures throughout history, though its participants, basis, and goals have varied a great deal. Still, in almost all modern societies it is seen as a person’s most important relationship and the foundation of family. Therefore, it is not surprising that weddings, the celebration of marriage, are treated as important, milestone events in countries around the world. Such ceremonies are so rich with meaning and hope for the bride and groom and their family and friends that complex, constantly evolving traditions have grown up around weddings that emphasize the spirit of the day as well as attempt to confer luck and happiness on the couple. Just as every culture has its own beliefs and customs, no two cultures’ wedding traditions are the same. At first glance, traditional Filipino and Spanish weddings may seem to have much in common, due to the four centuries-long Spanish dominance of the island nation, during which many Filipinos adopted Spanish practices. However, while Filipinos did incorporate many Spanish customs into their marriage ceremonies, traditional weddings in both countries reflect their roots and unique heritage.
Given the long history of Spanish rule in the Philippines, it is not surprising that the latter adopted many of their colonizers’ customs, especially as marriage is often closely tied to religion, and the Spanish converted many Filipinos to Catholicism. Orange blossoms are popular in Spanish weddings. Orange blossom is the waxy, white blossom of the orange tree and are very fragrant. Spanish believes that it is a symbol of simultaneous happiness and fulfillment as the...
... middle of paper ...
... Abraham A. Pantilon Jr. "Auntie & Uncle Wedding." Personal interview. 09 Mar. 2010.
Rivera, Susan M. The traditional Spanish wedding, reflecting the life styles of a Spanish- speaking community. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International, 1980.
"Spanish Wedding Traditions." Wedding Traditions and Customs. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. spanish_traditions.html>. Stinson, Tammy. "The Traditions of a Spanish Wedding -." Associated Content associatedcontent.com. 13 July 2005. 11 Mar. 2010 wedding.html?cat=23>. "Wedding Traditions in the Philippine Islands." Wedding Traditons and Customs. 11 Mar. 2010
traditions/filipino_traditions
Weddings consist of a bride and a groom to fulfill the needs and requirements of their wedding. Although for the people of Oaxaca, the bride and groom need their parents for the needs, requirements, and consent to the wedding. The wedding will not proceed if the bride’s parents do not give consent to the marriage. Oaxaca people believe marriage is not a game, so the beginning to the end is taken seriously through every phase. Oaxaca weddings consist of various phases to complete the marriage.
The first chapter begins with an exploration of love and marriage in many ancient and current cultures. Surprisingly many cultures either avoid the discussion of love in marriage or spit on the idea completely. China and other societies believed that love was simply a product of marriage and shouldn’t get too out of hand, while a few Greek and Roman philosophers shunned excessive
If cultures agreed to research and make alterations to traditions, they would gain a greater understanding of their own historical developments and maybe even desire to research the traditional developments in other cultures. Ceremony is a novel that brings up many racial and cultural issues, and if they can be recognized and used as inspiration to make changes and become better people, the world will become a better place and hopefully negative racial issues will become nonexistent. Works Cited Jaskoski, Helen. A. Leslie Marmon Silko: A Study of the Short Fiction.
When couples decided to get married, something they need to consider is if they would like to follow the tradition of
Despite people celebrating marriage in different ways it all comes back to one thing; marriage is a social ritual that by which two people affirms one abiding contracts between. The ceremonies are composed of rituals which symbolize facets of married life and the obligations being undertaken. In Hinduism the marriage celebration can start weeks before the actual ceremony depending on the preferences of the family. Once the day of the ceremony comes around the day starts with the brides’ family welcoming the groom into their home and both families are formally introduced. Both the bride and groom sit at the Mandap- tent where the ceremony is held under,-and are offered a drink. Gifts between the two families are generally exchanged at this point. The groom's mother gives an auspicious necklace to the bride, which is essentially an emblem of the married status in the Hindu religion. Then scared fire is lit and a pundit recites t...
Culture Group - In the film, Celebración Del Matrimonio the cultural group that takes place begins with a fast indication of a Hispanic marriage customs, noting how they reflect customs in Spain, Mexico, and North Africa. However, in the film, there is a woman by the name of Cecilia and a man who goes by the name of William that are engaged to be married. As I was watching the film I was introduced to Cecilia as being fitted for a wedding gown in a department store. Cecilia and William met in high school and dated for many years. In addition, William decided to propose to Cecilia on several occasions, but Cecilia turned William down. Her reasoning for doing so was to get herself more established in the society.
Works Cited http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-resource-guide/south-asian-weddings/articles/hindu-wedding-guest-qa.aspx. http://www.culturalindia.net/weddings/wedding-preparations/wedding-food.html
The Hindu wedding is a complex ceremony whose various components has all a specific meaning and has all a relation to
Together, they go through a myriad of ceremonies that mostly compromise of different prayers to the many gods of the Gujarati culture. These prayers are led by a Gujarati priest and are done to ensure good fortune for their marriage and for the rest of their lives. This ceremony includes the brides’ parents with the bride and groom partaking in the rituals as well. To finish the ceremony off, after the rituals are completed, the bride and groom walk in a circle in the altar around the ceremonial offerings, and the respective families throw roses as they complete this circle to show that the marriage is completed.” This vivid description makes me feel as if I was at the wedding, and sitting right there as it was going on. The goal of the ceremony is the same as the American culture, but the means to get it are completely different. The Gujarati wedding ceremony has a strong focus on praying to the many Gujarati gods along with celebrating one of the cultures unique
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast between various wedding customs that are prevalent in different continents of the world. The essay sheds light on culturally diverse traditions that originate in different parts of the world. It is the wide variety or cultural conventions that give each nation or tribe a unique identity. Every culture has ...
Let me introduce you to my very own culture, Philippine culture. My country consists of 7,107 islands surrounded by water. Philippine culture had been influenced by many countries because of colonization during world war. We believed even before the colonization happened, we already have our own culture that has been passed down from our ancestor. First let us talk about our family in the Philippines, Family is the center of our life, we value are family more than anything, therefor even after we finished our school and get our own job or even have our own family, we intend to bring our own family and stay together with our parents, on the other hand when our parents grow old we never send them to home for the aged, or any nursing home for outside care giving. The member of the family provides additional care for our elders so that they can enjoy those remaining lives inside our house with all the member of the family. When it comes by respecting others I think Filipino is number one in that category, because our parents strictly enforce those behaviors even before we w...
Throughout the world, there are numerous cultures that practice various customs and traditions. These cultures have often set up guidelines for the people of the society to follow and adhere to. Some societies practice their customs and traditions in a more lenient manner. On the other hand, some societies are very strict with their practices and strive to maintain and preserve their culture by teaching the customs to the people and practicing them frequently. Such is the case in the Nigerian society. The Nigerian people follow specific rules and customs in regards to marriage practices, social status, and superstitions. The marriage custom is one specific aspect of their culture that is strictly enforced for all men and women of the society. The man’s family is supposed to pay the family of the bride a certain amount of money to marry the girl. This custom, along with many others, is demonstrated in the novel, The Bride Price, by Buchi Emecheta, when the main character, a young girl named Aku-nna, falls in love with a man named Chike, who comes from a family in which the people were once slaves. Throughout the novel, the customs of Nigerian society are explored while Aku-nna and Chike try or overcome their families’ adversities.
People in all countries of the world celebrate their important events like birthdays, graduations, weddings, and funerals, etc. However, the ways we have celebrations are different from cultures to cultures and countries to countries. Thus, Vietnamese and Americans have different celebrations for their events, and people in those countries celebrate their weddings differently in preparations, costumes, and ceremonies.
Many Hindu weddings have also experienced transculturation and have taken on a dual Indian/ Western celebration. The weddings still retain the same ritualistic practices, clothing, food and music but the weddings also have taken a western approach in which the couple would change from traditional Indian clothing to a wedding dress and a suit and celebrate a western styles wedding reception with cake, western music and dances. In addition, the use of the bamboo maro[1] to facilitate the wedding rituals has become more creolized by being constructed out of wood and in few cases-
We live in a world full of diverse cultures and religions, all living together. We all have a diverse way of celebrating a special day. One of the most important of these celebrations is the day when two individuals join their lives in front of their dear ones. We are aware that every culture has its own way of celebrating this special day. Similarly, in Pakistan the wedding ceremony is considered very important ritual; therefore, it is celebrated uniquely. Pakistani wedding rituals follow Muslim patterns; although, in recent past, Pakistani weddings have adapted many of the Indian pre-wedding customs and rituals. Most of the pre-wedding customs in Pakistani weddings have no foundation in Islam, but the wedding is celebrated with great fervor. In this essay, I will explain the Pakistani weddings, and the four main ceremonies of a Pakistani wedding, which are Mayun, Mehandi, Baraat, and Valima.