中西方婚禮習俗的文化差異(編輯修改稿)

　

【文章內容簡介】 ferences on the wedding preparation between China and western countries we can see that those differences are partly caused by the different cultures. For instance, Chinese traditional culture of five thousand years formed a plicated and unique wedding customs, while affected by the Bible, people in the west treat the wedding ring and bouquet as the necessary things in wedding. However, with a blend of Chinese and western cultures, the wedding customs are also mutual peration. B. Wedding Dress Wedding dress is given the utmost importance so as to impart the most unique appearance to the couple. So people pay more attention to their dress on the wedding day. Because of the different cultures, costumes are also different in China and western countries. In a Chinese wedding, the mon color is red. The color red is considered as good luck. It is a strong color that can drive away evil spirits. While white plays an important role in ritual of wedding in western culture. It means chasteness, beauty, loftiness, and civility, so white is the main color of the west wedding. In China, brides and grooms often wear special costumes. The traditional Chinese wedding dress in northern China is usually onepiece frock named Qi Pao, embroidered with elaborate gold and silver designs. Brides from southern China usually wear twopiece dress named Qun Gua, Kwa or Cheongsam, also elaborately adorned with golden phoenix and dragon. It is a tradition to wear Cheongsam with red dragon and phoenix design at the wedding day because dragon and phoenix design symbolizes the balance of male and female power. While in the western countries, there are white dress, white posy, white veil, as well as the white cream cake, and everything is so romantic. In the western countries, the traditional white wedding gown symbolizes the innocence of the bride in her preparation for her new husband. Thus, the west wedding dress is often white not red. Moreover, In the old days of China, a piece of red veil is part of the bride’s costume to cover her face during the wedding ceremony. Newlyweds would see each other’s face for the first time on their wedding night. While wearing a white wedding veil is highly popular in the western countries, the function of the veil is different. The tradition is originated in an effort to fend off evil spirits for the bride before the wedding. The thought is that the evil spirits will see the veil and will not be able to get to the person inside, preserving the bride for the husband. While the groom often wears black clothes and boiled shirts, appearing noble and elegant. As time have changed so fast and the door of our country has been widely open, nowadays a lot of western customs and culture have e into some Chinese people’s minds. Also take brides for example. They wear the we stern traditional white gown in the daytime for taking photos or taking part in the ceremony, and the Chinese traditional red frock at night for the wedding banquet. While some metropolis people have been tired of those troublesome rules and they pursue some special or exciting forms. More and more modern youths want their weddings to be simple, so does their costume. C. Wedding Ceremonies As it is known to us all, a wedding ceremony is the beginning of a marriage. It can change a person’s life and is divi ne as a symbol of culture from the view of a country. People think a perfect start makes everything go successfully. This custom goes through various and long stages of development from ancient simple wedding ceremony to the later plex ceremony, from feudal marriage custom to the modern free marriage custom. Marriage custom’s binding does not depend on the law, and it cannot rely on science tests neither, but on the force of habit, traditional culture and national psychology. Thus, people in China and western countries have their own customs of the wedding ceremony. In China, there are some traditional customs that last to today. On the wedding day, the groom es to the bride’s home. The wedding ceremony starts with the ritual of worshipping the ancestors. Here, the couple bow three times at the ancestral altar. Next, tea will be served by the couple to the bride’s parents who will in turn present the couple with a ‘red packet’. Tea is then served by the wedding couple to the elder siblings and close elder relatives of the bride. The couple bow while serving the tea as a sign of respect and gratitude. The couple will then depart for the groom’s house. When the bride has crossed the threshold of the groom’s house she bees part of the groom’s family. The ancestor worship and tea serving ceremonies are performed again. When this ceremony is finished, the couple considered are married by traditional Chinese custom. While in most western countries, there are mainly two kinds of weddings, religious and nonreligious or civil. Many weddings involve a religious ceremony. These ceremonies vary depending on the religion of the bride and groom. Various religions or denominations have distinctive wedding customs. The presence of a priest and at least two witnesses is essential, as is the expression of consent by the bride and groom. The wedding party enters the church while the wedding march is played with typical rhythm. The bride carrying a bouquet enters last with her father who will give her away. The groom enters the church from a side door. When the wedding party is gathered by the altar, the bride and groom exchange vows. It is traditional to use the words To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.7 Following the vows, the couple exchange rings. The minister asks the bride and the groom if they each make this promise to the other and each re