Cultural differences in both sexuality and gender are frequently ignored, even with some facts that sexuality and gender are linked and shaped by culture (Gardiner & Kosmitzki , 2010, p 209). Brides and grooms love to marry or tie a knot in the tradition of their ancestors, to introduce some elements of a traditional wedding ceremony or reception from their cultural backgrounds. Cultural wedding customs and traditions to a wedding are to share something personal with others and especially a perfect tribute to the families. Wedding ceremony is one of the universal traditions in the world. Each culture celebrates the special day extra special differently. Any culture comes with different list of traditions and rituals that is beyond the white dress and veil or the traditional wedding dress. In any part of Asia, particularly in Japan, India, Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, and Philippines, each nation has its unique wedding ceremony. Every nation is very proud to give other nation an idea about its traditions and cultures in tying the knot. Different customs has different opinions about the relationship between husband and wife and the meaning of marriage specifically.
In a Japanese wedding ceremony, both the bride and the groom are united together by love or by marriage arrangement only. There are much elaboration in the ceremony and extremely extravagant. Traditionally, the ceremony is held in Shinto Shrines. The bride physically shows her devotion to her new in – laws. The explicit and implicit expectation is a significant role in shaping the degree of equality in practice (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010, p. 228). During the ceremony, the entire body of the bride is full of paints to symbolize that she is a maiden (Piegsa, 2011). She wears a prescribed dress called kimono, an elaborate head piece or tsunokakuski to hide her “horns of jealousy” to her mother – in – law and a symbol of being obedient as a daughter – in – law and a wife . The changing of different outfits several times of the bride is quite a tradition. The Shinto priest performs the wedding ceremony with some components that requires the bride and groom to follow. The three significant parts of the ceremony are the speeches of the mediator, to drink the sake drink or wedding cup that symbolizes the couple together as husband and wife as they take the first sip, and the traditional lighting of candles (Rogers, 2011). Before the ceremony of the religious part, first the couples are married and signed their civil documents. The gender role in Japan is evolving constantly; the attitudes among younger couples towards these roles changed and become more flexible (Smith, 2008). Though attitudes are changing, their behaviors stay the same. In Japan, men and women play two different specific roles. Men are highly expected to perform a little time of domestic work in a day and he is bread – winner of the family. Women are expected to take care of everything at home, all domestic chores, and taking care for the children. At present, the customs of Japanese prevail in the relationship between the husband and the wife. Both of them are expected to communicate as possible about fifteen to twenty minutes in a day. If they already have children, the wife is the one who takes good care of the children and husband should devote their time during weekend to play with their children (Smith, 2008). The parental role takes precedence over the role of a couple after the children are born. The husband refers to the wife as mother and the wife refers to the husband as father.
The ceremony last for days in an Indian wedding, surrounded by rituals and ceremonies, and it varies greatly depending on region and religion. However, they celebrate the ceremony and have common views on affairs and symbolisms of two families bind together, union of two individuals. It has a pre – wedding ceremony, there is a ceremony of engagement, the bride and the groom exchange rings and both families exchange gifts. The Byaha Haath is a ceremony of purification. Both the bride and the groom together with seven unmarried females apply a paste made from sandalwood, rose water, and turmeric to the faces of the couple (Rogers, 2011). The couple has to stay together and not to leave home until their actual wedding day. Prior to the wedding ceremony, the bride and her female friends and family decorate their hands; palm and wrists, arms, legs, and feet with elaborate designs. This ceremony is held at the bride’s home and this is called a Menhdi ceremony. They made the temporary designs from the plant dye henna that only last for a few weeks. During the actual wedding or the Var Mala ceremony, both the bride and the groom put flower garlands around their necks, to show that the bride accepts the groom as her husband (Piegsa, 2011).
The most crucial part of the ceremony is the exchange of vows. The bride must sit on the right side of her groom and after the vows, the bride moves to the left side of the groom. The groom makes a long list of loving promises to care for the bride, his wife and to look after her forever. There are special clothes worn in the wedding ceremony. In Rajput, the groom is veiled and he arrives on horseback. The wedding ceremony is a social affair attended by hundreds or thousands of guests including unknown guests aside from the family and friends. Socialization shows significant view on individuals with respect to their environment, norms, and culture (Gardiner & Kosmitzki , 2010, p. 212). The marriage between two souls is a sacred affair in Hinduism; it is for a lifetime and continues at least seven lives as they believed. The relationship between the husband and the wife does not mean necessarily that it begins only when they both attained birth as human. The couples are expected to uphold their family’s dignity, to remain faithful and truthful with each other as commanded by the law during the matrimony (Jayaram, 2013). They should stick to one another through difficulties or happiness in their marriage. They are primarily together for spiritual reasons rather than material or sexual matters only. The couples are expected to do their traditional duties as upholders and householders of their family traditions, work for the spiritual and material welfare of the family and the society as well.
A traditional Korean wedding ceremony follows the Confucian values. Every moves or gestures are regulated and it strictly follows protocols (Rogers, 2011). The wedding ceremony starts with a photo session, the bride, and the groom respectively. The photo session is usually held in a beautiful garden. The parents of the bride move to the location of the party and wait for the arrival of the family of the groom at the wedding table. The best man of the groom leads the party, approaches the parents, and makes them a mandarin duck gifts. When the groom arrives, he moves to the eastern part of the wedding table and when the bride arrives, she moves to the western side of the wedding table (Rogers, 2011). Both the bride and the groom wash their hands, bow to each other, and exchange drinking wine. The couple bow again and the ceremony ends. Throughout the ceremony, the bride and the groom shows no emotions; to move with dignity in a stiff and elaborate costumes they both wear. In traditional Korean marriage, women leave her own family permanently and occupy the lowest position in the family of her husband. Sometimes abuse by her mother – in – law and sister – in – law but until she has a child or son treatment changed. The relationship between wife and husband is described from a Korean proverb that during the day is like seeing a stranger and at night is like seeing a wife. The duty of a wife to her husband, or rather to her husband’s family is unquestionable and absolute. Housework is the common regarded work for women even she works outside the home. The norms and values that guide gender relations in daily life continue to influence by an ideology of male superiority thought the constitution stipulates equality of all citizens before the law (Taehan, 2008). The gender role complicates the patterns and processes of social change in the area of gender role performance and the relative status of women and men in the relationship between the ideologies of the gender role.
Traditionally, the Chinese wedding ceremony, an intermediary is used to cement the lengthy engagement. The groom shields his bride until the wedding ceremony. The parents control the negotiation of the prospective couple. It is memorable to share everything to those in attendance and make the most to relative, friends (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010, p. 219). The moment the man found a woman to marry, his family present their gifts to the family of the woman. The mediator is responsible in the ascertaining the date of birth and the hour of birth of the bride (Piegsa, 2011). Both the family of the bride and the groom review the favorable nature of the couple that includes the date and the hour of births and consult an expert in astrology. The family retains control over caretaking responsibility and the family represents any risks (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010, p. 235). During the actual wedding ceremony, the bride is carried to the home of the groom in a covered sedan chair. In the modern Chinese wedding ceremony, set a great importance on favorable dates. A fortuneteller consults Chinese almanacs and analyzes the union of the bride and groom. In addition, in a modern Chinese wedding, the bride picks three wedding dresses. The traditional qipao or cheongsam, embroidered, slim – fitting frock with a red color intended for weddings. Chinese believes that red is a strong and lucky color in Chinese culture. Then the bride swaps into a white ball gown that is trendy and stands out in an American wedding; a bridal nod to the Western trends popularity. Finally, the third dress is the bride ducks or a cocktail dress out of the reception and happened to be the favorite or choice color of the bride. An independent marriage based on mutual love in which the wife and the husband are equal is a current trend in contemporary Chinese society. A woman has the right of self-determination in marriage and emotional foundation for equality between wife and husband in the family. In economic independence, a wife has promoted her status in the family, enjoys the rights of possession and inheritance of family property as men (Rogers, 2011).
The wedding ceremony in Saudi Arabia is a significant event. The elders of the respective families initiate the wedding or marriage (Rogers, 2011). After a man has made a decision to marry a woman of his choice, the man proceeds and continue to send lovely gifts to the woman. The woman is free to reject if she does not want to marry the man. Traditional cultural practice reflects values and beliefs; for the bride, the groom, and the family (Gardiner & Kosmitzki , 2010, p. 231). After the agreement of the price and dowry, the bribe prepares for her actual wedding day. There is a small religious ceremony before a Sheikh; the bride receives abundant jewelry gifts from the groom and family. The dinner is the centerpiece of the wedding ceremony. There are separate locations for the women and men to eat and drink. Only the bride and the groom sit together and they share their happiness and celebration to all the guests. The bride and the groom wear traditional clothing with a Western – style whit wedding gown. Both the wife and the husband have rights in common such as mutual rights in the family after marriage. Their mutual duty is to forgive each other’s small mistakes, provide emotional support in happiness and sadness, offer each other wholesome advice that concerns obedience to Allah, and to keep each other’s secrets. Husbands should support her wife financially, appropriate housing within the means of the man, assists her wife in their quest for salvation. In addition, offers a dowry as a symbol of honoring the woman. Wives should show obedience to their husband, refrain from fasting voluntarily unless she has a permission, not to let anyone into their house without permission, guard the property of his husband, and to serve and run the house in a reasonable ways.
Filipino wedding ceremony has it traditions with full of symbolisms. These symbols endure bond and upholds the family as a divine institution, nurtured by devotion and eternal love. The important aims of a Filipino wedding are to unite two people and to merge two families together. There are many rituals before the wedding. Marriage proposal, the man asks the woman for marriage and without the words “will you marry me,” no marriage takes place and a typical Filipina shows her conservative side. The relationship between the social context effects of the marriage and role differences, gives rise to social interactions, and determines the behavior of individuals with regard to belief and tradition ((Gardiner & Kosmitzki , 2010, p. 236). The engagement ring, the ring is significant during the marriage proposal. It is the symbol of the man’s good intention to marry the woman. The “pamanhikan”or meet the folks, a wedding arrangement at the home of the woman together with the family of the man. It helps lighten the wedding preparation and the atmosphere between the two families (“Remit2phil,” 2012). Traditionally, pamanhikan is a sort of knowing each family and an old tradition that the groom will serve the family of the bride by doing some errands; although this is no longer practice except in some rural areas in the country.
Many superstitious beliefs are common before and after the wedding ceremony. Brides should not wear or try on her wedding dress before the actual wedding because the wedding will never happen. The groom must arrive first at the church before the bride to arrive to avoid bad luck. The bride and the groom must avoid traveling or taking long drives before their wedding believing that the couple is prone to accidents (“Remit2phil,” 2012). If the groom sits before his bride during the wedding ceremony will be a henpeck husband or “under – the – saya.” If it rains during the wedding, it is believed that the downpour will bring marital bliss and prosperity. If the flame dies out on the wedding candle, it means the spouse will die ahead of the other. At the same time, if the wedding ring, a coin, or the veil drops it spells unhappiness of the marriage. The bride should step on the groom’s foot accidentally to let the groom agree to bride all the time.
In Filipino tradition, both the wife and the husband have responsibilities and these responsibilities build a good relationship. The husband is the primary breadwinner and nominal head of the family. His income is the basis of the family’s economic security and he has the final say in terms of decision making though her wife shares in the exercise of authority and decisions. The wife has the traditional role of homemaking, to rear their children, and to manage the household. Every success of their children usually attributed to her, her association with the children is closer than the husband has or fathers. Filipino tradition has a strong family ties; love, care, and happy family.
Reference
Piegsa, I. (2011). 10 Unique Wedding Ceremonies around the World, Retrieved from
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/11-04/10-unique-wedding-ceremonies-around-the-world.html
Rogers, A. (2011). 15 Unique Wedding Customs from around the World, Retrieved from
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-weddings-are-celebrated-around-the-world-2011-10?op=1
Remit2phil (2012). Philippine Wedding Traditions and Rituals: Rituals before the
Wedding and Supertitious Belief, Retrieved from
http://remit2philippines.com/2012/01/30/philippine-wedding-traditions-and-rituals/
Gardiner, H. & Kosmitzki, C. (2010). LIVES ACROSS CULTURE – CROSS – CULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT: Culture and Issues of Gender and Sexuality. Chapter 8, p. 207-237. United States: Pearson Publishing
Smith, J. (2008). Feminism and women’s Right: Japanese Views on Gender Role, Retrieved
Jayaram, V. (2013). Hindu Marriages: Purpose and Significance, Retrieved from
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/marriage.asp
Taehan, T. (2008). Countries and their Cultures: Culture of South Korea, Retrieved from
http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/South-Korea.html
