Marriage rituals across different cultures

Although all countries have a wedding, their weddings activities may differ in accordance to their different cultures and customs. In the past, wedding cultures were simple and similar, but nowadays wedding cultures have changed and improved (Arwa, 2015). Through the evolvement of time, some traditions have changed to include a sense of modernity. This changes mesh well with the original foundations that have been passed on from generation to generation. The significance of marriage is tied to the importance of the family unit in the society. They then decided to climb up a mountain and prayed to the heavens asking for their union to be blessed by use of a sign. The sign they asked for was for a fog to cover them and it did.

Due to her shyness, the woman covered her blushing face with a fan. This practice has spun generations and women still practice it today as they perform marriage rites. There are some practices that have been around through history like endogamy, which was done to maintain status. While the rituals may change from one region to another, certain traits remain and have become the foundation of ancient Chinese marriage (China highlights, 2018). The three letters stands for the letters that were used in different stages of the rituals, that included the betrothal, gift and wedding letter. They each served a particular purpose, with the betrothal letter officiating a contract of marriage, the gift letter spelling out the characteristics of the gifts that were associated with the ceremony and lastly, the wedding letter that officially welcomed the bride into the groom's family home.

Since the Chinese culture gives a world of importance to superstitions, the six etiquettes were followed to a tee. The proposal letter signified a family's intention to marry a girl and was done through a matchmaker who delivered the proposal to a girl's home. The bride would wear a veil that signified her virginity and purity, after which the groom could remove it and the marriage would be official. The wedding banquet is a post marital ceremony that may be considered more important as it presents traditional rituals where the bride presents wine or tea the bride's parents and guests. Modern practices have seeped into marriages with most couples adopting Confucius rituals that including taking bows at a portrait of Confucius.

In recent years, Confucian wedding rituals have become popular among Chinese couples. In such ceremonies, which are a recent innovation with no historic antecedent, the bride and groom bow and pay respects to a large portrait of Confucius hanging in the banquet hall while wedding attendants and the couple themselves are dressed in traditional Chinese robes (Travel, 2009). The Hindu marriages have changed with evolution of lifestyle and culture and while some may be acceptable, others are considered a taboo. A Brahma marriage s considered the most appropriate and socially acceptable. The bride’s father looks for an appropriate match for his kin, who is educated and once he finds a suitable match, he proposes marriage to him. If the proposal is accepted, the bride is decorated and given away to betrothal through a Vedic ceremony.

The daiva marriage involved ornamental sacrifices to a priest along with presentation of the bride completing the marriage ceremony. The socially unacceptable forms of marriage include the gandarva marriage, which allows couples to live together and consensually consummate their marriage without any rituals or practices (India tribune, 2011). Some people consider this form of marriage ideal while others agree with the traditional unacceptable practices that include asura marriage that takes importance in exchange of dowry for the bride. This practice has however lost a lot of preference due to the onset of greed and the notion of valuing human life with material value. Traditional marriage in India has been largely prearranged but with the onset of modernity, a lot of individuals are turning towards love marriage that allows individuals to make their own preferred choice of a partner.