首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Wedding Customs Around the World Wedding Ceremonies A wedding is celebrated with some kind of ceremony almost everywhere
Wedding Customs Around the World Wedding Ceremonies A wedding is celebrated with some kind of ceremony almost everywhere
admin
2013-04-08
34
问题
Wedding Customs Around the World
Wedding Ceremonies
A wedding is celebrated with some kind of ceremony almost everywhere in the world. The ceremonies vary greatly among different nations and different religions. But whatever the form of a marriage ceremony, it serves the important purpose of announcing to the community that a male and a female have been joined in matrimony(婚姻).
The wedding ceremony may be a religious one performed by a churchman. In Western societies it may be a civil ceremony performed by a civil official, such as a mayor or a judge. Or it may be only a couple’s declaration, before witnesses, of their intention to marry. In some places a transfer of property makes a marriage binding. In other places blood is drawn from the hands of the bride and groom. The blood is mixed, sealing the union. Among some people the marriage rite consists only of the bride and groom’s sharing the same food.
Marriage is one of the seven important religious ceremonies of the Catholic Church. The marriage is held in a church with the service conducted by the priest in the language of the country. The couple stand at the altar(圣坛). The priest asks each in turn, "Do you take
[name of partner] here present for your lawful wife/husband, according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Church?" in turn, each answers, "I do." They then repeat the marriage vows after the priest. The priest blesses the union: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The priest sprinkles the couple with holy water and blesses the ring or rings.
Many traditional customs are observed at Jewish weddings, although they are not requiredby Jewish law. Usually the Jewish priest, the bride and groom, and their attendants stand under a decorated cover called a chupah (犹太教举行婚礼上用的彩棚). The present use of the chupah began during the Middle Ages among the Eastern European Jews. The Jewish priest conducts the service. During the ceremony the bride and groom make appropriate vows and take part in the ring ceremony. The Jewish priest blesses a cup of wine, from which the bride and groom both drink. The Jewish priest talks to the couple about the sacredness of marriage and responsibilities of the bride and groom. After the Jewish priest has pronounced them man and wife, a wine glass is often placed on the floor. The groom steps on the glass and breaks it. Scholars disagree about the symbolism of the custom, but many believe that the breaking of the glass recalls the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, reminding the couple that even at the moment of greatest joy, there may be sorrow.
The Muslim marriage is a civil and religious contract between the bride and groom. The religious ceremonies and celebrations vary with the customs of the country in which the marriage is held. People of wealth begin the celebrations two or three days before the wedding and continue for two or three days after. The bride is elaborately dressed in bright colors and wears her finest jewelry. The wedding takes place at the home of the bride. The service is performed by Muslim priest, before at least two male witnesses or one male and two female witnesses and then the vows are exchanged.
Wedding Customs
Many of the customs associated with wedding ceremonies are based on neither church nor civil law. They developed from wedding customs of earliest times and come from many lands.
The wearing of a bridal veil dates back to early Greek and Roman times. The veil was thought to conceal the bride from evil spirits. The veil is also believed to have been worn as an indication of the bride’s innocence and purity.
The wedding ring is the most widely used symbol of marriage today, as it has been for centuries. The word "wedding" comes from the old English word "wed", which means "promise" or "pledge". During Anglo-Saxon times a promise to marry was sealed when the bridegroom-to-be gave his sweetheart a ring. The ring, a circle with no beginning or end, was considered a symbol of being eternal. The third finger of the left hand was chosen as the ring finger because of mistaken beliefs that a nerve runs from that finger to the heart.
The best man has been explained as a survival of the ancient practice of wife capture, in which the bridegroom’s friends helped him in his struggle to carry off a wife. The bride’s attendants were supposed to protect her from being captured.
The honeymoon, or holiday spent by the couple after marriage, may have had its beginnings in the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest. The word comes from the French phrase lune de mile, which means "moon of honey". It is believed that it was an ancient custom for a newly married couple to take a drink containing honey on each of the first 30 days of the marriage.
In ancient times people drove off any unfriendly spirits around the bridal couple by making noises, lighting fires, and waving torches. Many practices that were supposed to prevent bad luck and bring blessings to the bridal pair have come down through the years. Throwing rice after a newly married couple is a very old custom. The ancients threw rice at the bride and groom to distract evil spirits. In many countries the bridal pair is showered with nuts, corn, or wheat. Tin cans or old shoes are sometimes tied to the car that carries the bride and groom away. This practice may have come out of the ancient belief that loud noises frighten bad spirits away. To assure good luck, brides often follow the old saying and wear for the wedding "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue".
Legal Requirements
Every society has its own laws and requirements governing marriage. There may be regulations concerning the ages at which a couple may marry, the procedures for a license to marry, the recording of the marriage, or the type of ceremony.
Each state in the United States sets its own minimum age at which a couple may marry. In most states, people must be 18 to marry without the consent of their parents. With parental consent, people may marry at 16 in most states. In most of Britain, 16 is the minimum age for marriage, and parental consent is required until the person is 18. India allows women of 14 and men of 18 to marry. The minimum age for marriage with parental consent in France is 15 for women and 18 for men, but people of 21 may marry without consent. In Italy the bride must be 14 and the groom 16. The minimum age for marriage in Japan is 16 for women and 18 for men.
A marriage license is required in the United States, Canada, and many other countries. In some countries a license to marry is not required, but after the marriage take place, it must be recorded with the state authorities. Most states in the United States require a medical examination and blood test before the license is issued.
The word "sacredness" (Line 7, Para 4) is closest in meaning to ______.
选项
A、holiness
B、carefulness
C、seriousness
D、fearfulness
答案
A
解析
原文意思为:犹太牧师向新人介绍婚姻的神圣和新郎、新娘的责任。根据上下文可推断出sacredness意为“神圣”,四个选项中A项意为“神圣”,B项意为“谨慎”, C项意为“严肃”,D项意为“厉害”,所以选A。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Z7r7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
Everysecond,1hectare(公顷)oftheworld’srainforestisdestroyed.That’sequivalenttotwofootballfields.ThisManningrate
Strikingchangesinhispersonalitywere______byaseriesofunfortunateeventsinhisliferecentyears.
Inpreviousgenerations,youngpeoplewereundertheirparents’control;nowtheteenagechildrenoftheWest’srichestgenerat
Asweallknow,drinkingandsmokingaffectpeople’shealth.Arecentstudyof17000Canadians【B1】______thatpeoplewhodrink
Inadditiontotheiracademicwork,childrenintheUnitedStatesareofferedawiderangeofactivitiesintheafter-schoolhou
A、Thewomanshouldpaythefeeatthelibrary.B、Thewomanshouldwaitinline.C、Thewomanshouldpaythefeeatanotheroffice
Thankstothegreatachievementsmadeinthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,humanlifehasexperiencedamazingchangesi
Anti-FascistWarinthe1930sand1940sTheantiFascistwarbetweenthe1930sand1940swasthefirstjustwarofaglobal
Itseemstomethattoday’sprime-timeleaderneedsatop-5listthatclearlylaysouthisorherpriorities.Whetheryou’rerun
A、Abetterrelationshipwithhisboss.B、Advancementtoahigherposition.C、Abetter-payingjobinanothercompany.D、Improveme
随机试题
如果名义利率为5%,通货膨胀率为7%,则实际利率为
集中市场营销
A.慢性活动性肝炎B.肝硬化并糖尿病C.原发性肝癌D.肝脓肿E.肝性脑病患者,男性,57岁。右胁痛伴发热3个月,肝肋下3cm硬,可闻及血管杂音,ALT45U/L,γ-GT400U/L,经多种治疗无效,首先应考虑为
A.医院药物不良反嚏监测组B.省、自治区、直辖市药品不良反应监测中心C.药物不良反应专家咨询委员会D.国家药品不良反应监测中心E.世界卫生组织的药物监测合作中心如生产厂家发现药品引起的可疑不良反应,应及时报告给
波长λ=550nm的单色光垂直入射于光栅常数d=2×10-4cm的平面衍射光栅上,可能观察到的光谱线的最大级次为( )。
银行开展创新业务时,要严格界定和区分银行资产和客户资产,进行有效的风险隔离管理,对客户的资产进行充分保护,这是银行金融创新中保护客户利益要注意的()方面。
某建筑工程公司拟购买一物业进行经营,以补充工程任务不足时公司的正常运营。如果该物业有价值,则进行投资。根据调查、分析和市场预测,基本情况是:投入运营后初期投资约6.5亿元,该值将随着谈判的进程而逐步明确:运营期预计为50年:每年的销售收益可达2.8亿元,销
劳动合同履行的原则不包括()
(2015·河南)在教学活动中教师一边讲课,一边观察学生听讲的情况;汽车司机在双手操纵方向盘的同时,两眼还要注意道路上的行人、车辆、障碍物和灯光信号等。这些现象都是利用了注意的()品质。
A、Historicsignificance.B、Grandeurandpeacefulness.C、Culturalappeal.D、Beautyandcomfort.B短文一开头提到,犹他州只需用两个词来形容:壮美、宁静。B为录音中
最新回复
(
0
)