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
66
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.
______, a circle with no beginning or end, was considered a symbol of being eternal.
选项
答案
The ring
解析
原文意思为;戒指是圆的,没有起点亦无终点,象征永恒。由此得到答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/l7r7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
Inpreviousgenerations,youngpeoplewereundertheirparents’control;nowtheteenagechildrenoftheWest’srichestgenerat
Asweallknow,drinkingandsmokingaffectpeople’shealth.Arecentstudyof17000Canadians【B1】______thatpeoplewhodrink
Inrecentyearsanewfarmingrevolutionhasbegun,onethatinvolvesthe【C1】______oflifeatafundamentallevel--thegene.The
A、beenshiftedaroundthecountryB、haddifficultybeingpromotedC、enjoyedahappierlifeD、tastedlittlebitternessofdisgrac
Ataroundageoffive,everychildhastomakethe【C1】______fromhometoschool.Childrenatthisagehaveanenormousamountto
Ataroundageoffive,everychildhastomakethe【C1】______fromhometoschool.Childrenatthisagehaveanenormousamountto
Itseemstomethattoday’sprime-timeleaderneedsatop-5listthatclearlylaysouthisorherpriorities.Whetheryou’rerun
SomeAmericansarealittlenervousaboutthenation’sfuture,butothersfeelsecure,knowingthatthemantheyconsiderthemo
WheretoFindMoneyforCollegePayingforcollegehasbecomeanationalnightmare.Withfouryears’educationatmanygood
A、Hedidn’thavethenecessaryequipmentforreproduction.B、Hedidn’twantthemtobedisplayedoutsideofhishome.C、Hethoug
随机试题
下列选项中属于新鲜蛋特征的是________。
苍苍蒸民,谁无父母?提携捧负,畏其不寿。
CT透视扫描仪主要用于
马斯洛五个需求层次由低到高的顺序为
预应力混凝土桥梁静载试验,可用于混凝土表面应变测试的传感器包括()。
某三层办公楼勒脚以上外围结构水平投影面积为500m2,首层车库层高为2.2m,二、三层层高均为3.2m。首层设有挑出墙外1.5m的有柱雨篷,雨篷水平投影面积为20m2,二、三层无围护结构的挑阳台水平投影面积之和为100m2。该办公楼的建筑面积为()
根据下列材料,回答问题。2020年2月,2020年中央一号文件——《中共中央国务院关于抓好“三农”领域重点工作确保如期实现全面小康的意见》正式发布。这是21世纪以来第17个指导“三农”工作的中央一号文件,也是全面建成小康社会和脱贫攻坚收官之年的一
关于专门人民法院,下列哪一选项是正确的()。
"Hithere.How’sitgoing?""Oh,fine,fine.Howaboutthisweather,huh?""Well,Iguesswecanalwaysusetherain."
LastweekBrucewrote【B1】Dick,tellinghimthathewasn’t【B2】thenewschoolinRichmondatall.Asallthe【B3】studentswerefrom
最新回复
(
0
)