The differences between Chinese and western wedding As an old saying goes: marriage is the most important matter

in womens life. Marriage is a very important part in ones life. So does the wedding ceremony. However, different countries have different wedding ceremonies because of the culture difference. On one hand, western wedding ceremony is terrific and romantic while Chinese wedding ceremony is traditional and special. On the other side, western wedding is simple while Chinese wedding is complex. No matter you choose the Chinese style or the western style, you should marry the one you love best, and then you can enjoy a beautiful life. 1. The romantic and simple style of Western wedding Western wedding is a romantic type from start to the end. In western countries, there are some essential steps that occur within the wedding culture. (1) In the West, if the men in love want to marry, he must first propose to the groom's family by the bride's side. When proposing, the groom's family should bestow the betrothal ring to the bride's side (an engagement ring). Therefore, when the people mentioned He gave her a ring, it usually means that they are now engaged. (2) Sending a present is the custom which many nationalities altogether have. But what kind of present is appropriate for relatives and friends to deliver? Here are some principles for reference: First, the present has no need to be too expensive as Chinese sending money. Second, it should be valuable in material sense or spiritual sense. Traditional gifts include silverware, chinaware, crystal product, the electric appliance equipment and the practical goods as well as durable thing. (3) The engaged man and woman should consider immediately their marriage plan with the respective parents. The night before the wedding, the entire wedding party will join together for a rehearsal dinner after practicing the ceremony at the wedding site. Customarily it's the groom's parents who host this dinner, and the majority of wedding ceremony expense is undertaken by bride's family. Traditionally, the dinner includes the bride and groom; both sets of parents; bridesmaids; best man, groomsmen and ushers; the bride's and groom's siblings, grandparents; and any other family members involved in the ceremony. A priest (of the respective faith) is usually also invited. Traditionally the groom waits at the altar; he can not see his bride before the rehearsal dinner. The most popular custom observed at this time is what the bride to wear. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed Something Blue. The old symbolizes the bride's connection to her past, the new symbolizes her hopes for a bright future, the borrowed symbolizes friendship, and the blue symbolizes faithfulness. (4) The wedding ceremony is moreover held in the church in the daytime. Basically, the wedding party will consist of a Best man (which is the best friend of the groom) and the Groomsmen which are usually 2 to 6 other close friends. The bride will have a similar setup with her best girlfriends, called Maid of Honor (best girlfriend) and Bridesmaids (equal to the number of Groomsmen). Marriage to the church to the whole wedding ceremony is the most important link. First, as the wedding march rhythm, the bride pull her father's hands go before the groom by her father she personally delivered the hands of the groom. Pastor will ask the bride and groom on the other side to make a lifetime commitment, this is the climax of the whole wedding. Then they will be priests and the blessing of everyone, exchanged marriage rings and kiss each other. The bride spent the hands of the ball were not ordinary furnishings. At the end of the wedding, the bride would throw the female guests arrived at the scene, who
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received curd, who is a married person, which makes the entire ceremony be heard laughing in the end. (5) The bride's dress is generally white; the groom is in black dress so that the whole wedding was the solemn seriousness. Meanwhile, the clothing suit you wear should be official. For the female guest, it is better to put on the cocktail formal party clothes either the long shirt with the holiday coat or the woolen sweater. It is noteworthy that woman puts on the pants is inappropriate, regardless of the pants color. 2. The traditional and complex style of Chinese wedding China is different from the West on the wedding. Views from the history, Chinese marriages were first documented during the Warring States period. Due to the vast expanse and long history of Chinese marriage customs and ceremonies, there are different practices that are followed in different places, although they all generally adhere to similar guidelines. (1)The traditional Chinese wedding In the traditional wedding, the main colors are red, and this is also the representative of the traditional Chinese festivity colors, the bride wears red in general, wearing Fengguan, still above a red scarf. While the groom wearing red long gown mandarin jacket, wearing a red cap along as Chinese believed red foreshadowed delight. Before the meeting party's arrival, the bride would be helped by a respectable old woman to tie up her hair with colorful cotton threads. When the groom arrived, the bride, covered by a red head-kerchief, must cry with her mother to show her reluctance to leave home. She would be led or carried by her elder brother to the sedan. In the meeting party the bridegroom would meet a series of difficulties intentionally set in his path. Only after coping with these could he pass to see his wife-to-be. a) On the arrival of the bride at the wedding place, there would be music and firecrackers .The entire wedding is presided by the master of ceremonies. In his command, the bride would be led along the red carpet in a festive atmosphere. The bridegroom, also in a red gown, would kowtow three times to worship the heaven, parents and spouse. Then the new couple would go to their bridal chamber and guests would be treated to a feast. Wine should be poured to the brim of a cup but must not spill over. b) On the night of the wedding day, there was a custom in some places for relatives or friends to banter the newlyweds, called the spree bridal chamber. The spree happens after the feast when the bride and groom go back into their chamber. Relatives and friends and neighbors, any one at the wedding in fact, can come in to play all kinds of tricks on the new couple, especially the bride. They make a lot of noise so that there is an extremely lively atmosphere in the room, which is believed to be an inseparable part of a jolly wedding. Though this seemed a little noisy, both of them dropped shyness and got familiar with each other. c) On the third day of the marriage, the new couple would go back to the bride's parents' home. They would be received with also a dinner party including relatives. Due to the culture difference, there are many differences between western wedding custom and China wedding custom. (2)The modern changes of Chinese wedding Western wedding is simpler than that in China. Western weddings are more creative and romantic. So many young people in China come to western countries to hold their wedding ceremony nowadays or holding weddings in western style. However, in a certain way, even
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though Chinas wedding ceremony is traditional and not very romantic; it has its special meaning. For example, when the groom arrived, the bride, covered by a red head-kerchief, must cry with her mother to show her reluctance to leave home. She would be led or carried by her elder brother to the sedan. That is a traditional manner; however, there are fewer people will do it nowadays. Maybe they think it is too complex and not romantic. It is very funny that it's the bride's parents who host this dinner after practicing the ceremony at the wedding site in western countries., While in China, its the bridegroom parents who do it. In addition, there are several pairs of maid of the honor and bridesmaids in western wedding, but there is only one pair in China. That is the difference .But now, it has changed a lot and been ignored. 3. Conclusion By studying the differences between Chinese and Western wedding, we can know that: Western wedding is pure romantic, and Chinese wedding is happy but noisy; Western wedding values the good feeling, and China values the ceremony. Though, have different customs, the entire wedding was full of blessings and laughter. In a word, people from different countries have different wedding styles, we should learn from each other instead of totally copying it. As a Chinese, maybe it is better to choose the traditional wedding style, but young people like the western style. So it is funny that we can mix the Chinese wedding and the Western wedding, romantic, traditional, and meaningful. All of us will expect that.