Taking a Relationship to the Altar of Marriage
People may build relationships with every other person they meet in everyday of their lives. Some relationships will grow strong like a brotherhood bond which is as strong as steel or like a family bond in which the problem of one will be considered as the problem of the rest of the members. Some may find the sister they never had or may have thought destiny forgot to give. However, of all the relationships built between people, there is a kind of relationship where it in some people will consider having the other individual as his or her better half. With this kind of relationship, both people may share a mutual feeling towards each other and that living a life without the other partner may seem incomplete. The kind of love between the two creatures is something that only the two would understand and if the other people may find difficulty in understanding the relationship the couple has, but still both parties know pretty well what they felt for each other. Both people believe and know in themselves that they have the companion, they will be sharing the memories of the remainder of the times in their lives they have got. To seal the vow made by the couple that no matter what happens, the couple will always be there for each other and only death can break away the promise made, the couple undergoes the ceremony, which is considered sacred by many, the marriage.
Marriage is a new chapter that comes to a point in the lovers’ relationship where they have committed themselves into not only spending the rest of their lives together but as well as building a family that the couple will raise in the future. Some couple may come up with this decision in life in just a short period of time thinking that everything will work in their favor. There are a few people who believed that marriage is another chapter in life in which it should be prepared for a longer period of time while others consider it as a gift to give the couple blessings with their life together as what their respective religion says. Usually, long term couples resort to marriage when they felt that they fully know their partner very well, and that they are all ready to face this new chapter in their relationship. Easy to say for some people but there are instances where the couple is faced with new challenges with their married life. It could be the change of attitude of the partner or some conflicts with the decision making and other issues or sometimes even with dealing with the family members of the husband or the wife can add some thinking to the side of the pair. The life of a person being married will really test the patience and understanding of both parties when they are already living in the same roof and are cutting back on relying too much to the family they’ve grown up with for many years.
Wedding arrangements are usually prepared by both couple and with all the planning for the big day, sometimes it tests the couples’ relationship with each other and one can have a glimpse of how their partner will behave in the coming days of their married life. Some would like a very lavish wedding and inviting all the people who have been a part of their life believing that this event will only happen once in their life. Some would prefer a simple celebration since the couple has been practical in spending time and money for the wedding and for them what really matters most is that they will spend the rest of their life with the one they wanted to spend it with.
Time may come that each one of us will have to make the decision of getting the life of being married and just like any other relationship even marriage life will give you obstacles and challenges you have to face together with your partner. One may want to consider giving enough time to think before finally deciding into settling down. Whatever happens, this marriage life is faced not only by oneself because during this time one will have somebody to walk this journey with.
Out-of-the-world Wedding Customs
Commonly, marriage is done solemnly through formal ceremonies, religious or civil, which signals the start of unity of man and woman as one husband and wife. Marriage may vary depending on the place it originated and held. Yet, different marriage customs of varied culture have few important things in common, especially in conducting the rituals such as the preparation, procession, the formal wedding ceremony and the wedding banquet. Another thing, every part of the wedding has a history to tell and respective significance. Yet, there are wedding customs, which are seemed to be so deviant and out of this world.
See some traditional wedding customs, which are practiced until today, which surely will make one wonder about its existence.
Scotland: Blackening the Bride
This is a pre-wedding tradition originated in Scotland. “Blackening the Bride” serves as a preparatory stage of the bride before the wedding day. The process starts by filling the bride to be with mixed substances. The substance commonly consists like sauces, eggs, feathers and the like which eventually is gross and black after mix. The blackening sometimes calls for a surprise.
After blackening the bride to be, a parade around the town is set. She is to be exposed to the town’s folks with all the black mixture substances around her body.
Sweden: Stolen Kisses
In Sweden, guests have an opportunity to kiss either the groom or the bride.
The kissing of the bride or groom happens during wedding banquets. Whenever the groom is out of sight, men guests may steal a kiss to the bride. The same thing is done whenever the bride is out of sight; women are allowed to steal a kiss to the groom.
France: Clanging Pots and Pans
This after-wedding tradition is known as “Chiverie”.
Chiverie is a wedding joke wherein friends and family of the newly married couple gather in the evening same date of the wedding day. The gathering is intended to disturb and interrupt the couple by ringing bells, blow horns and most commonly clang pots and pans.
The newlywed couple is to come out in a room upon hearing the noise. They are to provide refreshments to the people disturbing them. The newlyweds are expected to still wear their wedding attires.
Italy: Keeping of the Talisman, Wearing of the Veil and Vase Shattering
In Italy, the groom is expected to keep a talisman, an iron amulet. The talisman is to be kept on his pocket on the wedding day. They believed that the talisman serves as the item that removes misfortune.
The bride’s veil must be worn too during the wedding day. The veil protects the bride from evil spirits.
Before the wedding day ends, the newlyweds are to shatter a vase of glass. The number of shattered pieces represents the number of years the newlywed couple would spend as happily married people.
Ireland: Both Feet on the Floor
Irish people believed that fairy loved beautiful things. The most beautiful thing that what fairy loves is the bride. Thus, when the newlywed couples’ dance in the wedding reception, the bride must remain her feet touch against the floor. If the bride was to have on foot off the floor when dancing, she might be easily swept away by the fairies.
Also during the old days, salt and oatmeal are served to the couples at the beginning of the wedding reception. Three mouthfuls are to be taken as a protection against the power of evil.
The bride and the groom are not allowed to sing at their own wedding. To wear green clothes brings bad luck too.
Germany: Kidnapping the Bride and Broken Dishes
This ritual from Germany starts when friends of the bride and groom will kidnap the bride. The bride is to be hidden somewhere which automatically tasks the groom to find her.
The search for the bride begins when the groom asks for help from his friends by treating them all a drink. The search starts in the local pub.
Another tradition is the shattering of dishes before the wedding. After dishes are shattered, the couples to be should clean the mess up as a preparation of their new lives together.