 In Japan, there are various types of wedding ceremonies other than the traditional
Shinto wedding ceremony. For example, church marriage ceremonies, Buddhist
Weddings, Public Marriage Ceremonies, where a couple exchanges vows in
front of guests who are present.Until World War, arranged marriages were the mainstream since the relationship between families was thought to be more important than personal relationships. Once the head of the household of both families made a decision about the marriage of their son or daughter, they exchanged "Yuino". Yuino is a ceremony to establish a relationship between both families and they say that it originated in China and then was brought to Japan. Engagement is materialized when the groom brings Sake and relish as "Yuimono" to the fiance's house. "Yuimono" means to connect two families. Yuino as a ceremony has been carried over to this day, but Yuimono has changed over time and the articles that a groom brings is 9. Items such as "Konbu (=dried sea tangle)" which means to wish prosperity to the descendant, "Surume (=dried cuttlefish)" wishing the fiance good fortune, "Hakusen (=white folding fan)" wishing lasting household prosperity, "Naganoshi" which symbolizes longevity, "Kinpo-tusumi" is for saving money, etc. When Yuino finishes, the marriage ceremony and wedding reception will follow one after the other. There is a ceremony called "San-San-Kudo" during the marriage ceremony. First of all, a groom and a bride pretend to pour sake into a cup in which there are 3 tiers of cups then they do actually pour sake into each cup and drink it at each of the 3 steps. This series of action will be done for each of the three cups. That is why this ceremony is called "San-San-Kudo (three-three-nine times). This custom was also brought to Japan from China. As for the row of numbers 3,3,9, 3 is a happy number and it shows "heavenEearth and humanity." as well. Therefore 9, which equals 3 times 3 is said to be the happiest number. Officially, San-san-kudo shall be done in front of the sanctuary of a shrine. However, it becomes rather common to set up a temporary sanctuary in a hotel so that they can proceed with the marriage ceremony and wedding reception in a rational order. A wedding reception means that the groom and bride want to obtain recognition from friends, colleagues and their bosses. At the reception, some of the guest make a speech and others sing songs to celebrate the couple. There are some words which are not allowed to be used in a speech. For example, "cut", "separate" "leave" are inauspicious words because these words imply that the bride will return to her parents house. There are various styles of wedding receptions. It varies depending on the change in times, the change in concepts of marriage and the competition in the bridal industry. Some people like to have a gorgeous ceremony at a first class hotel in Tokyo and some people like a simple wedding spent with close relatives. No other country is as diversified as Japan. However, even though we have various styles, we still value our tradition and culture which has been inherited from ancient Japanese traditions. End |
