Wedding Traditions from Different Cultures

In some parts of Africa, a man asks permission to marry a woman, and if the family agrees, he presents her with a little money and a kola nut. The bride opens the nut, shares it with the groom, and sends a piece via messenger to other families to announce the engagement. After the wedding ceremony, guests shower the couple with corn kernels, symbolizing fertility. 

In Germany, For good luck the bride would carry salt and bread in her pocket to ensure bounty; the groom would carry grain for wealth and good fortune. A young girl proceeds in front of the bride as they are traveling down the path to the church. The girl sprinkle petals to wish good luck and to ward off evil spirits.

In Pakistan, A Pakistani Bride wears red on the day of her wedding because red symbolizes happiness. Another reason why red is also worn is because it is bright. No one else wears red that day except the bride

In some Hindu wedding ceremonies, the groom is responsible for the bride's clothing. But instead of the familiar white gown, Hindu brides wear a sari. When the bride arrives at the ceremony, she wears clothing from her parents; when all is done, she is dressed in clothing her husband has provided.

In India, to ward off evil, the groom’s mother would sprinkle flower petals over the couple at the end of the ceremony. A newly married bride, while entering her husband's house for the first time, will first have to knock down a container of uncooked rice, and enter putting forward her right foot first. This is to ensure that she brings good luck to the house. Brides receive many presents. Midway through the ceremony, the bride changes into a sari given to her by the groom's mother, as a welcome into the groom's family. The women of the groom's family also present her with platters of fruit, flowers and candy, which they place at her feet. 

In Japan, To become husband and wife, the couple takes sips of sake, becoming husband and wife after the first sip. The Japanese bride-to-be is painted pure white from head to toe, visibly declaring her maiden status to the gods. The bride wears a white kimono and an elaborate headpiece covered with many ornaments to invite good luck to the happy couple. 

 

A white hood is attached to the kimono, which the bride wears like a veil to hide her 'horns of jealousy' from the groom's mother, who will now become the head of the family. Japanese grooms wear black kimonos to their wedding ceremony. 

 

While the bride and groom exchange their wedding vows, their families face each other, instead of the couple getting married. Central to the traditional Japanese marriage ceremony is the ritual of drinking nine cups of sake, after which newlyweds are considered united. Families and guests also drink sake, to symbolize the bonding of the couple as well as of the two families. Then the father of the groom and of the bride introduces their respective family members. 

 

For the wedding reception, the new bride changes into a red kimono and again later into a western-style gown. Due to better climate, many Japanese brides prefer spring and fall wedding dates. Certain wedding anniversaries are thought to be lucky, so it is common to see dozens of newlywed couples heading for their honeymoon on the same day. 

  

Korean wedding traditions involve birds that mate for life: ducks and geese. Korean grooms used to travel to the homes of their brides on the back of a white pony, bearing a goose, which symbolizes fidelity. Nowadays, they use symbolic wooden geese. In another tradition, a pair of wooden ducks, one symbolizing the bride and the other the groom, can indicate whether couples are happy or at odds. 

After the wedding each spouse places one of the ducks somewhere in their house.  If the ducks face nose to nose, the couple is getting along.

 

If they are tail to tail, the couple is believed to be fighting.

    In Myanmar, regardless of the means by which a young couple is brought together, the marriage ties are social rather than religious. The Myanmar custom is to do court marriage in front of the honorable judge superiors by signing officially before celebrating ceremony. 

In modern times, especially among urban people, it is usual for some sort of public ceremony and reception to be held in the presence of parents and elders. The bride and groom are taken to their place in the stage by Master of ceremonies. The master of ceremony reads the eulogy and oversees the performance of the marriage rites such as placing a four-foot long chain around the couple's necks, putting their hands together with palms facing each other, immersing their joined hands in a silver bowl containing scented water and soon. 

 

After the festivities are over, the young couple pays respect to the respective parents and elders. The newlyweds then proceed to prominent pagodas and say prayers for “successive long marriage life. 

 

All is not yet over -- laughing friends and relatives bar the entrance of nuptial chamber by a gold chain and demand payment for entry. This payment is known as gare-boe “stone money". This is traditional custom of demanding money from the newly-married couple as joyous.

  A traditional Thai wedding is one of the most important aspects of Thai life and culture. Wedding ceremonies in Thailand are extremely grand and elaborate. All relatives, close and distant, make it a point to be present at a family wedding where the groom’s parents give money to the bride’s parents as part of the Thai custom. 

      Usually the wedding is arranged between the elders of the two families. They approach the monks and compare the stars of the prospective bride and groom. It is important that the stars are in harmony and match each other. If this does not happen then the wedding will not be held. Once it is found that the stars of the bride and groom are in harmony, an auspicious day is selected to perform the wedding ceremony. Generally, August is considered as the most auspicious month and one will find many weddings taking place across Thailand during that month. 

        During the marriage ceremony, friends and relatives of the groom dance all the way to the bride’s house with hands laden with gifts. Just before the marriage ceremony, the engagement is done with monks chanting sacred words. Once the engagement is over, it paves way for the actual marriage ceremony. The marriage ceremony is performed by Buddhist monks who chant sacred verses. One of the most sacred words during a Thai wedding is Sin-sod. Without these two words a marriage is incomplete. Sin-sod refers to the money that the groom’s parents give to the bride’s parents.

   Once the wedding is solemnized by the monks, the feasting begins. Monks are offered food and they bless the new wedded couple and the entire gathering with holy water. Once this is over, the monks leave and with this the marriage ceremony comes to an end. However, many modern couples continue to enjoy their wedding day with friends and family.

Naming traditions in different countries

In Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures, the family name is placed before the given names. So the terms "first name" and "last name" are generally not used, as they do not in this case denote the given and family names.

In modern days, some Chinese adopt a Western given name in addition to their original given names, e.g. Lee Chu-ming adopted the Western name Martin, which can often be used as a nickname of Chu-ming. The adopted Western name can be put in front of their Chinese name, e.g. Martin LEE Chu-ming. In addition, many people with Chinese names have non-Chinese first names which are commonly used. Sometimes, the Chinese name becomes used as a "middle name", e.g. Martin Chu-ming Lee, or even used a "last name", e.g. Lee Chu-ming Martin.

Vietnamese family names present an added complication. Like Chinese family names, they are placed at the beginning of a name, but unlike Chinese names, they are not usually the primary form of address. Rather, people will be referred to by their given name, usually accompanied by an honorific. For example, Phan Van Khai is properly addressed as Mr. Khai, even though Phan is his family name. This pattern contrasts with that of most other East Asian naming conventions.

In Japan, like in China and Korea, the first name follows the family name. A person with the first name "Ichiro" and the family name "Suzuki" is, therefore, called "Suzuki Ichiro" rather than "Ichiro Suzuki". The civil law forces a common surname for every married couple, unless in a case of international marriage In Japan. In most cases, women surrender their surnames upon marriage, and use the surnames of their husbands.

In Chinese, Korean, and Singaporean cultures, women keep their own surnames, while the family as a whole is referred to by the surnames of the husbands.

In Hong Kong, some women would be known to the public with the surnames of their husbands preceding their own surnames, such as Anson Chan Fang On Sang. Anson is an English given name, On Sang is the given name in Chinese, Chan is the surname of Anson's husband, and Fang is her own surname. A name change on legal documents is not necessary. In Hong Kong's English publications, her family names would have been presented in small cap letters to resolve ambiguity, e.g. Anson CHAN FANG On Sang in full or simply Anson Chan in short form.

Many Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese surnames are of the same origin, but simply pronounced differently and even transliterated differently overseas in Western nations. For example, the common Chinese surnames Chen, Chan, Chin, Cheng and Tan, the Korean surname Jin, as well as the Vietnamese surname Trần are often all the same exact character. The common Korean surname Kim is also the common Chinese surname Jin. The common Mandarin surnames Lin or Lim is also one and the same as the common Cantonese or Vietnamese surname Lam and Korean family name Lim.

In Tibet, people are often named at birth by the local Buddhist Lama or they may request a name from the Dalai Lama. They do not often use family name though many have one. They may change their name throughout life if advised by a Buddhist Lama, for example if a different name removes obstacles. The Tibetans who enter monastic life take a name from their ordination Lama, which will be a combination of the Lama's name and a new name for them. So, many Tibetan names come from Buddhist scriptures, including words that have positive meaning such as happiness and luck. 

In Thailand, both given name and family are often long and there are a great many of them. The diversity of family names is because they are required to be unique to a family, and they are a recent introduction. According to the current law to create a new Thai surname, it must not be longer than ten Thai letters, vowel symbols and diacritics are not counted.

 Thais will address each other by nicknames. Given by parents or relatives in early childhood, these nicknames are typically one syllable. They may often be nonsense words or humorous, and usually have no relation to the person's actual name, although in some cases may be diminutive forms of their first name, like "Nok" for "Noknoi" which means respectively bird and little bird, the first used as a nickname and the second being the first name. All Thais have such a name, and they are freely used in everyday life regardless of how childish they may seem to non-Thais.

In addition, some Thais may also have additional nicknames given by their friends or colleagues especially during their school age or adolescence. These friend-given nicknames are usually linked with a notable physical feature or behavior of that person. For example, a boy who wears glasses may be called “Waen” by his friends. After being frequently called Waen by his friends, he may at some point accept that name as another nickname, even though he still uses his family-given nickname when he speaks with members of his family.

Westerners meeting Thais in everyday life will usually be introduced to the Thai person only by their nickname, and will not discover the person's real name unless they ask: Thais tend to assume that Westerners cannot pronounce or remember long Thai names. Except in the most formal situations, it is quite acceptable to address or refer to a Thai by their nickname. The nickname can be preceded by "khun". This will seem slightly comic to Thais, but will be understood as a gesture of respect. 

In Myanmar, There is no family name. Women keep their maiden names upon marriage, and children can have names which bear no relation to their parents’ names. The Burmese custom of naming is fairly unique. It symbolizes the combination of the particular virtue for a person and astrological calculation of the day of the week that the person was born based on Burmese lunar calendar year.

A few days after they were born, their parents made Zar Tar and inscribed their name on it by astrologer. At least that is how they know the time they were born, according to their Zar Tar record. 

 

(Zar Tar)

Zar Tar is a stack of palm leaves smeared with residual oil and folded into a handy packet. It is an old-fashioned birth certificate, declare the name of newly born baby, usually prepare by monks and astrologers, by going through complex calculation of the location of stars, sun, and the date and time of the birth of new baby.

Myanmar names could be chosen from various types of form; some choose only one single word name, and since four words names are no longer uncommon, but still two words or three words names are mostly preferable by typical Myanmar families. In general, one single word could be one syllable, but there are still a lot of outstanding single words composed into more than one syllable with beautiful meanings. For example, Single words with one syllable are Thant, Win,Tun,...etc. Single words with two syllables are Nanda, Oakar, Ohmar,…etc.

Basically the first syllable represents the day of the week that the person was born. Therefore, one could easily find out which day of the week that the person was born just by knowing the name in majority. For example, the first syllable, Tun, of the name “Tun Ba Kaung” represents Saturday born.

Myanmar women are, unlike other cultures, traditionally granted a privilege, taking a pride of freedom in which they don’t have to change their names when they get married. It never happens into the consciousness of Myanmar people, as a matter of fact, that it is a necessary custom to follow.

GREETING

                                                                        Greeting

Different countries have many different races of people, different customs, and different manners. Each country has its own way of greeting people.

           When you meet a friend in an English speaking country, you say “Hi”, or “How are you?”In Thailand, you say “Sawaddee”. In Myanmar, you usually say either “where are you going?” Quite strange, right?

In Myanmar, they don’t have an informal phrase or expression to be used as a greeting. The famous phrase “Mingalar Bar” is quite formal and nobody use it in the streets. It is only used in formal announcements on the airplanes! And it is not really Burmese. The expression was invented during the colonial period; a rather indirect translation of “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, “Good evening”, or “Good day”. The closest literal meaning of “Mingalar Bar” is “have good things unto you”.

 

Mingalar is auspicious, and Mingalar bar  is a kind of wish. But we do not use it in everyday life, except at school greeting to teachers, and to use in formal situation, like greeting to an audience at the conference.

So next time you meet a Burmese friend in the streets of Yangon, ask “where are you going?” instead. And remember; don’t ask this question to a stranger. This is only for friends.

          In Thailand people do not normally say 'good morning', 'good afternoon', 'good evening' or 'good night'. They greet each other with the word Sawadee, and instead of shaking hands, they put their palms together in a prayer-like gesture and bow slightly. It is customary for the younger or lower in status to begin the greeting. When taking leave, the same word and procedure is repeated. 

This gesture is called a Wai. If you are greeted with a Wai you should reply with the same gesture, though it is not necessary to return a Wai to a child. Think of a Wai as you would a handshake. Initiate a Wai because of sincere pleasure at an introduction. You will not cause offence if you Wai inappropriately in Thailand, but you may create confusion. Don't return a Wai from waiting staff, drivers or other help. You might hope to strike a blow for equality, but will in fact cause embarrassment. A Wai to your teacher (any kind of teacher) is definitely appropriate; any smiles you receive in return are of appreciation.

 

         The Shan (Tai) people are greeted with a Wai as the same gesture like Thai people.  Instead of shaking hands, the Shan usually greet with a "wai", or placing the palms together in front of the face or chest and say “Mai Sung Kha”.  

 

 But they have a different word  when they greet each other, like; Thai people say “Sawadee” and Shan people say “Mai Sung”. To make it more polite or formal both of them add one word at the end of the phrase. For men Thai add Khrap and add Kha for women. That means that when woman greets to other, she says Sawadee kha. And a Man would say Sawadee khrap. For Shan people they add Kha both men and women. Women say “Mai Sung Kha” and man would also say the same “Mai Sung Kha.

       In the USA it is normal for men to shake hands when they meet but it is unusual for men to kiss when they greet each other.

 

       The British often do no more than say “hello” when they see friends. Even adults usually shake hands only when they meet for the first time.

     French people, including school-children, shake hands with their friends, or kiss them on cheeks; each time they meet and they leave. That’s why French people think the British are unfriendly and impolite.

  In Japan it is polite and normal for men and women to bow when they greet someone.