中国是一个有56个民族的大国。不同的民族有不同的婚俗。但无论是哪个民族，结婚仪式都很复杂。 传统的中国婚礼仪式包括6个必备步骤，它们是：说媒、定亲、聘礼、迎娶、拜堂（三鞠躬）、喝交杯酒等六步。 此外，如今一个标准的中国婚礼会如下进行：在一对新人订婚后，接下来就是挑选吉日成亲。大部分人会挑选节假日或某个中国的传统节日为的是亲戚朋友们能来参加婚礼。不过，有一些人，尤其是乡下人很有可能请算命先生挑个结婚的吉日（通常是双日子），这样就是双喜临门了。 婚礼庆典很隆重，最后是很奢华的婚宴。人们会举杯祝愿新人\"但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。\"以及早生贵子等等。
China is a large country with 56 nationalities.Different nationalities have different marriage customs, but whatever the nationality is, the wedding ceremony is usually very complicated.The traditional Chinese marriage usually involves 6 neceary procedures, namely: match-making, engagement, betrothal presents, meeting the bride,three bows, and drinking wedlock wine.In addition, a typical Chinese wedding nowadays goes like this:when a new couple is engaged, what followed is a choice of the date of their marriage.Most people would favor a bank holiday or special Chinese festival for their relatives and friends to attend the wedding.However,quite a few others, especially those in the countryside, would probably ask a fortune-teller for a lucky date(usually an even number)so that their marriage would have\"Double Happine\".The wedding ceremony is usually presided warmly ,and the wedding ceremony very often ends with a very extravagant banquet.Toasts are made to wish the new couple long life, eternal love and happine, early birth of a healthy baby and so on.
之二
Chinese Wedding Traditions Red is the Color of Weddings in China
Red is central to the wedding theme of China.It signifies love, joy and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding traditions.The bride\'s wedding down is often red, as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes or envelopes for cash gifts.Even the bride and groom\'s homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.
Before the Chinese Wedding Day
Before her wedding celebration, a Chinese bride traditionally goes into seclusion with her closest friends.This Chinese custom gives the bride-to-be some time to symbolically mourn the lo of her friends and family.
Some time before the couple are married, the groom\'s family carries wedding gifts in red baskets and boxes to the bride\'s house.One of the baskets will contain \"uang susu\" or \'milk money\'.Others will contain personal things for the bride, so that on her wedding day all of her personal belongings will be in the groom\'s house.The bride takes the gifts to another room where they are sorted through.Three days before the wedding day, women from the bride\'s family reciprocate, bearing gifts -- including some \'returns\'-- in red wrappings to the groom\'s family.
sunlvhao 2009-06-08 19:29:52
西式婚礼全过程
西式婚礼分为仪式和宴会两部分。仪式多在教堂举办，相对更为肃穆、庄严，被邀请的也都是至亲好友；晚宴则轻松许多，新人将邀请更多新人朋友参加。
仪式
17:00仪式开始。神父到位、播放进场音乐；伴郎、伴娘先进入场地，分两边面对宾客站好；戒指童将戒指交给神父。
17:03 随着婚礼进行曲，新娘挽着父亲入场；父亲将新娘交到等候已久的新郎手中。
17:10全场肃静(停止奏乐)，新娘、新郎交换戒指并宣誓；
17:15证婚人致辞；
17:20仪式完毕，音乐响起后新人退场，宾客鼓掌庆祝并向新人抛洒花瓣；
17:30新人与来宾拍照留念。
宴会
17:40 乐队奏乐，宾客陆续进入餐厅，可以享用餐前开胃小菜和饮料；
18:10 新人进入餐厅后上第一道菜，侍者们给客人斟香槟，重要来宾致辞；
18:40 开胃菜后，新郎新娘跳第一支舞。伴郎伴娘及其他客人随后进入舞池一起跳舞；
19:00 重新入座等待主食；
19:30 上甜点的同时，继续舞会；
20:00 新娘抛花束；
20:10 新人在客人们间穿梭为他们的光临表示感谢，提供咖啡及各种餐后饮品；
20:30 新郎新娘一起切蛋糕后，宾客跳舞或者自由退场。
Proce of the western-style wedding
The western-style wedding including ceremony and banquet two parts.The ceremony is held frequently in the church and the close relatives and good friends are invited.The banquet is le heavenline than the ceremony.The newlywed will invite more friends to participate.
Proce of the ceremony
At 17:00.The ceremony start.The Father arrives, broadcast approach music，the best man and bridesmaid enter the church, nearby weight stand and face the guest.The ring child gives the wedding-ring to the Father.
At 17:03.Along with the wedding ceremony marching song, the bride pulls her father and enter the church.And than bride\'s father personally puts her daughter\'s hand to the bridegroom\'s hand.
At 17:10.Mucis stop and entire audience are silent.The bride and the bridegroom exchange the rings and take an oath.
At 17:15.Chief wedding witne gives a speech.
At 17:20.The ceremony finish.The newlywed leave the stage after music resounds, the guest applauds the celebration and strews the flower petal to the newlywed.
At 17:30.The newlywed and the guest photograph accepts as a memento. Proce of the banquet
At 17:40.The orchestra plays music, the guest enters the dining room, may enjoy themself to dine the savoy and drink.
At 18:10.After the newlywed enters the dining room, first food starts to provide, and the waiter pours out the champagne to the visitor.The important guest gives a speech.
At 18:40.After the savoy, the newlywed jump the bridal wlatz.The best man, bridesmaid and other guest enter the dance floor afterwards to dance together.
At 19:00.All the people takes a seat again and waiting for the staple food.
At 19:30.While provide the sweet snack, the dance party continued.
At 20:00.The bride throws the bouquet of flowers.
At 20:10.The newlywed shuttle between the guest and thank for their presence, also provide the coffee and each kind of drinks.
At 20:30.After the newlywed cut the cake together, the guest dance or leave the banquet freely.
情殇卿未央 2009-06-11 00:30:34
The Betrothal
First both sets of parents exchanged family credentials as tokens of intention.Then, after extensive bargaining, the two families would arrive at the amount of money and goods that would make up the gift to the girl’s family.After presenting engagement tokens, the go-between would ask the bride’s family to chose among severalauspicious wedding dates suggested by the boy’s family and also set a date for presenting betrothal gifts.
The boy’s family presented betrothal gifts of money and significant items such as tea, \"Dragon (male) and Phoenix (female)\" bridal cakes, pairs of male and female poultry, sweetmeats and sugar, wine and tobacco, accompanied by an itemized statement of these gifts.Tea was such a primary part of these gifts in some areas that they were known collectively as cha-li, that is, \"tea presents.\" The girl’s family reciprocated with gifts of food and clothing.
It was customary for the girl’s family to distribute the bridal cakes they received from the boy’s family to friends and relatives as a form of announcement and invitation to the wedding feast.The number of cakes given to each was established according to a rigid etiquette, on the basis of seniority and degree of intimacy.Those who received the bridal cakes, were expected to present congratulatory gifts to the girl’s parents.
The boy’s family’s gifts acknowledged the parents’ efforts in raising the girl, and by accepting the gifts, the girl’s family pledged her to the boy’s.It is interesting to note that the bride was given to the family rather than the groom alone.Although the bride and groom probably had not met yet, betrothal was considered binding unle both families agreed to annul the contract.
Several days after the presentation of the betrothal gifts, the girl’s family sent porters with an inventoried dowry to the boy’s house.The dowry consisted of practical items, including a chamber pot, filled for the occasion with fruit and strings of coins.This proceion gave the girl’s family the opportunity to display both their social status and their love for their daughter, and wealthy parents often included serving girls to attend their daughter in her new home.
Betrothals generally lasted for a year or two, although child betrothals would last until the children had grown to marriageable age.
Preparing for the Wedding Day
Retreating to the Cock Loft
In preparation for her impending departure, the bride-to-be retreated from the ordinary routine and lived in seclusion in a separate part of the house with her closest friends.During this period, the young women sang laments, mourning the bride’s separation from her family and cursing the go-between –; as well as the groom’s family and even the girl’s own parents.Since this extended ‘sleep over’ often took place in the cock loft, the bride’s emergence on her wedding day was sometimes referred to as \"coming out of the cock loft.\"
Installing the Bridal Bed
Preparation on the part of the groom involved the installation of the bridal bedon the day before the wedding.A propitious hour and a ‘good luck woman’ or ‘good luck man’, that is a man or women with many children and living mates, were selected to install a newly purchased bed.(The installation ceremony consisted of merely moving the bed slightly; the actual work was done by servants or friends.)
After the bed was in place, children were invited onto the bed as an omen of fertility –; the more, the merrier.For the same reason, the bed was scattered with red dates, oranges, lotus seeds, peanuts, pomegranates and other fruits.Part of the fun was watching the children scramble for the fruit.
