Bloxham

DLaina Bloxham
Inst: Brittany Stephenson
ENGL 2710-001
Aug 3, 2016

Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us

togethew today.

Figure 1: Title and Priest from The Princess Bride: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Source Google Images

Introduction
Marriage is a rite of passage with many traditions and rituals, especially associated with
the ceremony. It the film Marriage they say, ceremonies are the common denominator in all
eras and cultures they can be civil, religious, princely, or a simple signing of a certificate. But
always an alliance usually between two families and possibly lands (Marriage).
Marriage is unique to the human race (Marriage). We as humans are the only creatures
that use the pact of a marriage ceremony as binding. Most of the other species of the animal
kingdom do not even practice monogamy. So why is ceremony so important to humans? How do
the actual ceremonies differ or stay the same from culture to culture? What traditions and rituals
were performed in ancient times and have they carried over or changed in modern times. How
do ceremonies differ from culture to culture and religion to religion?

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I will look at four separate Marriage Ceremonies, customs, rituals, and traditions that
make them unique and how if at all they are changing as the world becomes more modern. I will
look at Medieval European Marriage Ceremonies, Colonial American Marriage Ceremonies,
Japanese Shinto Ceremonies, and Jewish Ceremonies.

European Wedding Ceremonies

Medieval Europe
Most often marriages in Medieval Europe were advantageous marriages arranged by
parents to join two families together sometimes for the land or title and prestige. In the film
Medieval Lives they explain that marriage built families and families were the building blocks of
societies. Marriage came first, love might follow. The marriage ceremony was the blessing
from the church to condone the act of sex and not fear eternal damnation (Medieval).
According to Professor Judith Bennett from the University of Southern California in
fourteenth century England, there were two levels of ceremony or ritual the first was strikingly
informal. The couple could simply marry each other by agreeing to it. They would clasp right
hands together and say vows. No witnesses were needed but helped if there were any disputes
later. Vows could be taken anywhere, in a pub, under a tree, in the hedgerow, or right at the
side of the bed to not commit sin and be married (Medival).

Figure 2: Medieval Ceremony: Source: www.keyword-suggestions.com

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The second level is the one more familiar to us today involving a priest and the church.
This level came with the laws that the church was trying to inflict on mankind. The marriage
ceremony became one of the seven special sacrament rituals. To the church marriage between
man and woman symbolized marriage of Christ and the Church which is unbreakableso should
marriage between man and woman be unbreakable. With a church ceremony there would leave
no doubt that the couple had really been married or that they belonged to God (Medieval).
This ceremony involved a lot of planning. Professor John Harper of Bangor University
explains in detail this ceremony of medieval times. He says that a couple could only get married
one third of the year or on any of the holy days, which is Sunday. Banns, a posted declaration of
intent to marry, had to be called (or posted) three times. The couple would have to come before
the priest who asked if anyone knew of any reason the two couldnt be married. There had to be
at least a holy day in-between each banns and they were posted so anyone could come forward
with information. The purpose of this ritual was to determine there were no secret marriages to
someone else, the couple wasnt too closely related, or that they were not too young.
The couple would come to the church after the banns had been called three times and the
priest would meet the couple at the door where the actual joining happened. The priest would ask
the man if he would take the woman as his wedded wife and he would then do the same for the
woman. The man would then put some gold or silver on the priests book along with the ring and
the priest would bless the ring. The man then picked up the ring and starting with the thumb of
the womans right hand would methodically move the ring to the next finger as the priest said in
Latin, In the name of the Father (thumb), The Son (index), and The Holy Ghost (middle), amen
(ring) the ring would be over the ring finger and the man would slide it all the way on. The
couple was now married.

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The priest would them bring them into the church to the altar step, reciting two Psalms as
they went, he would offer up prayers at the altar step. The procession continued over the altar
step to the actual alter where the couple knelt and is covered with a veil by four peopleso that
when they emerge they are new peoplegiving up single life and starting married life together.
The priest recites the Lords Prayer and gives the piece or host. The priest would then kiss the
groom on each cheek, and the groom would transfer the kiss to the bride. The couple could then
go off to party but the priests job was not finished. He would meet the couple at their bedside
that night to bless their bed and bless them in bed to consummate their marriage (Medieval).

American Wedding Ceremonies

Colonial America
Colonial America brought a lot of their rituals and traditions from England and Europe.
They kept the ritual of banns which had to be read three weeks in a row so that the public could
come forward with objections or allow the couple to back out and change their minds. Once the
couple made these three announcements they were married in the eyes of the public. In the
eighteenth century the ceremony of posting banns started to be seen with little legality (Wood). A
marriage license replaced the English banns of getting permission from the community
whether or not they could get married (Maurer). A lot of times because the church was so far
away it became impractical and costly to go there three consecutive weeks. The marriage license
was more convenient to get one time and a way to document legal marriages (Mauer).

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Figure 3: Colonial Ceremony. Source: https://esl182rwfall08.wikispaces.com/Colonial+Weddings,+Family+Roles,

+and+Foods

Colonial ceremonies often took place in November, December, or January to not interrupt
farm obligations. The ceremony would take place in either the parlor of the brides parents
house or the church, if one was close enough. It started with a procession led by the minister,
who would walk in front of the couple dressed in their finest clothes down an aisle, possibly
made by chairs in the parlor. They would be followed by the parents of the couple. Then
bridesmaids and bridesmen, who were close male relatives of the bride; guests would finish out
the processional. The father would give the daughter away to the groom who would produce a
ring and pledge himself to the bride with it. The couple would repeat vows to each other and the
bride promised to always obey her husband. They were now married (Maurer).

Modern Day
Hollywood has been a great contributor to weddings and how they are conducted today,
not only in American weddings but weddings all around the world. Couples are choosing to get
married later in their thirties instead of their twenties or not at all (Kelly). Catholic ceremonies
are trying to keep traditions above all things and couples feel that there is no flexibility to
personalize their ceremonies and vows to fit the couple and therefore couples are choosing to not

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have a church ceremony at all. For example, Catholics who marry outside their faith, 40% marry
in the church, that is a 10% lower than previous years (Kelly). In addition Catholics who marry
other Catholics only 6% were married outside the church. Today that number has risen to 28%
(Kelly).
In the past a wedding was a time to come together as a couple and be bound together. As
time went on weddings are getting more and more lavish and expensive (Penner). There are
things that have carried over into the modern ceremony like a White Wedding stems from the
white dress worn by Queen Victoria. It is now something that is a standard practice now. The
procession of the bride down the aisle stems from Colonial American days and has morphed to
the bride and her father taking the walk together instead to the bride and groom. The ring in
medieval times was placed on the right hand and has changed to the left hand to be over the
artery that runs from the ring finger to the heart (Penner).
I feel that it wouldnt be fair to not say anything about the change that has taken place
with who can marry who now. June 26, 2015 same-sex marriage was passed in all fifty states by
the Supreme Court. This was something that was so taboo in the medieval, colonial and even just
thirty years ago. The marriage ceremony is not something that everyone can now take a part in
regardless of which gender you are marrying.

Figure 4 Marriage Ceremony. Source Google images

Figure 5 Same Sex Marriage Ceremony. Source: Google images

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Japanese Ceremony
Traditional Shinto Ceremony
The Shinto Marriage Ceremony started in 1900 for the ceremony performed for the
Crown Prince, the Emperor Taisho. Since it was for a royal wedding it was quickly copied and
spread through the people and has since become a tradition for those of the Buddhist faith.
The traditional ceremonies have stayed consistent over the years but modern influences are
sneaking into the ceremonies. The rituals and traditions are comprised of nine steps that are
usually performed in a shrine or holy temple (Shinto).
The ceremony starts with a procession called Sanshin where the bridal couple and
wedding guests are led by ritual musicians and a Shinto maiden to the shrine. They then go
through the purification ritual, Shubatsu-no-gi, A Shinto priest purifies the couple and the
guests (Shinto). The Shinto religion has 800 gods and this ritual scatters the evil gods and
prays to bless and purify the bride and groom and to venerate their ancestors (Marriage).
The Shinto Priest reads the formula, Norito-soujou, which announces their marriage to
the deities and asks for a blessing of protection of the kami for the bride and groom. At this
time the Shinto maiden that led the couple into the shrine now dedicates a sacred dance,
Kagutamai, to them. The couple then exchange the Nuptial Cups, Chikai-no-sakazuki this
ritual requires each of the couple to drink rice wine from three cups three times. This ritual is
more often called San-San-Kudo which translates to three three nine, referring to the three
sips from three cups, a total of nine sips (Shinto). For this ritual the groom sips and then the
bride then they do the same to each others cups symbolizing the blending of male and female

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principles. This is when the union actually takes place (Marriage).

At this time the groom reads the marriage vow Seishi-soujou in Japanese. The bride
and groom make offerings Tamagushi-hairei to the kami to vow their marriage. They
exchange rings Yubiwa-no-gi. Finally they share the rice wine with their relatives as they
dedicate their bond and union to the kami (Shinto).
As modern Westernized customs make their way into the ceremony brides and grooms
are opting to change the traditional costume to a gown and tuxedo. Sometimes they will have
traditional pictures taken for posterity and then change and have the ceremony a little more
modernized. Another thing that has changed is instead of just the groom reading the vows
both parties will exchange vows with the rings (Goldstein).

Figure 6: Shino San-San-Kudo Ceremony: http://kyoto-wakon.watabe-wedding.co.jp/english/gallery/?ct=1

Figure 7: Modern influences on Japanese Ceremony: http://www.judytran.com/2010/05/jamie-tony-married/

Jewish Ceremony
Traditional Jewish Ceremony
Marriage is very important to the Jewish religion and goes back to biblical times when a

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man should not be on his own. It is an important requirement (Birth). A lot of the traditional
Jewish ceremonies and rituals come from the Old Testament. Most of the marriage ceremonies
take place in a synagogue, which is a Jewish place of worship or temple. The ceremony is
usually conducted in Hebrew and most of it is a writ text, though the Rabbi may embellish and
add things he thinks are special to either the couple or the actual ceremony.
The ceremony starts with the Bedecken ritual or lifting the veil. This ritual comes from
the bible when Jacob is getting married and is tricked by his father-in-law and given the wrong
sister as his wife (KJV, Gen. 29: 23,25). The Bedecken allows the groom to lift the veil before
the ceremony and make sure he is marrying the right person (Birth). Another meaning behind the
Bedecken is that it symbolizes that as the groom replaces the veil he values her more than her
beauty (Thompson).
The ceremony takes place under the Chuppah, or wedding canopy, the couple stands in
the center with the grooms parents to his left and the brides parents to her right. The chuppah is
to symbolize their home; it should be open so anyone can feel welcome into their home (Birth).
A more modern look at the chuppah with the parents on their respective side and the couple in
the middle it is a symbol of leaving their childhood home and making a new home together
(Thompson). Under the chuppah there are seven benedictions read sometimes all by the Rabbi
but he may delegate to others under the chuppah except for the bride or groom.

The benedictions are:

1. "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe who hast created the fruit of the
vine."
2. "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created all things for
His glory."

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3. "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, creator of man."
4. "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe who hast made man in His
image, after his likeness, and hast prepared for him, out of his very self, a perpetual
fabric. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, creator of man."
5. "May she who was barren be exceedingly glad and rejoice when her children are united
in her midst in joy. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makes Zion joyful through her
children."
6. "O make these beloved companions greatly rejoice even as Thou didst rejoice Thy
creation in the Garden of Eden as of old. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makest
bridegroom and bride to rejoice."
7. "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, King of the universe, who has created joy and gladness,
bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, brotherhood,
peace and fellowship. Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem, the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the
bride, the jubilant voice of bridegrooms from their canopies, and of youths from their
feasts of song. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makest the bridegroom to rejoice with the
bride." (Lamm).

There are no specifications to the chuppah and so a couple may choose to use a standard one
from the synagogue or make their own or decide not to use it all together (Thompson).

Figure8,9,10,11: Jewish Rituals- Bedecken, Under the Chuppah, The Bride Walk, Signing the Ketubah.
http://jewishweddingsblog.blogspot.com/

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The shared cup of wine in the ceremony signifies the couple will share all things. This is
done twice in the ceremony to reiterate that they are one in unity. The bride walk then takes place
where the bride literally walks around the groom seven times. This represents to both of them
that he is and should be the center of her universe. The ring, which is a very important part of the
Jewish ceremony, is presented to the bride. It is usually placed on the right hand and later on
switched to the left. Placing the rings on is the actual binding and what makes them husband and
wife (Birth).
Breaking of the glass, marriage is a happy occasion but the couple still needs to
remember the suffering and sad times of Jerusalem and Israel (Birth). The cup is said to be the
betrothal cup and once it is broken is a token that the nuptials have been received. Sometimes the
breaking if the glass happens at the beginning of the ceremony but Western custom has made it
the last thing done (Lamm). As soon as the groom smashes the glass with his foot the crowd
cheers Mazel Tov!, which means congratulations or good luck (Birth).
The last part of a Jewish ceremony is the signing of the Ketubah or marriage certificate.
This is the contract between the couple and is signed by each of them, the Rabbi, and two
witnesses. The Ketubah can be very plain to very elaborate.

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Figure 12,13,14: Examples of how different a Ketubah could be. Source Google pics

Conclusion
As Western influences become more prominent we will see it take hold in our
ceremonies and traditions. Hollywood and movies have taken part in the changing of the
customs. A lot of brides dream of their wedding from a young age. Sometimes those dreams start
because of movies they watch or fairytales they read. I am a sucker for a good wedding movie
and have probably been planning my wedding since I was about twelve. My favorites growing
up were Father of the Bride, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I especially loved the wedding
scene in 7 Brides where Adam sees Millie and that same day he says you should marry me.
And she says ok. And they are married that same day in the pastors parlorjust like it would
have been in the Colonial era.
Because of these movies and their wide spread arm, girls especially, start thinking about
what they want to incorporate into their wedding someday. As they actually approach their own
wedding they start to realize that there are customs and traditions that they also need to include.
Sometimes these customs are stronger than the wishes of the Western influences but as time
goes on the more little things are creeping in.

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Works Cited
Birth, Marriage, and Death. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2005. Web. 12 July 2016.
<http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=102595&xtid=44491>.
Goldstein-Gidoni, Ofra. "Hybridity and Distinctions in Japanese Contemporary Commercial
Weddings." Social Science Japan Journal 4.1 (2001): 21-38. Web. 24 July 2016.
Kelly, Abigail. "Can This Marriage Ceremony Be Saved?." U.S. Catholic 66.3 (2001):
18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Aug. 2016.
King James Version Bible. United States of America. 1979. Intellectual Reserve Inc. Print.
Lamm, Maurice. "The Seven Bendictions (Sheva Berakhot)." - Marriage. N.p., 2016. Web. 27
July 2016.
"Marriage." Behold Humanity! A Sociological Perspective. New York, N.Y.: Films Media Group,
2006. Films on Demand. Web. 12 July 2016.
Maurer, Elizabeth. "Courtship and Marriage in the Eighteenth Century." : The Colonial
Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. Colonial Williamsburg Interpreter, Jan.Feb. 1997. Web. 20 July 2016.

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Medieval Lives. [Electronic Resource] : Marriage. n.p.: [Place of publication not identified] :
DCD Media (Firm), [2013], 2015. SLCC Libraries Catalog. Web. 11 July 2016.
Penner, Barbara. "A Vision of Love and Luxury: The Commercialization of Nineteenth
Century American Weddings."Winterthur Portfolio 39.1 (2004): 1-20. Web. 3 Aug 2016.
"Shinto Wedding." TSURUGAOKA HACHIMANGU. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2016.
Thompson, Marlena. "The Jewish Federations of North America." Wedding Customs: Old, New,
and Renovated. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Aug. 2016
Wood, Maren. "6.6 Marriage in Colonial North Carolina." Marriage in Colonial North Carolina.
LEARN North Carolina, n.d. Web. 20 July 2016.

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