Irish Wedding Reception Customs For Its Proper Fulfillment

We have all heard the expression “the luck of the Irish”. When a bride begins planning a wedding based on Irish customs, it is very true that much of what she does will be based on trying to bring good luck to the marriage and to shun bad luck at the same time. Irish weddings are rich with traditions, some of which are very familiar to Americans, and others which may not be. From Claddagh rings to beautiful marriage vows to mischievous fairies, this is a look into the wedding customs, superstition, and lucky traditions of Ireland.

In a previous article, I listed numerous Irish customs that couples can incorporate into their wedding ceremony. In this followup article, I will describe other Irish customs for a wedding reception.

Decorating the Path. In nineteenth century Ireland, it was common for people to decorate the way from the bride's home to the church on the day of her wedding. Floral garlands, evergreen boughs, lanterns, and torches were often used to lead the way to the church.

In Irish Wedding Traditions, Shannon McMahon Lichte offers several suggestions on how this tradition can be adapted for more modern weddings, to help guests find their way to the church and from the church to the reception (42). You could decide to attach flower bouquets to trees and signposts, or less expensive balloons and bows. For a more distinctive Irish touch, you could use Irish symbols such as the Tricolor flag, shamrock, harp, or the Claddaugh to adorn trees and signposts along the way.

Reception Decorations. Placing a pot of shamrocks in the center of each table would be very Irish and very festive. But if you prefer traditional flower arrangements, talk to your florist about having flowers native to Ireland, such as the Burnet rose, violets, hydrangeas, foxglove, Bells of Ireland, daisies, Irish orchids, ivy, ferns, and primroses.

Food and Drink. Talk to your caterer about serving Irish dishes. You can find numerous recipes in a Irish cookbook at any major bookstore. For drinks, have plenty of Irish whisky and Guinness on hand. Also, make sure your bartender knows how to make Irish cocktails, such as Irish Spring, An Irish Dog, An Irish Highball, An Irish Seaman, An Irish Lady, and Irish Lady Champagne Punch. The recipes for these drinks can be found in Lichte's Irish Wedding Traditions.

Wedding Cake. A traditional Irish wedding cake is fruitcake. If you prefer not to use fruitcake, you can ask your baker to decorate it with Irish symbols, such as swans, a harp, or the Claddaugh and green ribbon and flowers.

Music. Music has always been an important part of any celebration in Ireland, and weddings are no exception. Having traditional Irish music at your wedding presents little problem. If you prefer live music, search for Irish musicians in your area. Or if you decide on a disc jockey, prepare a play list to include Irish musicians such as The Chieftains, Celtic Thunder, Gaelic Storm, Da Danaan, Christy Moore, James Galway, U2, The Wild Rovers, Loreena McKennett, Altan, Druid Stone, and Enya, to name a few. Compilations of Irish party and dancing songs are also available for purchase. Two of these are titled "New Irish Dance Party" and "130 Irish Party Songs" by Rego.

Toasting. In Ireland, it's customary for the bride and groom to share a cup for their first drink as man and wife, rather than two separate wineglasses. An internet search can direct you to many sites which sales chalices and goblets with Irish designs. And rather than sharing the usual champagne, why not toast each other with mead?

Kissing. In her book, Irish Wedding Traditions, Lichte describes a wonderful variation to the custom of guests clinking a glass with a spoon to induce the bride and groom to kiss. She reports that at a recent Irish wedding, guests were asked to stand up and sing a song or recite a poem with the word "love" in it whenever they wanted the newly-wedded couple to kiss (Lichte 140). This involvement of the guests is in keeping with the ancient Irish tradition of storytelling and merrymaking.

Sharing Riches. In Ireland, it is customary for the bride and groom to make a donation to a charity, as it is believed that they will have bad luck in their marriage if they do not. Lichte offers several suggestions for couples to re-create this custom at their own wedding. You may decide to have a supply of Irish pence for you and your spouse to throw to guests when you leave the reception, you could give each guest a small pouch filled with Irish pence and confetti to toss rather than rice, or you both could make a donation to the charity of your choice in your spouse's name to ensure good luck in your marriage.

These are only a few suggestions on how to incorporate Irish customs into your wedding; there are many, many more which can be found in a book on Irish weddings, of which there are several on the market.

Traditional Indian Weddings Are Quite Unique In Their Celebrations

Traditional Indian weddings are a grand affair and involves lavish preparations. The number of people attending a wedding could be anywhere between 500 - 1000. Here, the sanctitude of the ceremony is preserved through numerous traditional rituals and is accompanied by lots of entertainment, fun, colorful dresses, jewelry, lip-smacking foods, music and dance. One can see lots of variations in the Indian wedding traditions according to the cultural community, religion and region. However, most of the basic ceremonies which we are going to discuss in the following sections of the article are more or less the same.

Pre-Wedding Rituals
The main wedding ceremony is preceded by two major events. One is the engagement ceremony and the other is the 'Mehendi' or 'Sangeet' ceremony. The engagement ceremony takes place on an auspicious date fixed by the elders of the family after consultation with the priest. As compared to the wedding, this is a small affair which is attended mostly by close family members and friends of the girl and the boy. During this ceremony, the couple exchange wedding rings. It is followed by exchange of sweets between them as well as the members of both families. The occasion concludes with music, dance and loads of fun.

'Mehendi'/'Sangeet' is another fun-filled event that takes place at the bride's house just a day before the actual wedding. On this day, henna (mehendi) is applied on the bride's palms and feet with intricate patterns. Other women attending the occasion also get mehendi done on their hands. This occasion is also celebrated with song, dance and merriment.

Wedding Ceremony
The main ceremony begins with the arrival of the 'Baraat' which is a formal procession that includes friends, family members and relatives of the groom . The members who join the Baraat are called the 'Baraatis'. There is lot of music, dance and enjoyment in this gathering.

When the Baraatis reach the beautifully decorated wedding venue, the bride's family gives them a warm welcome. The groom can enter the venue only after the bride's mother performs a ritual called 'Aarti' by rotating a small holy earthen lamp in front of the groom. Soon after the entry of the groom, the auspicious 'Jaimala' ceremony takes place. Here, the bride and groom meet each other and exchange garlands. This ceremony signifies that the couple accept one another as spouse and pledge to show mutual respect to each other throughout their life. Once this ritual is over, the guests and relatives present the couple with wedding gifts and congratulate them.

Then, comes the most important section of the wedding, where the bride and the groom exchange vows in front of God while chanting slokas (hymns) with the priest. After that, the 'Phera' or 'saat phere' ritual takes place where a knot is tied with a part of the bride's dress and the groom's dress, and they move around the ceremonial fire for seven times. Each round or phera has its own significance. In the first three rounds, the groom follows the bride which signifies that the bride will take charge in the earlier part of their life and in the next four rounds the groom leads which means he would lead in the later part.

In various communities, there is a ritual of putting 'sindoor' or vermilion on the bride's parting of the hair and a gold or silver chain with black beads called 'mangal sutra' around her neck. Most of the married Hindu women are supposed to wear sindoor in their hair parting and mangal sutra for the rest of their married lives. These two are considered as the sacred symbols of marriage by them.

The wedding ceremony is followed by a grand feast in which the most sumptuous food is served. The best possible delicacies are prepared for the occasion. The food largely depends upon the region to which the couple belongs to. Like in some communities, only vegetarian foods is served, while in others you will find all types of food. Sweets are an important part of the wedding reception menu. There are at least 4-5 different varieties of sweets, if not more, served on the occasion.

Korean Wedding Customs Are An Important Part Of Engagement

Like the Chinese, Koreans also exchanged the "eight characters" or "four pillars" to determine if the match was suitable. When that process was over, a local fortune-teller was summoned to see if the couple could live harmoniously. Koreans call this kung-hap. This Korean Wedding Customs is still important among many older Korean Americans. As the old saying goes, straw sandals are useful only if they fit your feet.

The Engagement

Gifts are an important part of an engagement. Traditionally, gifts from the groom's side would be delivered on the eve of the wedding day. With faces blackened with dried squid's ink and in costume, friends of the groom would parade a box, or hahm, filled with gifts. As they approached the bride's house, they would chant, "Hahm for sale, buy a hahm." Her family would rush out to greet the gift-bearers, enticing them with money and food. These days, the families are likely to meet in a restaurant, but gifts--and lots of them--are a must. Some Korean American families can spend $30,000 to $40,000 on engagement gifts alone.

The Wedding Outfits

The two dresses worn by the bride were once the costume of the noble class. The simple lime-green wonsam and the more elaborate hwarrot, or "flower robe," are embroidered with flowers and butterflies. Underneath, she wears the hanbok, the doll-like traditional dress of Korea. On the bride's head is a black cap studded with gems. On her feet are white socks and embroidered shoes. Her makeup is simple, except for three red circles, yonji konji, the size of nickels. These circles, traditionally made of red peppers, but now often drawn on, are supposed to ward off evil spirits. The groom's faruotsu is also the dress of the nobility. It is made of dark green damask with auspicious symbols woven in gold. The headdress is the tall black cap of high-ranking officials made of silk. Traditional costumes can be rented in Korean dress shops or even some banquet halls starting around $150.

The Ceremony

Traditionally, the groom would give a live goose--a symbol of fidelity because it takes only one partner in its life--to his new mother-in-law as a sign of his faithfulness to her daughter. Today's Korean families substitute the live goose with a wooden one called a kirogi. The ceremony takes place around a table, or teresan, in an area set off by a screen with images of peonies. The highlight of the ceremony is the sharing of a special white wine called jung jong. Traditionally, this wine was poured into cups made from two halves of a gourd grown by the bride's mother. The bride and groom sip from their separate cups and then the wine is mixed together, poured once more into the gourd cups and sipped again. This is kunbere, the wedding vow. One ritual often seen at Korean American weddings is the peh beck ceremony. At this ceremony, usually only attended by family and close friends, the new wife offers her new in-laws gifts of dried dates and jujubes, symbols of children. They in turn offer her tea, a subtle but significant gift. At the ceremony's conclusion, they toss the dates and chestnuts at the bride, and she tries to catch them in her large skirt.

The Food

The Korean wedding banquet is called kook soo sang, the "noodle banquet," and can include a variety of dishes to suit the season. It begins with a toast of jung jong, a sort of Korean sake, downed quickly like a shot. The highlight is the meal's namesake, a noodle soup called kook soo. Wheat noodles are boiled and added to a clear beef broth, garnished with vegetables and eggs. Here, as in China, noodles are a wish for a long and happy life. Wedding desserts often include dok, a sticky rice cake that comes in a number of forms--sweetened, filled with bean paste, dotted with sesame seeds. Another popular dessert is yak shik, a sticky rice ball sweetened with brown sugar and speckled with chestnuts, jujubes, raisins and pine nuts, symbols of children.

Japanese Greeting Custom You Must Know

Japan is one of the few countries where some of the traditions and customs are followed rigidly in order to fulfill the expectations of social behavior. In westernized culture, you come across what is commonly known as Etiquette while in Japan, they have certain standard traditions such as Bowing, specialized use of chopsticks, gift-giving and hospitality. Some of the conventions, traditions and customs are restricted specific regions and thus it may not be followed all throughout Japan.

Many customs have also changed over historical traditions and some conventions have also entered into Japan from the Western Cultures. When it comes to family traditions and customs, Japanese follow more or less customs similar to many other Asian countries such as India, Indonesia and Thailand. In some part of Japan, it is as good as mandatory to conform to the region and religion specific customs and behaviors. Japanese are generally rigid about their customs and traditions and therefore they expect their visitors to follow the same until they are in the Land of Rising Sun.

Japanese Greeting Custom is very important and though they stem from ancient Japanese culture, they are followed to this date, of course with a few adaptations to modern times. We've all heard about important social conventions and customs in Japan. However, it is time to take a look at what these conventions are, and how knowing them will affect the perception of Japanese people for you as an outsider. Though some customs in Japan are regional, the customs mentioned here are generally and widely accepted all over Japan.

GreetingsJapanese Bow  Almost everyone is aware that the Japanese way of greeting is bowing. It is such an integral and vital part of Japanese etiquette, that employees of various companies are trained to bow in the right manner. The reason why bows are so important are because they express reverence for the opposite person. As such, the practice of bowing while greeting should not be taken lightly.

Bows are informal and formal. While the general norm for men is to maintain the hands at their sides and bend forward from the waist, for girls it is the same with the hands placed on the lap, with the eyes looking down. Formal bows are deeper than informal bows. A bow is returned with a bow and should normally last only up to 2-3 seconds. Shaking hands, sometimes in combination with a bow, has now become a common practice in Japan, especially with outsiders and tourists. As a tourist, if you are applying this greeting, ensure you bend to the left and not straight, to avoid knocking down the opposite person. Any greeting should portray a dynamism, else it is considered rude.

While speaking to superiors and customers, there are very important rules of politeness that are followed. The Japanese are a cooperative lot, and do not believe in individualism, but conformity. They believe in universal good rather than individual gain. They are never forthright about their opinions, and are rather diplomatic in putting forth any point of view.

Japanese Festivals Are Delightful For Tourists And Locals Alike

Much like American festivals, Japanese festivals are usually public celebrations where the participants find that they have a main event to look forward to, and in the meantime will have plenty of food, entertainment and carnival games to keep them occupied. Some festivals will have competitions, while other festivals will feature amazing displays of fireworks or music. While some festivals are religious in nature, like the ones that are held close to the holidays of Obon and Setsubun, there are plenty that are simply held to celebrate secular events.

If you watch anime  you will see that festivals, or matsuri, as they called in Japan, are a great place for the characters to go and unwind. Given the celebratory air and the masses of people who are out to have a good time, a Japanese festival can provide a great backdrop for the story, and you’ll find that there are plenty of characters who love them as well as plenty of characters that absolutely cannot stand them!
For instance, in the anime Gintama, the main characters Gintoki, Shinpachi and Kagura are all geared to have a great time until they learn that there is to be an assassination attempt on an important figure who is attending. While they try to make sure that this doesn’t happen, fourteen year old Kagura still manages to find time to shoot a rifle for prizes, even if she “misunderstands” and starts shooting at the booth owner instead!

Similarly, Gintama also shows off a winter festival, where all of the inhabitants of Kabuki-cho decide that they will compete in a snow sculpture competition in order to win a money prize. Gintoki and his friends have very little hope of winning, and instead choose to sabotage other people’s sculptures and then graft broken pieces onto their own. Tempers get hot and before you know it, there’s plenty of obscene sculptures and plenty of snowballs filling the air.

You will also see that festivals play a large part in the show Ranma 1/2. In one story arc, Ranma in his girl body and his fiancé Akane Tendo both attend the festival in their casual yukata robes, only to realize that they have been set up by Ranma’s rival Mousse. Everyone except the main characters are having a good time, as Mousse’s tactics get dirty, and Ranma needs to dodge festival goers and games alike to beat Mousse at his own game.

Japanese festivals are delightful for tourists and locals alike, and if you have a love of American festivals, watch some anime on DVD to see how it’s done in other parts of the world.