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[kateandebonie]

This is an image of the Madrinhas/ bridemaids. They all wear different colored dresses because it is considered to be bad luck if the bridesmaids wear corresponding dresses and colors. 

- Ebonie

https://lapisdenoiva.com/vestido-de-madrinha/

[kateandebonie]

Wedding traditions in Brazil

Brazililian weddings are thought to be joyous occassions that are fun and filled with music and laughter. Traditional Brazilian wedding customs involved an event called Bumba-Meu-Boi, which involves the groom attempting to tame a a donkey. This tranditional occurence symbolizes strength and resilience, which are necessary for a prosperous marriage. After a successful taming of a donkey, the groom has proven his strength to his bride’s family. During the engagement process, the bride to be wears her engagement ring on her right hand to symbolize her engagement. Before the nuptisls occur, it is tradition for the bride and groom to select their bridemaids and groomsmen months prior to the ceremony. The terminology used for bridesmaids and groomsmen can be referred to as Madrinhas and Padrinhos. This practice is similar to that in the United States. It is also traditional for the briesmaids to wear different bridesmaid dresses in different colors becuase matching attire is considered bad luck. Comparing this to the wedding culture in the United States, it is a common practice to have uniformity in the attire of the wedding party.In Brazilian wedding culture, it is customary for the Groom to arrive at the church or wedding venue before the bride. It is also tradition for the bride to make her grand entrance at the ceremony, approxiametely 10 minutes late.This is to ensure that the groom does not see the bride before the wedding, which is considered to be bad luck for the couple. The belief of the groom seeing the bride before the wedding as bad luck is also a common belief in the United States. A traditional Brazilian bride wears a white dress that is very flowy. She is also encouraged to add a pop of color to her dress, as well as wear accessories to add a little extra flair. The groom traditionally wears a formal suit of tuxedo. In Brazil, traditional wedding ceremonies follow Catholic wedding customs, where the bride and groom recite their vows and they have a mass. Following the exchange of vows, the clergymen blesses the rings and return them to the bride and groom, where the rings will be placed on the left hand of the couple. This symbolizes the transition from engagement to official marriage. Once the rings have been exchanged, the marriage is official after the couple has sealed the deal with a kiss. Then the reception portion of the festivities begin. The reception is similar to an American reception where the families of the newlywedded couple enjoy a banquet of food and desserts, as well as great music and dancing, specifically dancing the Samba. During the reception, it is traditional for the Brazilian bride to perform a heel and toe dance in gold heels. While she dances, the guests throw money at her, which is viewed as a wish for finanacial prosperity for the couple. During the ceremony, the guests receive a traditional Brazilian wedding cookie called Casadinhos. After all the festivities have come to a close, the newlywed couple return back to their home, where it is tradition for the groom to enter the home in front of his bride. Overall, Brazillian wedding cultures display a significant amount of independence, which is similar to Western cuture prcatices. For example, modern Brazilian wedding dresses are white, whcih is similar to that of the Western culture. Regarding the bridesmaids, they are encouraged to wear bright colors as a measure of good luck. These vibrant colors align well with the beautiful and vibrant culture of Brazil. Within the independence of the wedding traditions, there lies interdependence, considering the weddings are Catholic ceremonies. This is because religion itself is an interdependent practice. Also, the  Bumba-Meu-Boi tradition displays interdependence because the groom must prove his strength and resillience to his bride’s family before he marries her. This shows how the interdependent aspects of the culture shine through, due to the neccesity of obtaining the approval of the bride’s family before marriage. This is similar to traditional aspects of the American culture where the groom must ask the bride’s father for her hand in marriage before he proposes. Overall, Brazillian weddings are festive events that are jsut as vibrant as the culture it belongs to.

-Ebonie 

https://eragem.com/news/brazilian-wedding-ceremony/

https://traditions.wedding/traditions-by-country/brazil-wedding-traditions

https://soundsandcolours.com/subjects/travel/brazilian-wedding-traditions-45393/

[kateandebonie]

This is an image of cookies called casidinhos, which are traditional brazilian wedding cookies. They are passed out to guests during the reception and they symbolize good luck for the newlywed couple.

-Ebonie

https://minhasdelicias.com/receita/casadinhos-de-goiabada/

[kateandebonie]

These images are of the standard wedding attire for the bride and groom. The groom traditionally wears a formal suit, while the bride wears a flowy style dress.

-Ebonie

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/33012069365.html

http://www.happinessmode.com/emotional-brazilian-wedding-in-uk/

[kateandebonie]

Pictured above is an image of the gold shoes a Brazilian bride may wear during a heel and toe dance she performs at the reception, in front of the guest. 

- Ebonie

https://weddedwonderland.com/6-brazilian-wedding-traditions-you-didnt-know-about/

[kateandebonie]

The Huipil, a traditional Mexican wedding dress.

https://www.mexican-clothing-co.com/mexican-wedding-dresses.html

-Kate

[kateandebonie]

A very old tradition in Mexico is that the groom wears this loose fitting white shirt, called a guayabera.

http://foreverinlove.net/timeless-trends-guayabera-story/

-Kate

[kateandebonie]

A mariachi band accompanying the bride and groom!

https://www.theknot.com/real-weddings/wedding-mariachi-band-in-san-miguel-photo

-Kate

[kateandebonie]

The lasso of rosary beads and flowers, placed in a figure 8 between the bride and groom.

https://lasbodasoriginales.com/arras-de-boda/

-Kate

[kateandebonie]

Las Arras, the 13 gold coins the groom gives to the bride. A symbol of trust in wealth and finances, as well as a symbol of Jesus and the 12 apostles.

https://lasbodasoriginales.com/arras-de-boda/

-Kate

[kateandebonie]

Los padrinos y madrinas, the ‘mentors’ of the bride and groom!

https://www.matrimonio.com.pe/debates/madrinas-y-padrinos-de-la-boda--t15926

-Kate

[kateandebonie]

Wedding Culture: Mexico

This final analysis dives in the diverse, rich, and colorful culture of Mexico. Mexican weddings reflect the love of God, family, music and partying! To study Mexican weddings, various wedding planning websites, blogs, and images were analyzed. Most of Mexico are devout Roman Catholics, so a majority of their wedding ceremonies take place in a Catholic Church and many of their traditions are situated around the Catholic faith. There are two important aspects of the ceremony that stand out in Mexican weddings. Las arras matrimoniales is a tradition is which the groom presents the bride a set of 13 gold coins. The gold coins are a symbol of the grooms trust in her with their new joint wealth. The number of coins is also significant, symbolizing the 12 apostles and Jesus. El lazo is the tradition of the wedding lasso. A string of rosary beads and flowers are placed around the shoulders of the couple after the wedding vows to form a figure 8 as the priest blesses the marriage. This symbolizes everlasting love. As far as the wedding attire, most brides wear dresses similar to brides in the U.S. White is typically the color of choice. There are some traditional Mexican wedding attires, such as the guayabera, the huipil, and the mantilla style veil. The guayabera is a 200-year-old tradition in which the groom wears a lose fitting shirt. The Huipil is a wedding dress similar to U.S. styles, usually with more embroidery. Along with religion, the families and guests of the bride and groom are another very important aspect. Mexican weddings are very popular- some containing upwards of 300-400 people. In smaller towns, friends and family throughout the entire town attend the wedding and bring food, beverages, and music with them to aid in the cost of the wedding.  Families play a huge role in weddings, as well. Los padrinos y madrinas act as ‘mentors’ to the bride and groom. They are typically godfathers and godmothers and aid in the wedding by performing the job of a wedding sponsor. The wedding sponsors pay for certain aspects of the weddings, walk down the aisle during the ceremony, and offer moral support. Other expenses for the wedding typically go to the father of the bride. The father of the bride also plays a role in actually allowing the wedding. It is tradition in Mexico that the man asks the girl’s father for permission to date and marry her. The asking permission for dating has grown less prominent in modern times, however the La Pedida, or father’s approval, is still widely practiced. Despite the importance of family in Mexican weddings, the family can get lost in the sheer number of guests at weddings. La tornaboda, a smaller gathering of family and friends, takes place after the wedding reception, allows the newlyweds to celebrate with their closest people. Mexican weddings do not take celebrating lightly. The party is definitely the longest part of the wedding, with many websites and blogs stating that they party until the sun rises the next day. Mexican weddings incorporate lots of traditional and modern music. Many include traditional mariachi bands. There are many Mexican dances, as well, such as La Vibora de la Mar in which guests fold hands and circle the newlyweds. The couple then forms their hands and arms into a human bridge that guests snake under. There is also the ‘money dance’ in which guests pin money to the bride in exchange for a dance.

Aspects of cross-cultural psychology saturate many aspects of Mexican weddings, through the deep connections to Catholicism and the importance of family and other guests. Mexican weddings show strong ties to interdependence. Mexican weddings would not be what they are without traditions. One of the websites read stated this quote from an unknown source, “Watching a traditional Mexican boda is a bit like studying the history of the country over the past seven centuries. Rituals, customs & traditions combined from the Spanish, Aztec, Native American, & Anglo-American cultures are found throughout the wedding”. Mexican weddings would not be what they are without their deep roots from centuries of tradition. The various customs and practices in Mexican weddings reflect their attachment to traditional symbolism and beautiful heritage. The deep religiosity of Mexican weddings also reflects the interdependence. Religious people are notoriously situated on the interdependent side. Religious weddings incorporate many rituals and include all people of the church community. The attachment to family is also another sign of independence. There are various important aspects of the wedding that require family, from the fiancé receiving the blessing from the father, to the wedding sponsors walking with the couple down the aisle. Despite this interdependence and tendency to be more traditional than unique, Mexican weddings offer a beautiful ceremony and a guaranteed great party afterwards that goes all night long.

 Sources:

Mexico's Wedding Rituals and Traditions. (2012, May 24). Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://destinationweddingsmexico.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/mexicos-wedding-rituals-and-traditions/

Teal, W. (2018, April 18). 5 Major Mexican Wedding Traditions, Explained. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/mexican-wedding-traditions

Teal, W. (2018, October 9). 12 Mexican Wedding Ideas to Celebrate Your Heritage. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/mexican-wedding-ideas

Whiting, C. (2019, January 10). Mexican Wedding Traditions. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://oureverydaylife.com/mexican-wedding-traditions-12184481.html

 -Kate

[kateandebonie]

North African Wedding Traditions

Africa is a culturally rich continent, consisting of many diverse countries with equally diverse people and traditions. In North Africa, traditional weddings are conducted according to Islamic religious traditions. The Muslim majority portion of North Africa includes countries like Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. Before the wedding commences, there are a series of rituals that must take place a fews days in advance. To begin, traditional couples pick the date of their wedding by minding the moon. What this means is that the couples won’t pick a date that has been deemed ominous by the prophet Muhammad. This tradition is known as  al-qamar fil aqrab and the dates of avoidance include Wednesday, the last few days of a lunar cycle and when the moon is in Scorpio. Days that are also avoided include days that are reserved in the Islamic calendar to mourn religious tragedies. A common practice in the days leading up to the wedding is for brides to partake in a ritual bath called a Hammam. The ritual bath is public, with all the female friends, family members and neighbors of the bride being in attendence. The bath serves as a purification process for the bride-to-be. During the bath, the bride’s hair is washed with a  ghassoul, which is a type of clay. Her body is scrubbed, perfumed, massaged and waxed in preparation for her wedding night. In Morocco, it is common for a bride to receive multiple ritual baths before the wedding, whereas Egyptian brides take one ritual bath before the wedding, using water from the Nile river. North African brides also partake in a henna party. In attendence are the bride’s closest female friends and cousins. During the ceremony, the bride-to-be has intricate henna designs placed on her hands and feet. In egypt, the henna party serves as adornment and protection for the bride, while in Moroccan tradtions, the henna represent fertility and gives the bride the chance to show off her beauty. The henna also serves as a representation of good luck for the North African brides. The wedding ceremony in Muslim weddings is called the Nikah. The ceremony may take place in a mosque or more commonly, a hotel or less traditional venue. The ceremony is quite short and consists of the bride and groom signing a contractual agreement, also known as the nikah-nemah, in front of a small group of witnesses. During the ceremony, it is tradtional for the groom to provide his bride a Mahr, which is a mandatory gift. This is not to be confused with a dowry. Typically an engagement ring and other jewlery are gifted to the bride. Before the ceremony concludes, the  Fatihah is read at traditional ceremonies. This is the first chapter of the Quran. After it is read, the couple is considered married and may exit the mosque. While exiting, brides are traditionally showered with coins, similar to a Western bride who may be showered with rice or flower petals as she leaves the church. During Moroccan weddings, brides change out of their traditional gown, into a Labsa Fassia. This is the traditional ornament that covers the bride’s entire body, except her face. The ornament is worn on the brides head and is intentionally heavy to signify the weight of the household that the bride carries on her shoulders. This also shows how traditional gender roles are put in place for newly wedded couples. Women are viewed as homemakers and the men are the breadwinners. The wedding traditions and rituals of North Africa show a strongly rooted interdependence within the culture. This is because of the religious signifcance that marriage is consisted with. For example, brides have to take a ritual bath and if the bride is a practicing Muslim, she must wear a conservative dress with a Hijab. Even the guests must adhere to the interdependent culture of the Islamic traditions. For example, if the ceremony takes place in a mosque, female guests must cover their head to abide by religious law. This is significantly different from the independent culture of the West. Western brides have the flexibility and freedom to wear less conservative wedding gowns that expose their arms, chest and legs. Modern weddings in Western culture aren’t as heavily rooted within religious laws. For example, American weddings do not require religious approval to be considered a marriage. Instead, it is viewed as more of a civil matter. This highlights the independent culture of the West. Another display of the interdependent culture of North African wedding traditions involve gender seperation during reception festivities. For example, in Islamic weddings, Women and Men are to be placed at sperate tables or placed in seperate rooms during the festivities. They are not allowed to mix. In the independent West, gender seperation isn’t practiced as much. In fact, Western weddings are more flexible. Some Western traditions do appear in North African weddings. For example, many modern brides choose to wear white, which signifies purity and it is also utilized as the choosen gown color of Western brides. Overall, North African culture is religiously rooted in rich Islamic tradtions. Each ritual signifies a strong interdependence of religiousity and overall, the weddings can be absolutely breathtaking and conservative. 

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/african-wedding-guest

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/muslim-marriage-ceremony-traditions

https://www.theknot.com/content/muslim-wedding-ceremony-rituals

https://marocmama.com/weddings-what-to-eat-and-wear/

https://emirateswoman.com/inside-traditional-moroccan-wedding-of-bouchra-and-omar/

https://www.theknot.com/content/muslim-prewedding-rituals

- Ebonie

[kateandebonie]

The Amaria is an elegantly roofed platform that Moroccan brides are placed in during the wedding ceremony. This is essential for the bride’s grand entrance. The platform is usually carried by 4-6 men.

https://moroccanviewsblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/moroccan-wedding-tradition-the-ceremony/

-Ebonie

[kateandebonie]

This is an image of the Labsa Fassia, which is a traditional wedding ornanment worn by a Moroccan bride. The ornament covers every inch of the bride’s body, except for her face. The ornanment that a morrocan bride wears on her head is very heavy purposely. Its weight is representative of the weight of the household that the bride carries on her shoulders. 

https://weheartit.com/entry/236393726

https://emirateswoman.com/inside-traditional-moroccan-wedding-of-bouchra-and-omar/

-Ebonie

[kateandebonie]

A few days before the wedding, Muslim brides host a henna or Mehndi party. In attendence are the brides closest friends and female cousins. During the party, the bride’s hands and feet are covered in very intricate henna designs. The purpose of the party is to protect and adorn, as well as create a female bonding opportunity. 

https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/a-walk-in-the-ramzan-night-bazaar-around-charminar/mehendi-in-area-around-charminar/

- Ebonie

[kateandebonie]

These are images of the traditional Muslim Bride’s wedding dress. The dress is designed with very detailed lacing and bazzlement. The dress also has a hijab included, which is traditional for the average Muslim bride. To align with Islamic traditions, the wedding gown must be conservative, covering the arms, legs and neck area, as well as the brides hair. 

https://fr.dhgate.com/product/muslim-ball-gown-wedding-dresses-2018-white/413900816.html

https://www.demilked.com/hijab-bride-muslim-wedding-dress/

- Ebonie