The Portuguese Wedding
Today more than 99% of all Portuguese are Roman Catholic and most weddings over the past 30 years or so have been patterned after the modern religious ceremonies in the United States and Western Europe .
In traditional Portuguese wedding ceremonies, brides wear a white Chinese tunic covered with colorful jewels. The groom wears a dark suit, white shirt, and a stylish dark top hat. At the conclusion of the ceremony, as the bride and groom are placing their wedding bands on each other’s hand, the priest covers the couple with his stole.
Then, as the happy couple exit the church, their friends and family throw flowers and candies in the same way that other cultures toss rice or wheat. Following the ceremony the couple parades through the streets, where friends, family and even complete strangers wish them happiness in their new life together. The couple then have a quiet time together, where they traditionally drink tea and eat small cakes.
The following day the couple visit all of their wedding guests and personally thank each one for attending their wedding.
It is also still customary, as it was in ancient times, for friends and neighbors to lend a hand wherever they can to help with the celebration and with the wedding itself. Also, the ancient custom of passing around the bride’s shoe during the reception and stuffing it with money to help the young couple with their honeymoon and to help them start their new life together is still very much alive. Today the young couple is more likely to go to a wedding reception following the marriage ceremony. The reception is held either at a home or, more commonly today, in a restaurant. During the reception there is much traditional music, dancing, plenty of sea food and other delicacies, and much wine. Portugal is known for its wine and wedding guests are known for their frequent toasts to the happy couple.
At the reception there is much dancing and laughing and the telling of stories about the bride and the groom. There is also, traditionally, a money dance, during which young men pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride or during which the bride’s shoe is passed around the dance floor and is filled with money to help the new couple get a start in life and to have a long and happy honeymoon.
It is becoming more and more common for weddings to incorporate some of the fun and old-fashioned values of tradition. There are few places in the world more steeped in tradition or more romantic in which to marry than Portugal .
Some ideas on destination weddings in Portugal are at this web-site:
http://www.weddingsinportugal.com/
Filipino Wedding
With the number of Filipino families immigrating to the United States and especially California , weddings are big business!
Because our country is so ethnically diverse, we are providing some valuable resources for various cultural weddings. These websites hold valuable information that may give you some new ideas and keep in the theme of your culture.
In early Filipino custom, the groom-to-be threw his spear at the front steps of his intended’s home, a sign that she has been spoken for. These days, a ring suffices as the symbol of engagement.
The Engagement
After the couple has decided to marry, the first order of business is the pamanhikan, where the groom and his parents visit the bride’s family to ask for her hand in marriage. Wedding plans are often made at this time, including a discussion of the budget and guest list. Don’t be surprised if the groom-to-be is expected to run some errands or help out around the bride’s house. This tradition is called paninilbihan, where the suitor renders service to his future wife’s family to gain their approval.
The Wedding Outfits
The white wedding dress has become popular in the last hundred years or so with America ’s influence in the Philippines . Before that, brides wore their best dress, in a festive color or even stylish black, to celebrate a wedding. Orange blossom bouquets and adornments were a must during the turn of the last century. For men, the barong tagalog is the traditional Filipino formal wear. It is a cool, almost transparent, embroidered shirt, made from silky pina or jusi, two native ecru fabrics. It is worn tucked out, over black pants, with a white t-shirt underneath. These days, a Filipino American groom might wear the conventional black tux, but Filipino male wedding guests will usually show up in their finest barongs.
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