The Differences in Wedding Custom between China and Western Countries and the Reasons

蔣耀穎

1.General Introduction

Marriage is one kind of method to obtain relative relationship by combining two persons who represent two families and its the first relation in human history. Usually， marriage is the basis of uniting two families and the symbol of the foundation of a new family. The reasons for getting married are various， such as political， economic， social and spiritual reasons. Many people marry to console the ancestors and reproduce the descendants.

2.Chinese Wedding Cultures

The marriage in old China includes proposal， requesting for bride and bridegrooms birth dates， giving initial gifts for the brides family， giving formal gifts for the brides family， selecting the wedding date， and holding the wedding ceremony.

Nowadays the wedding etiquettes have been simplified. It usually has three parts: engagement，wedding ceremony，and etiquette after marriage. And the newly-married couple need to obtain a marriage certificate in the Department of Civil Affairs.

In Chinese wedding ceremony， the place is always in the bride and bridegrooms houses. Firstly， the bridegroom needs to go to the brides family to take the bride to his own family. Three days later， the new couple should go back to the brides family. Till now， the wedding process finishes formally and completely.

3.Western Wedding Cultures

In western countries， when the man and the woman are attracted by each other， they will then decide to get married. Unlike the complex procedure in Chinese wedding culture， the western process is very simple. Usually， the bride and the groom first go to the church respectively. The wedding ceremony is held by the priest， and sometimes it is held in guildhall. The relatives and friends listen to the gospel piously， waiting for the coming of the new couple. Then the priest will announce the wedding oath， asking whether there is someone objecting to the marriage and whether the bride and bridegroom are willing to accept each other. After saying “Yes， I do”， the new couple will change their ring， then they will have a kiss. All these having been done， the bride and the bridegroom will leave for the vacationland to celebrate the beautiful night.

4.The Reasons for the Differences

As to the reasons of these differences， there are many recognized explanations. In different cultures， different outlooks of value are reflected in advertisements and a set of contradictory values， which are shared by China and western countries and reflected as collectivism and individualism.

Chinese people have experienced several social systems. Anyone who doesnt subject to the emperor is doomed to be killed. Actually， from history to now， China's political system is Centralized system that the emperors have the absolute power. China today is during the socialist period， and people are the owners of the country. Chinese people are striving for democracy and freedom.

While in Western countries， the emperor and his people are in accordance with the contracts under the name of God， and the emperor who abides by God's will controls the country. Western political civilization originates from ancient Greece and Rome. Most of the western countries are in the capitalist period， and the personal property should not be violated.

5.Conclusion and Suggestions

The world today is developing towards globalization， and the relations between countries are becoming much closer.

After realizing the existing differences， we have several measures to narrow the gap. Before， the English teaching in our country places emphasis on teaching grammar knowledge and written English， but now we should pay more attention to arousing the interest of the students and develop their good skill of spoken English. At the same time， our teachers need to introduce different kinds of culture to the students to let them have a better understanding of the whole world.