Rituals_in_Christian_Weddings

Rituals: a Christian Wedding People have always used rituals in their daily lives. They provide a sense of consistency and comfort to those participating. Many of these rituals or events act as models of every day life. Turner, Geertz, and Myerhoff all agree that these models help one to understand a certain aspect in their life, especially if a major change has occurred. Weddings are a ritual that do just that. Being Christian, these are the only type of weddings that I have viewed. This ceremony puts those participating in a heightened state to make them more open to receiving messages, and like most other rituals draw on condensing symbols and binary oppositions to act as a model for life. To understand how a wedding accomplishes all of these, one must first understand how this sacred event works. There is no direct instruction for this ceremony in the Bible, so there is room for creativity and unique traditions. However generally many weddings are very similar. The primary goal of a wedding is to present that you, as a couple have made a solemn, bond of love in testimony of God. First there is the lighting of the candles. Sometimes the candles are lit before the guests arrive. Sometimes a Unity Candle is lit. This includes two separate candles lit by the parents of the bride and groom, then Unity Candle lit later by the couple themselves. The two outside candles represent the couples’ individual lives in that moment. The lighting of the Unity Candle with the two separate ones symbolizes the thoughts of each person will be for each other rather than for their separate lives. Then the procession begins with the seating. First the bride and grooms grandparents are seated. Then the groom’s parents and bride’s mother follow suit. After this, the minister and groom enter, followed by the bridesmaid, groomsmen, flower girl and ring bearer. After this, the bride and her father enter and he gives her away. Then the minister performs the charge to let the bride and groom understand their duties as a married couple. Then the pledge takes place in which the couple declares to the audience that they are there on their own free will. Then the couple faces each other to state their vows, which is very similar to the pledge but directed towards one another. Then there is the exchanging of the rings, and the kiss to end the formal ceremony. Generally the cutting of the cake follows later symbolizing trust and good luck. Finally the bride throws her flowers to the single women at the wedding, and whoever catches the flowers is said to be married first out of the rest Turner stated that rituals puts the mind in a bracketed state in which it is more open to receiving messages. A wedding ceremony accomplishes this by incorporating the couple, and friends and family watching. The ceremony is so enormous and that is so important because of he fact that everything is emphasized on the bride and groom. We are told countless times that this is our day and should be the best and most happy day we ever have. The people rise when the bride walks in. Everyone smiles or cries in joy at the two. The vows read are always thought of as beautiful in that they are confessions of love between a sincere couple. Beyond the fact that the bride and groom are marrying the person that they love and this is enough to put one in a state more open to anything, it is backed by the ceremony. They are most definitely going to feel happy, and excited when they are smothered with marveled attention and glowing compliments. These heightened emotions in line with the social order help to strengthen the bond between the couple, making them even more open to being with one another for the rest of their lives. In addition, the guests viewing the wedding become more open these ideas. Seeing the couple perform all of these rituals provokes powerful emotion in all those watching. One can not help but want to get married after viewing how happy the couple looks during the procession. The wedding even ends with the single women trying to catch the flowers thrown by the bride thus hoping to continue the ritual in their own lives. Douglas, Turner and Myerhoff all believe that rituals draw on key condensing symbols to reinforce the values it is portraying. Weddings are no different. The wedding ring is easily the oldest and most important wedding symbol. It is generally worn on the left hand although it is not necessary. This tradition evolved because in the past, as most people were right handed, the left hand was considered weak. Wearing it on the left hand was thought to denote submission and obedience. The ring is a circle to symbolize never-ending love that the couple would have for one another. It is also generally worn on the fourth finger. This is believed to be because that particular finger has a vein leading directly to the heart. Another age-old tradition is the kiss. Historically, the purpose of he kiss was to seal the wedding vows. Although the kiss is not required today to make the marriage legal, it is still an extremely important and widely practiced symbol. The wedding dress is another symbol used and is important to the tradition of a Christian wedding. The dress is a long elegant gown colored white. The fact that it is white is the most important symbol regarding the dress. It represents the brides purity, or virginity. For in the Christian religion, it is looked down upon to have sexual relations before getting married. Along with the gown is the bridal veil. Traditionally the veil protected the bride from curious outsiders. In addition, similar to the dress it protected her purity. Thus before the kiss, the veil is pulled back by the groom to indicate her new state of being as a wife. The cutting of the cake is customary and is done by the bride and groom. This symbolizes unity and a bond between the two and traditionally is viewed to aid the birth of the first child. This ritual also acts as a model for life. Not just for the bride and groom but for all of the people watching the ceremony. The wedding represents what most people want, and believe is the way of life. All of the rituals, and symbols practiced help to portray the perfect peaceful life. By getting married one is taking a great step towards happiness and a respectable life. You are demonstrating many qualities that make up a good human being. You put forth the quality of trust, for you are presenting yourself to the person you love for the rest of your life. You demonstrate the act of responsibility in to doing so as well. Marriage can also symbolize the start of a family. This is the goal in most every person’s life. By doing this you are carrying on your name and bloodline. The rituals in a wedding help to symbolize one’s future life. That life should be a life of stability, trust, and love towards one’s mate, family, and those around them. Weddings are a great ceremony and help to shape the lives of people by unifying them with complete love and happiness. Christian weddings share many of the theories that are presented by Douglas, Turner and Myerhoff. Symbols are used in great quantity and importance as they help to unify and bring a common theme to the ritual. In a heightened state of emotion governed by order, the participants become more open to new ideas, and in being more open the ceremony makes a model for how one should live their life.