Culture Diversity: How Marriage in the US Differ from Japan - Research Paper Example

Culture Diversity: How marriage in the U.S. Differ from Japan Marriage, as an is respected in societies across the world. The union of man and woman, which is necessary for the formation of family, is facilitated by the institution of marriage. The traditions involved in a marriage may differ from one society to another but the notion behind a marriage is the same throughout the world and that notion is conception of a relationship and family. The human needs of love and affection are also satisfied through marriage. Each culture and its society lays down some rules regarding marriage and the members of that particular culture are expected to follow those rules. This laying of rules will be particular during the entire Marriage ceremony, including during the pre-marriage as well as the post-marriage ceremonies. Marriage is a significant part of cultures all over the world and so various cultural elements gets exhibited during the marriage ceremonies. This includes the American as well as the Japanese wedding ceremonies. That is, each country’s cultural aspects gets exhibited and incorporated in the marriage ceremonies that are conducted in the respective countries. Here, the key issue is, as America and Japan have distinct culture and traditions different from one another, the American marriage ceremony and the Japanese marriage ceremony have many differences. So, this paper will compare the tradition or practice of American marriage ceremony with the Japanese marriage ceremony Differences regarding the aspect of religion In America, wedding can be religious or a secular or a social event, and so they can take place anywhere. Although, majority of the Americans are Christians and so their marriage naturally takes place in churches, however with the identity of different groups like Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, the site of marriage also differs. In addition, American marriages can also take place at a friend’s backyard, a beach, the top of a mountain, Las Vegas, City Hall, or a Justice of the Peace, as long as a clergyperson or someone legally certified marries the two people. (Lowry). In Japan, religion plays a major role and so most of the Japanese marriages take place in Shinto shrines. Majority of the Japanese follow Shinto or Buddhism or both and so, the most common religious place for marriage is the Shinto Shrines and so these shrines provide wedding sites for marriage. “Historically, Japanese wedding ceremonies were performed in Shinto Shrines. Many of Japans wedding sites, therefore, provide shrines for couples who want to follow Japanese wedding traditions.” (worldweddingtraditions.com). However, in the past few decades, the religious aspect of Japanese weddings has undergone major changes. This is because sizable contemporary weddings exhibit a mixture of both Shinto as well as the Christian elements, although most of the Japanese people indulging in this ‘fusion’ are not Christians. However, those marriages happen only minimally, with majority of the Japanese getting married through the traditional ceremony in the Shinto shrines. However, when this aspect of religion and the place of marriage are looked from the American perspective, there is not much uniformity. Thus, the role of religions and thereby wedding location differs in the Japanese and the American marriage, with the Japanese marriage following (or restricted to) just Shinto or Buddhist and the Christian traditions, while the American weddings following Christian traditions takes place at many places, although a majority of them take place in the Churches. Marriage ceremony Most the Japanese marriages are arranged ones, with the parents and the family doing the matchmaking duties. With love marriages being minimal and with parents playing the key role, Japanese marriages are mainly attended by the families and the relatives, with no or few friends. The total wedding ceremony is simple and lasts only for about thirty minutes. The groom and the bride wear traditional Japanese costumes and take the center stage in the wedding site in the shrine. “Brides wear traditional wedding kimono called shiromuku (white kimono robe), and grooms wear montsuki (black formal kimono), haori (kimono jacket), and hakama (kimono pants).” (Mishima). When the bride and groom starts exchanging their wedding vows, their respective families instead of watching the couple getting married, will face each other from either side. The key part of taking wedding vows and which is central to the traditional Japanese marriage ceremony is the ritual of taking a sip of sake from nine cups, after which only the couple is considered married. The couple exchanges san-san-kudo, (literally means 3 – 3 – 9 times), with the bride and the groom taking three sips each of sake from three different-sized lacquer-ware cups. (Lowry). The respective families also drink sake together, thereby symbolizing the bonding between them as well. There will also be exchange of wedding rings and this finalizes their wedding. All these wedding process takes place without any bridesmaid or a best man. However, in total contrast, American marriages always start with the selection of the bridesmaid and the best man. American marriage is different from the Japanese marriage at the ‘outset’ itself. That is, most of the American marriages are ‘love’ marriages, with the couple only initiating and deciding the marriage process, which completely different to the prominent role played by the parents in Japan. Once the couple announces their engagement and marriage plans, the first process is the selection of Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids by the bride, and at the same time Best Man and groomsmen by the groom. This is non-existent in Japanese weddings, but it is key thing in American weddings. “It is an honor to be asked to be Maid of Honor and Best Man because they must be dependable and trustworthy enough to assist them with the wedding planning process and the ceremony on the wedding day.” (Lowry). Also, before the marriage, there will be fun filled bachelor and bachelorette parties, held by the groom and bride separately with the friends of the same sex. However, this is not followed by the about to be married Japanese couple. Although, sizable number of American marriages like their Japanese counterparts takes place in the religious setting, such as a church or synagogue, there are vast differences in other processes or customs. While the Japanese marriage is a close family affair, American wedding is attended by the friends of the couple in large number, along with the couple’s families. In the marriage setting, these family and friends are seated facing the couple, with good number of accompaniments. “Family and friends are formally invited. Ushers seat guests, there are bride’s maids, a best man, flower girls, a ring bearer, music (often chosen by the bride and/or the groom) and many other amenities designed to make the day special and memorable.” (worldweddingtraditions.com.). The way the wedding vows are taken is also different. As mentioned above, Japanese take wedding bows by sipping the sake, while the Americans’ wedding vows has always been in the spoken form. “The ceremony may include wedding vows written by the bride and the groom, in which they speak of their love and their desire to make their partner safe, happy and secure, and to be faithful to their partner and their partner alone for the rest of their lives.” (worldweddingtraditions.com.). After conclusion of the wedding vows, wedding rings are exchanged, with the religious official asking the groom to kiss the bride as a form of complete unison. The groom does that by lifting the veil amidst the clapping and happiness of the guests. However, this practice of kissing the bride at the wedding ceremony is not followed in the Japanese marriages. As kissing between the opposite sexes are not commonly practiced in the public, this practice of kissing the bride amidst the family and friends is maximally avoided in Japanese weddings. From this analysis, it is clear that American marriages and Japanese marriages have many differences. Starting from who initiates the process, there are visible differences throughout the marriage traditions and customs. That is, as discussed above, parents only initiate the marriage process in Japan, while the couples themselves initiate the process in America and starting from this, many ceremonies including the pre-marriage and post-marriage ceremonies has a sizable differences. Works Cited Lowry, Chieko. Japanese vs. American. 1 May 2008. 21 April 2010. http://japanesevsamerican.blogspot.com/2008/05/wedding-by-chieko- lowry.html Mishima, Shizuko. Introduction to Japanese Wedding. 21 April 2010. http://gojapan.about.com/cs/traditionculture/a/japanesewedding.htm worldweddingtraditions.com. Japanese Wedding Traditions. 21 April 2010. http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/locations/asian_traditions/japanese_ traditions.html worldweddingtraditions.com. United States Wedding Traditions. 21 April 2010. http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/locations/north_american_traditions/ united_states_traditions.html Read More