Wedding-Ceremony: Our Cultural Heritage - Essay Example

Irshad Ahmad Order # 739386 Academia-Research.Com October 27, Wedding-Ceremony, Our Cultural Heritage Life goes on like a stream of water wherethe wave once gone never returns. The stream brings with it joys, sorrows, inert and active feelings, motives to move on and reasons to sit idle. Life needs not be static but mobile because motion produces energy and enthusiasm and upon such enthusiasm, the charm of life depends. Cultural activities are important here. Culture, as the Oxford English Dictionary tells us, is “the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society”. Heritage, as defined by the same source, is the “valued objects and qualities such as historic buildings and cultural traditions that have been passed down from previous generations”. Therefore, the term Cultural Heritage refers to those customs and traditions which a nation has been observing for a period of time. These customs and traditions are valuable to the extent that though modified they are observed for centuries without fail and with pomp and show. Cultural Heritage has a vital role to play in the development of a nation. It is the charm of a particular society. It works as source of inspiration for the whole community. It turns out to be a symbol of pride for the whole nation. It infuses in the whole nation a desire to live, the reason to fight for its cause, the motive to propagate the beauties it has and so on. Cultural Heritage is the reflected beauty of a society and it determines the overall history of a nation’s character (Hoffman 27-31). One of the many Cultural Heritages of mine, Wedding Ceremony occupies the most important position due to the interesting and heart-touching ritual. I termed it ‘most important’ because it had to cast a shadow on the whole of my life. It was the first brick that I based in building my new life. The Ceremony featured a rich composition of Folk-Music, singing songs, dancing traditional dance and the shows of local arts. These festivities date back to the past, hence, speaking of the majesty of our traditions. Wedding was, as is the custom, carried out after a proper procedure in which the groom is chosen for the bride either by the bride herself or her family. The procedure is interesting and appealing to the heart. The groom goes to the bride’s parents’ house and demands for their daughter’s hand. The parents demand ransom in return. Ransom is offered by the groom. In the meanwhile, bride is ritually protected from getting stolen without ransom. In the course of paying the ransom, the groom offers something costly which may be money or some jewelry for the bride. In order to increase the ransom, the parents dress someone other than the bride as bride masked with veil so that the groom can not see the face of his bride. She is brought before the groom in order to get them married. Here comes the twist in the story. After the groom realizes that the veiled person is not his bride, he complains and asks for his real bride. This time, the parents demand for a bigger ransom as to tell the groom that their daughter is more valuable than his thoughts. When the ransom issue is settled, the parents of the bride offer their daughter to the groom. If the groom is not to the satisfaction of either of the bride or the parents, the groom is met with at the door of the bride’s parents. It means he needs not to enter the house as to proceed in the matter. The parents have something in their hand for him to carry. It conveys a message of respect from the parents of the lady that he does not leave their house empty-handed. I was lucky enough that the bride and her parents accepted me at once for a ransom very small. Later, the Wedding day followed. Everything was well prepared. Before the ceremony, I along with my bride had to perform the ritual which aimed at blessing our couple by our parents. The ritual takes place just before the main ceremony. As is the custom, I paid ransom for my bride and went to her house where we had to perform the said ritual before our parents. The Spiritual elder asked the parents of both of us to sit on a particular bench. When they sat, a long embroidered cloth was placed in their laps. Every participant was then given a loaf from particular bread called ‘the wedding bread’. The spiritual leader recited traditional religious text which requested God for a mercy upon the couple and forgiveness. According to the tradition, all of our family members joined the spiritual leader in reciting the text. They all recited it loudly and the recitation was repeated three times. Then both of us bowed before our parents, exchanged kisses on cheeks, hands and feet. The blessing was performed three times as well. The ritual, as we had been told before, symbolized that our past was forgiven and our parents blessed us with their prayers. We were then released for a happy new session of our life. Now it was the turn of my single friends. For them, in my wedding ceremony, there was the tradition that all of them came in their vehicles alone. When we were leaving for our new home, all my single friends started their vehicles, opened the front seat’s door and one lady each to every vehicle sat with them. This symbolized a base for yet a new relationship for marriage. I was happy because I had won my love and my friends were happy because they had just started the journey of love. The celebrations last for days and sometimes weeks where there is a pomp and show of singing, dancing and series of feasts. I remember my wedding celebrations lasted for one week and we enjoyed a lot. This was beautiful and marvelous. The image of my rich culture reflected in my heart was superb. I heard a voice from my inside that I love my traditions, values, customs, rites and in fact everything for these are the active parts of my rich culture which saves me from isolation. My wedding was nothing but a cheerful display of emotions. I felt everybody loved me. They wanted my pleasure, joy and happiness. I was tranquil for I bowed before all of them with a lot of burdens of gratitude for them over my shoulders. I felt I had just been born: the celebrations injected in me a new life and a new beginning. I was rich, for, my culture had got numerous precious coins in its pocket and with such a wealth, I needed no other rewards. One is always sick for love, care and affection and no doubt, a poor culture deprives one of the wealth that is inside the heart. The riches that a culture has ensure the common man that he has the costliest thing available to him. The belief makes him confident enough to face the hazardous challenges and onslaughts of the counterpart nations of the world. To me, our ‘Cultural Heritage’ is our life: without life in culture, we are dead. Every nation has a cultural heritage of its own. Each feels happy in obeying its own social-laws pertaining culture. The richness of a culture lies in the rituals, customs and traditions where there is mutual love, affection, respect and sympathies. The cultural ceremonies need not be just dancing and singing shows: they must convey a message of brotherhood and a strong feeling that all of us are different parts of one body. We feel alike, we think alike and, therefore, we act alike. Same is the culture where there is happiness and a sense of security all around. This is the experience which I got from my wedding-ceremony that collective joys are more important than individual heights and collectivism is the basic requirement for the growth of a nation’s character. Work Cited Hoffman, Barbara T. Art and Cultural Heritage: Law, Policy, and Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print. Read More