Wedding Ceremony - Essay Example

This definition, however, fails to highlight the actual meaning and worth of a wedding ceremony. In most cultures weddings underscored the need for the transition from one stage of life to another. It may no longer be seen that way but in Greek cultures, for example, wedding marked the transition of a woman from one “Oikos” to her new “Oikos”. “She changed from a partner, a maiden, to a nymph, a married woman without children, when she married and then finally to a gyne, an adult woman when she bore her first child.

The entire set of marriage rites focused on the bride and her relocation to a new Oikos and Kurios, the most important transition in her life.” (Powers, 1997) The wedding in Greek culture would last three days where each day had an important cultural significance. The first day was the day when a bride would offer her toys and other childhood stuff to deities. This was done to mark her freedom from her old life and transition into a new life. Similarly for Romans as well, the wedding was a critical rite and did not just mean the act of marrying two people.

In Roman culture, people could legally live together without a wedding and hence when a ceremony took place, it meant much more than just legalizing the marriage. Just like the Greek ceremony, Romans would also have a day on which the bride would perform certain rituals to mark her transition to the next stage of life. She would also get rid of her toys and childhood belongings. However, the most important part of the ceremony was the hairdo and the dress. The Roman bride would wear the dress only once and her hair would be styled in a particular manner.

The veil was a must and it had to be worn by all brides.