Rituals and Christian Marriages - Essay Example

Rituals Religion and Theology, Essay S A I R A [Pick the Weddings are considered an important part of every culture and religion. Marriage’s rituals and traditions vary in every religion. Muslims way of celebrating marriage is different than Christians way of celebrating and the rituals found in Hindus wedding are totally different than that of Christians and Muslims wedding ceremony. Muslim and Hindu brides are dressed up in a heavy red embroidered ‘lehenga’, ‘Sari’ or Shalwar ‘Kameez’ while Christians dress up their brides in a light white ‘gown’. The Christian marriage ceremony normally takes place in church and at the house of bride, Hindus perform their marriage ceremonies at the bride’s house and so do Muslims. Despite so many differences the essence of marriage remains same in all religions and that essence is the essence of love and emotions that bride and groom hold for each other and the essence of starting a new life. Attending Christian marriages has always been of interest to me. Christian marriages and their rituals always seemed pleasing to me. The ‘dress’ of the bride, the ‘church’, the ‘vows’ and the ‘flowers’ always appealed me. I always knew that this ceremony holds a deep essence and the rituals performed during the ceremony were based on moral and religious principles. The curiosity to know what all the rituals in Christian marriages hold and what message does it give to the couple, their parents and guests made me interested to study their marriage, understand their rituals and critically comment on them. Belonging to a different religion and studying the rituals of a marriage from a different religion culture would give an opportunity to observe them critically, and to do this, attending a Christian marriage was important. Making a deep study by observation, gathering information from the practitioners and later consulting to what others have said about the rituals of Christian marriages would help to explore the essence and principles of this marriage. I knew this Christian girl as acquaintance of my best friend, My best friend was invited to her wedding which also made easy for me to go there and attend the marriage in easy and comfortable way. I was told that Christian weddings are expression of joy, worship, respect, dignity and love. What I wanted to examine in this wedding was how these emotions are expressed in this marriage and through what means. I was there at the wedding day. All the guests were invited to the church were the ceremony was going to be held, but this is something of pre-conceived information which I already had, knowing something beyond this was of my interest. I will start with the seating arrangement. Family relatives were sitting to the right side of the church. The close family members were sitting in the systematic order, groom’s grandmother, bride’s grandmother, groom’s parents and bride’s parents. The presence of elder family members is considered as support and their involvement in the ceremony is considered to be a blessing for the couple. Their presence is like a hope for the couple to making their marriage successful. Moreover, their prayers are regarded in high esteem and it is hoped that since they are more aged and close to God, their prayers are more readily answered. When I ended with analyzing the sitting arrangement I saw the groom entering with his minister, he was wearing a black suit, simple and sophisticated. Everyone stood up when the groom walked straight. He walked towards the priest and stood there. The standing of the audience was like an honor for the groom. I like this custom since it gives a feeling of appreciation and respect to the groom, and also conveys a message that what is happening is righteous and Godly in nature. The bride came in the groom’s car as per the Christian rituals of marriage. Before the entrance of the bride, bride’s maid entered from the down center aisle; one by one and after them the flower girl and the ring bearer follows. The flower girl spreads flowers on the ground from her basket and I found it obligatory on part of the guests to smile and welcome her. Soon the bride along with her father entered; the mother stood first in their honor. It is considered as a signal for the guests to arise in their honor. As soon as the mother stood, the minister announced “All rise for the bride” and all in no time stood up in her honor. It is a kind of welcome that they make in her honor. The father then hands over his daughter to the groom by making her stand opposite to him, the priest came forward and stood in the middle of the couple. One thing that made me think about paying honor to the bride and the groom was that they were made to feel whelmed and special by paying this kind of attention. Then was the time of attention when the priest recited Psalms from the Holy Bible, which was followed by the sermon called Homily on the sacredness of the wedding; following this he asked question to the bride and the groom regarding their consent to the marriage and after the mutual agreement to the marriage they exchanged the ring and made vows and promises to each other. The couple was then blessed by the priest first and later by the gathering. After the couple was being blessed they walked down the aisle arm in arm and walked out of the church and the wedding got over. I asked a Christian lady, where were they taking the bride to which she replied that there was a reception party at the groom’s house and all the guests were invited for the lunch and after the lunch all guests will leave the couple alone.The analysis done was with the help of the guests there, their guidance made me understand things in a clear way. Lot of research and articles has been written on Christian marriages discussing the rituals and meaning of Christian marriages. Cunningham (1999) points out the meaning of Christian marriages. He also discusses the values and principles on which the rituals of Christian marriages are based by saying: “A Christian marriage is more than just the union of two Christians of the opposite sex. A Christian marriage is characterized and governed by Christian principles that are taught in the Bible…A Christian marriage adheres to the standards of marriage revealed in the Holy Bible regardless of a churchs teachings and practices” In the article ‘Christian wedding traditions and customs’ it is stated that the white gown is symbol of purity and the love in the heart, “ The white wedding dress has a two-fold significance. It is a symbol of the wifes purity in heart and life, and in reverence to God. It is also a picture of the righteousness of Christ described in Revelation 19:7-8. “Christ clothes his bride, the church, in his own righteousness as a garment of "fine linen, bright and clean." (Kraemer et al, 2001: 503) Thus, to conclude that the Christian marriages are performed in a formal way, each ritual is an expression of some values and principles of the religion. From the dress of the bride to the welcome session of the couple, everything symbolizes respect and love. These formal weddings came into existence in the 16th century. In the article Marriage: what difference did Christianity make” it is reported that marriages in the 16th century were celebrated in a formal way. “A formal wedding finally became required in the East in the 9th century,although generally accepted much earlier, formal weddings were not required until the 16th century in the West.” (Rubinson, n.d.:82) Bibliography: Top of Form Cunningham, R. W. (1999). The Christian marriage part 1: the definition. http://www.pursuingthetruth.org/studies/files/marriage1.htm retrieved on 23rd February, 2013 Kraemer, R. S., Meyers, C. L., & Craven, T. (2001). Women in scripture: A dictionary of named and unnamed women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, and the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans.p503 Rubinson, S. (n.d.). Marriage- What difference did Christianity make? http://www.cas.uio.no/Publications/Seminar/Complexity_Rubenson.pdf retrieved on 23rd February, 2013 Bottom of Form Read More