English for Advanced

A- ____________________ Marriage is a recognized union between two people; a male and a female, called spouses, which establishes rights and obligations between them. It is also known as matrimony or wedlock. This union can be recognized through social norms and laws or a ritual, and it also accepts the indisputable rights that any children born or adopted within that union have. People around the world have been performing marriage ceremonies for a long time, with each culture adding something special and unique.

B- ____________________ The wedding starts with pre-wedding ceremonies, such as the engagement ceremony, where the bride and the groom exchange rings.

Then there is the Mehendi Ceremony held at the bride’s house, where her palms, wrists and feet are decorated for the wedding.

On the wedding day, the husband and wife put flower garlands around each other’s necks, which symbolizes the bride’s acceptance of her husband.

The traditional wedding is followed by many other traditions, such as, for example, stealing the groom’s shoes. The bride’s sisters play a trick by stealing the shoes once the groom has entered the wedding tent, so the groom must bribe them in order to get his shoes back.

C- ____________________ In Japan, wedding ceremonies are traditionally held in Shinto shrines. Painted white from head to toe, the bride also wears a white kimono (Japanese clothing).

During the ceremony, the bride puts on a white hood to hide her “horns of jealousy” that she feels towards her mother-in-law. She declares herself a maiden, and promises to become a gentle and obedient wife.

Throughout the celebration, Japanese brides change their costumes several times, so they also wear a red kimono, and a more modern dress.

As a symbol of the newly established union, the happy couple drinks sake, a Japanese alcoholic drink made from rice. In this tradition, known as san-san-kudo, the bride and groom each take three sips from three different sake cups. Their parents do the same, which bonds their families together.

D- ____________________ According to Welsh wedding tradition, a man should carve a wooden spoon and give it to the woman he loves. If she wears it, that means they are engaged.

Another wedding custom in Wales suggests that brides should be kidnapped by their families shortly before their wedding day, so if the groom comes and rescues her, that means they will be married.

Welsh brides also put myrtles (a flower) in their bouquet, because it symbolizes love. The bridesmaids receive a cutting of the myrtle and, if they plant it and see it bloom, they will also marry soon.