论中美婚俗(marriage custom：China vs USA)

中美婚礼差异第一篇：中美婚礼差异as I know,the preparation of a traditional Chinese wedding is very complex.The western wedding are relatively simple but very romantic.They pay more attention to grave and holy.The church , the wedding oath, the wedding rings are more important.The high tide of the wedding is that the bride’s father give his daughter ‘s hand to the bridegroom.Then the couples exchange the rings and accept good wishes from their relatives.我知道，一个传统的中国婚礼的准备是很复杂的。

西方的婚礼是相对简单但很浪漫。

他们更注重庄重、神圣的。

教堂，婚礼的誓言，结婚戒指是更重要的。

婚礼的高潮，新娘的父亲把女儿交给新郎。

然后夫妻交换戒指并接受祝福他们的亲戚。

To the Chinese people , wedding must grand and lively, usually they would invite a lot relatives and friends.So the wedding location always choose the hotel which is convenient of traffic and capacious of space.对中国人来说，婚礼必须隆重热闹，他们通常会邀请很多亲戚朋友。

所以婚礼的地点总是选择酒店是交通和广阔的空间，方便。

跨文化交际学论文论文题目中西方婚俗的差异院系外语与经管学院专业英语教育年级、班级 11级英语教育3班姓名杨国霞学号 1021013135摘要婚礼时男女双方确立婚姻关系时所举行而被社会承认的仪式，婚礼的出现大约是在对偶婚制的中、晚期。

在我国现代意义的婚礼，是指结婚典礼，即结婚当日所举行的礼仪程序。

婚礼的产生是因为男女双方婚后要承担履行对父母及亲属的权利和义务。

再次，由于家庭是小区居住中的的单位，这就自然涉及与小区、邻里的关系以及相应的权利和义务。

而这一切的权利和义务、联系和关系的建立和履行，促使家庭建立的婚姻当事人。

需要通过一定的礼仪程序，以取得社会的赞同、认可、和保障。

婚礼的产生，还与婚姻当事人满足与经过自己选择而长期共同生活的性伴侣正式结合的愉快心理情绪息息相关。

当婚礼产生之后，婚姻习俗也会随之而产生，并且随之时代的转变而变迁。

关键词婚礼宗教差异文化差异色彩服饰中式的婚礼（一）议婚也就是“提亲”。

男方家长先派一位媒人到女方嫁妆去求婚，称“下达”。

（二）纳彩就是男方家长向女方献礼求婚的礼仪。

在征得女方的同意后，才派使者去行纳彩之礼，在“六礼”当中纳彩、问名、请期和亲迎皆用雁作礼物。

婚书是纳彩的重要仪项。

男方准备好婚书，晨起，奉婚书祝告祠堂，以示祖宗后嗣香火延续，同时也期盼先祖保佑子孙婚姻幸福成功，并以之征得祖宗许可。

随后，以本宗亲戚、媒氏为使者前去女方家。

女方家父母或族长出门相迎，媒氏将婚书呈现给女方主人；女方父母或族长收受婚书后，祝告于祠堂，以求先祖保佑，不忘先人赐体之功。

一般官宦之家还专门躬行虔诚仪式，礼节文明十分讲究。

（三）纳币也就是所谓的下聘礼。

民间又有纳红定，吃肯酒的说法。

吃肯酒即是许亲订婚，男方需向女方家送纳“订婚礼物”。

（四）铺房所谓“铺房”，就是举行婚礼前夕布置装饰新房，是婚礼的序幕。

通常由男方亲友进行。

（五）亲迎即男方亲自到女方家去接新娘。

如今所谓婚礼，是指结婚典礼仪式也就是古代的迎亲。

中美婚礼文化习俗比较摘要：婚礼是两个相爱的人为了结合所举行的仪式，证明了彼此的相爱。

东西方文化有着诸多的差异，而婚礼文化作为文化百科中的一个分支，同样展现了东西方的迥异之处，本文旨在通过对中美婚礼习俗的文化对比来体现中美两种不同文化在现代多元文化时代中不同以及相互融合与发展。

关键词：文化对比中国婚礼美国婚礼婚礼是两个相爱的人为了结合所举行的仪式，为了证明彼此相爱的一种表现。

婚礼载着幸福，给人们留下许多美好的回忆。

围绕着婚礼，有许多鲜为人知的事。

不同的国家和地区、不同的民族的婚礼，都包含着自己的文化和民俗特色，婚礼上的婚服、婚照、婚宴、婚俗无一不展示着时代与民族文化的特色。

一、中美婚姻观的比较婚姻在两个家庭的关系中起着非常重要的作用, 因此, 在古代,中国人对待婚姻是非常谨慎的, 甚至把它看作是改变人生命运的捷径。

中国传统婚姻的主要目的是繁衍后代, 壮大家族, 维护并提高家族的声望和地位。

由于结婚意味着要娶进一位不同姓氏的女子, 因此, 为了不有损家族的声望, 男方在选择结婚对象时是非常谨慎的, 选择妻子的意义对家庭比对个人更重要。

结婚不再是个人的事, 而是整个家族的事, 爱情也不是婚姻的基础。

当代中国, 婚姻的目的已经发生了根本变化, 不再以维护和提高家族声望、地位为目的。

现在, 男女双方是否相爱已经成为婚姻中最重要, 也是最基础的因素。

年轻人可以自由选择自己的爱人, 父母很少干涉。

虽然婚姻仍包括订婚、结婚两步, 但礼节上已比过去简化多了。

与中国传统婚姻观相比, 美国的传统婚姻观更加开放。

对于美国人来说, 结婚并不是爱情的坟墓, 而是爱情的完美结局。

父母对儿女的婚姻没有决定权。

情侣们为了爱而结婚, 而不是为了家族的声望和地位。

通过对中西传统婚姻观的对比我们可以看出, 美国人的婚姻观更开放、更自由、更浪漫。

二、中美婚礼形式比较（一）中美婚礼的总体形象我们可以用两种颜色来形容中美婚礼：红色和白色。

在中国，红色象征吉祥和兴旺。

中外结婚习俗礼仪有哪些_中西婚礼礼仪对比受中西方文化差异的影响，中外的婚姻观念有所区别，因此在交际过程中，应该充分了解对方，尊重对方的习俗。

下面一起来看看小编为大家整理的中外结婚习俗礼仪，欢迎阅读，仅供参考。

中西方婚礼文化差异一：婚礼举办的地点婚礼是人一生中最重要的时刻，中国人的婚礼以喜庆热闹为主，新人一般会选择在酒店举办婚宴，并邀请新人双方的亲朋好友前来参加，婚宴的排场弄得越大越好，这样才能突出婚礼的隆重和热闹，而西方的新人举办婚礼一般是在教堂或郊外等安静的场所，讲究的是婚礼的庄严和圣洁，并不是很在乎婚礼是否热闹。

二：着装中国人认为红色代表着喜庆，因此在中式婚礼中少不了红色，用鲜艳的红色烘托出婚礼喜庆的氛围，新郎和新娘身穿红色的婚服，新娘将头发梳成发髻，并带上凤冠，盖上红盖头，以此象征着纯洁与童真，婚礼仪式完毕后，由新郎亲手揭开共盖头。

而在西方国家，白色代表着富贵与纯洁，因此新娘在婚礼当天都是身穿着白色的婚纱，戴上白色的头纱，新郎则身穿着西装。

三：婚礼习俗中国传统婚礼中有着“三书六礼”等繁琐的礼节，在这些礼节进行的过程中，往往有着许多的禁忌与礼仪，并要按照顺序一步一步的进行，如祭祖、燃炮、拜别等，由此可见我国的婚礼习俗是多么的繁琐，但是从繁琐的婚礼过程中也能看出人们对婚礼的重视和尊重。

不仅是我国有着繁琐的婚礼习俗，西方国家的婚礼也有着许多习俗，如旧、新、借、蓝等习俗，新娘在婚礼当天需要随身携带一个手帕，因为西方人认为手帕寓意着吉祥，婚礼结束后宾客还会用条状的面包敲打新娘的头部，将面包这折断，他们认为面包屑代表着幸运，由此看来，西方的婚礼习俗并不比中国简单。

四：婚礼内涵中国传统婚礼讲究的是天时地利人和，因为结婚不仅是新人之间的事情，也关系着两个家庭的结合，通过婚礼礼节能够表现出婚礼的庄严，也能让新人和新人双方的家人更加重视婚礼。

但是在西方国家讲究的是神的认知和庇护，他们认为新人是遵从上帝的约定结为夫妻，从而可以看出宗教在西方国家的重要性。

Analysis of Differences of Wedding Ceremony Between China and America中美婚礼仪式差异分析ByCui YifeiSupervised byAssoc. Ding QihongMay 20th, 2010College of Foreign Languages and Cultures Chengdu University of T echnologyAnalysis of Differences of Wedding CeremonyBetween China and AmericaStudent:CuiYifei Class: 2008080010434 Supervisor:Assoc.Ding QihongAbstractSince ancient times, marriage is the head of human relations.More importantly, through the numerous and brilliant marriage customs,people can explore the basic laws of human social development.and more awareness of the history of human society.With China's accession to WTO, the economic and cultural exchanges between China and America more frequently. The increasing cooperation and exchanges between peoples from China and America , which requires even more urgent.The culture of America, customs, knowledge is limited to the classroom is not enough.so I chose this subject for the study.In almost every society and culture, there are wedding customs.Human nature seems to have such kind of needs: The wedding will be the relationship between husband and wife which publicly determined.However, the form of the wedding is with the changing of progress of human society constantly.And the original aim of all the wedding customs is same.Due to the cultural exchange between Chinese and Americaculture in the cultural difference, because in the cultural conflicts involving multiple aspects.Here，we compare the differences of the wedding culture between China and America.This thesis explained the differences of the wedding customs between Chinese and American convention.Cultural differences and the differences in performance onthe practice, the fundamental reason is that Chinese and American cultures have different basic spirit.Hope that through this article, we can the better understand the wedding cultural differencesto view a more open, broader thinking.key words: the increasing cooperation and exchange cultural；wedding customs中美婚礼仪式对比学生: 崔一菲班级: 200808010434导师: 丁讲师摘要自古以来，婚姻是人伦之首，更重要的是人们可以透过纷繁绚丽的婚俗，更清楚地认识人类社会历史，探索人类社会发展的基本规律。

【标题】中西方婚礼习俗的差异【作者】汪燕【关键词】中国婚礼习俗；西方婚礼习俗；差异；影响【指导老师】康康【专业】英语【正文】Ⅰ. IntroductionThe 21st century is dominated by science and technology, which makes the whole world develop quite rapidly. With the constantly increasing economic globalization and international exchange, the cultures of different regions are gradually spread and fused, such as the wedding customs of China and Western Countries.There are a lot of differences between Chinese and Western wedding customs from engagement to the end. Chinese wedding is much more complex than Western wedding, especially in the wedding ceremony. In the Chinese traditional wedding customs people stress more and they have many taboos, for Chinese people are more conservative and traditional, but the open-minded Western people’s wedding is much simpler.At the same time, their different religions and different attitudes to marriage influence their wedding customs much, too. Chinese people mostly believe in Buddhism but the Westerners have faith in Christianity, which decide the place where the wedding is held and how complex the whole process is. Chinese people’s marriage is relatively stable. Because Chinese people always consider marriage as one of the most important things in life. Westerners’ concepts of marriage are extremely different from Chinese. They believe that marriage is purely a private matter, and no one can interfere.This thesis addresses the differences between Chinese and Western wedding customs by analyzing the wedding procedures and the influence of different thoughts, attitudes and religions on the wedding customs. It is extremely important to understand the different cultures between China and Western countries, which will help us to correctly understand the words and deeds of Westerners in the intercultural communication, fully understand each other, and respect each other's customs so as to get the best effect of communication.Ⅱ.Chinese Wedding CustomsChinese traditional wedding ceremony includes a series of procedures. From engagement to the formal wedding ceremony, every procedure must be takeninto serious consideration. The course below mainly describes the Chinese wedding customs in order.A. Three Papers and Six EtiquettesAccording to Chinese wedding customs, the first etiquette is Three Papers and Six Etiquettes, which is as important as the engagement at Western wedding.Three Papers consists of the paper of engagement, the list paper of the presents to the bride’s and the paper of fetching the bride. They are going to be used on the day of engagement, the bridegroom’s giving the presents of marriage to the bride’s and going and fetching the bride.Six Etiquettes includes asking for engagement, asking for the name and births of the newlyweds, showing some presents for engagement to the bride’s, giving the presents of marriage to the bride’s, choosing a good date for the wedding and going and fetching the bride on the day of the wedding. All these etiquettes must be completely in proper order before the wedding, and then the formal wedding can be held.B. Order of Chinese WeddingThere is a certain order in Chinese wedding. Generally speaking, the whole process of the wedding includes a series of details. Such as worshipping the ancestors，starting the trip，setting off the firecrackers, waiting for the bridegroom, Taoxi(The bride’s friends or relatives ask the bridegroom for money), saying farewell to parents and bride’s relatives a nd friends, setting out, the car for the newlyweds, throwing a fan, setting off the firecrackers, touching the orange, leading by the bride, Baitang(the formal ceremony of marriage at the wedding), the wedding banquet, sending-off the guests, disturbing the nuptial, and going back home three days later. 1. Going and Fetching the BrideOn the day of the formal wedding, the bride is dressed up by the elders at her home, waiting for the bridegroom.Before the bridegroom and his guard of honor start their trip, the bridegroom must hold the ancestor worship. After that they can start off, at the same time the firecrackers should be set off on the way to the bride’s.As they arrive at the bride’s, the bride’s friends must close the door in order to prevent the bridegroom seeing her at once. The bride can’t see his bridegroom unless he satisfies all the requests of the bride’s friends, no matter how hard their requests are. When the bridegroom meets his bride, they are to say goodbye to the bride‘s people after worshipping the bride’s ancestors. They bow down before her parents, after which the newlyweds can set off after the bride’s mother drapes kerchief over for her.On the way to the bridegroom’s, the firecrackers should be set off, too. For Chinese people like jollification and marriage is one of the most important things in one’s life, they are happy to show others their good things. At the same time some festive music will be played to celebrate the newlyweds and spread people’s happiness. All people wil l have a happytrip.2. Performing the Formal Wedding CeremonyIn China, people will select a good date very carefully for a big event, especially for one’s marriage or death, for there are many taboos to avoid and they think a good date may bring good luck. Usually, they consult professional Mr Fengshui（The one who studys the geomantic omen professionally） for advice. Mr Fengshui will choose a good date for marriage and a good time for the ceremony of the wedding, and then they begin to prepare for the wedding.People paste congratulatory couplets and large red Chinese character means “Happiness” in English on the doorframes and walls. And they also lay out red blanket on the ground. When the bride arrives at the bridegroom’s, two guys will light two str ings of firecrackers (already bound on long bamboo poles) to celebrate the important moment. One of the bridegroom’s elders will go to lead the bride out, and then the most important time comes. The person who is in charge of the ceremony will start to preside over the ceremony with the wedding music playing on. The bride and bridegroom will be led across the red blanket, the colorful paper strips and one kind of spray stuff will be setting off above the new couple’s heads. They walk shoulder by shoulder to the front of their parents who have already sat in a row of chairs at the end of the blanket. They bow down before their parents three times, and then they bow to each other three times, too. After that they formally become a couple.3. The Wedding FeastNowadays, the combination of Chinese and Western wedding is quite popular in China, especially in big cities. And the wedding banquet is mostly held on the evening of the wedding ceremony. At the wedding banquet, the bride’s wedding dress can be removed and replaced by the evening dress to propose a toast at the table. The new couple propose toasts to everybody present to show their thanks and nice blessings, and the guests must drink the wine the new couple gave, which they think will bring them good luck and health.4. Disturbing the NuptialAfter the wedding feast, most of the guests leave, and then the crazy time comes. Some of their close friends will plan to make fun of the new couple in their bridal chamber, and usually they play games. Chinese people think that the more seriously the new couple is disturbed, the happier the new couple will be in their life. Therefore their friends and family make things difficult for the bride and the bridegroom in many ways.How seriously they will be made fun of depends on how seriously they fool other people at other’s wedding and whether the newlyweds are honest enough to people. The new couple can’t have a rest until all the friends stop to left, and the whole wedding ends.5. Going back to the Bride’s Three Days LatterOn the third day after the marriage, the bride must go back to her parentswith her husband with roasted meat and some other gifts. There, they worship her ancestors again, and they can even stay for a period of time before they return their own ho me. Although the daughter is married, she shouldn’t forget her own parents who gave her birth and brought her up. And as a new couple, the bride may not be accustomed to her new life, and then she will miss her parents. So she can go back to see her parents and thank them when they stay.C. Etiquettes and Customs at the Chinese WeddingIn China, the parents always prepare some dowry for their daughter. The bride’s dowry includes a scissor, a ruler,some sugar tablets, vases, a copper pot and a pair of shoes, which indicate fortune. There are also pairs of quilts, bed linen and pillows, 72 sets of clothes and so on, which means a good wish for their rich and nice life. Every item has its different At the bridegroom’s home, there are also many things to be prepared. At first they must tidy and layout the bridal chamber, and the whole chamber must be decorated with red things, such as red candles, red quilts. People paste congratulatory couplets and large red Chinese charactermeaning “Happiness” in English o n the doorframes and walls. And then they need to prepare some food, fruit, tea, and wine on the table, which will be used at the night of the wedding. At the same time the bridegroom must prepare some money packaged in red paper bags to thank some people on the day of the wedding, such as his bride’s brother and people who helped him. People think the money in a red paper bag from the bridegroom will bring them good luck and nice life.D. Taboos at the Chinese WeddingAt the Chinese traditional wedding, there are a lot of taboos.On the day of the wedding, people can’t say bad words. People say it will bring something bad if they don’t follow the customs. Everything prepared for the wedding must be in pairs, such as the candle etc.When the bride arrive s at the bridegroom’s, she can’t touch the threshold when she goes across, or she will bring bad luck.The pregnant women and the women who lose a parent or her husband recently can’t attend the wedding, and they can not touch the bride’s new clothes and all of the items in the bridal chamber. If they did this, she had to crawl through the new couple’s unmarried brother’s legs before she can goThe main color of Chinese wedding is red. The whole wedding is presided over by the master of the ceremony, under whose command the newlyweds bow down to the god, their parents and themselves, and then go into the bridal chamber. Chinese wedding is relatively complex, filled with laugh and happiness, which reflects the rackety character of Chinese people. Chinese wedding is also conservative, they stress a lot and there are many taboos at the wedding. But Western wedding is much simpler and different from Chinese wedding.Ⅲ.Western Wedding CustomsA. EngagementIn Western countries, people always engage first and then they can hold the formal wedding. Many etiquettes and symbols need paying much attention to, especially the diamond ring at the engagement ceremony. Diamond is considered as the best symbol of love, but why? The diamond is produced by heat energy and press, which makes it the hardest material discovered by human beings so far. In ancient times, human beings couldn’t cut diamond for they didn’t have such tools and skills. So the diamond naturally became the symbol of forever love, at the same time the heat energy that gestates the diamond means the passionate love. Thus, the bridegroom must send a diamond ring to his bride to show his promise of forever unchanged love at their engagement ceremony.B. Order of the Western WeddingMost Westerners are Christians, so Western wedding is always held in the church, presided by the priest. On the day of the wedding, the new couple’s relatives and friends gather at the church to celebrate their wedding and to be the witnesses of their marriage.When the happy time comes, the bride will be led into the church by her father. The newlyweds go to the priest after her father gives her hand to her bridegroom, and then begins the ceremony.At first, the priest will ask the new couple and all people present several questions one by one, beginning with the bridegroom, and then they give their promises of marriage to each other. After that they can exchange their rings and kiss each other. Finally, the priest will declare their marriage, which means the end of the wedding.C. Etiquettes and Customs at the Western Wedding1. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, anda Silver Sixpence in Her ShoeEach item in this poem represents a good-luck taken for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will behappy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to Western weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbslike, "Marry in blue, lover be true".And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth andfinancial security. A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era. It may date back to a Scottish customs of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for2. Dress of the Bride at the Western WeddingAt a wedding not only the ceremony needs to be complied with customs but also the dresses. In Western countries the bride always wears a white dress. White means jubilation in the West, the bride wears a white dress in the church wedding is a symbol of purity.Since Roman times, the white was a symbol of celebration. From 1850 to 1900, the white is a symbol of prosperity. By the beginning of this century, the meaning of white is pure far more than the others.The west consider that the white is contacted with pure and virginity. In ancient Rome, the bride wore a white dress, covered with a yellow veil, which symbolized the flames of passion. In the Western Catholic tradition, white represents happiness; in some other regions, white in the wedding and funeral instructs a variety of ceremony and significance.For example, in the Andaman Islands, white was the representative of the status change. Traditional white wedding dress was the privilege of nobility in the early days. In Liberia times, most of the brides can only wear the traditional national costumes, and only the upper class can wear white dress at the wedding, which was the symbol of power and identity. Until modern times, after the privilege of nobility disappears the bride can wear white wedding dressD. Taboos at the Western WeddingThere are also many taboos at the Western wedding, especially concerning the bride’s wedding dress. White wedding dress must not be matched with red shoes, because red shoes means to jump into the fire pit. Red flower, red belt and other red things mustn’t be matched with white dress, too, since white symbolizes pure while red is the opposite. White wedding dress should match white, golden or silver shoes.The bride must cover her face with a veil at the ceremony, for it is not only a decoration but also representing a dividing line, and it can’t be exposed by other people except the bridegroom.The bridegroom always stands on the right of his bride, in order to avoid others from grabbing his bride away.When the new couple goes back to their bridal chamber, the bridegroom must hug the bride into the house and put her on the bed, avoiding her getting into the house with her left foot first, for they think that may bring bad luck to the newⅣ.Reasons of These DifferencesA. Different Thoughts between Chinese and Westerners1. Chinese ThoughtsThe above differences in wedding customs of Chinese and Western countries are directly related to the differences in their ideologies and the way of their thinking.Chinese people are always more conservative, and they like gathering together enjoying the jollification and they have a relatively rigid mind. Thus there is not much change in the wedding customs in the thousands of years’ history of China. The Chinese traditional culture didn’t have great changes until the Western culture was spread into China in the beginning of the 20th century. Many traditional wedding customs and etiquettes remain to nowadays. And the Chinese people’s character of loving jollification is fully manifested in the Chinese traditional complicated wedding Besides the marriage banquet, there is a luncheon before the bride leaves according to the Chinese traditional wedding customs. In the end of the wedding, the couple will be disturbed by friends and family in their bridal chamber, and people think that the more serious the new couple is disturbed, the happier they will be in their life. Therefore their friends and family use various methods to make things difficult for the bride and the bridegroom.2. Westerner’s ThoughtsWestern people are more open-minded, and their requirement for the wedding is relatively lower. The climax of their wedding is in the church. With the sacred “wedding march”, the bride led by her father with a bouquet of roses in her hand steps onto the red carpet, walking slowly to the bridegroom. The bride's father will put her daughter's hands in the hand of the bridegroom, entrusting her daughter's life to him. Everybody is looking at the new couple who are filled with happiness. Today she is the most beautiful bride. There sounds their oath in the sacred church, exchanging their marriage rings. When the priest says: "You can kiss your bride…… marriage is a covenant of one lifetime, you should hold your oath in your rest life. Lord Jesus said: ‘People matched by god are inseparable. Today makes this one lifetime love perfect.’" After this the bride and the bridegroom may go to the wedding banquet or to take their honeymoon without the complex etiquettes of the Chinese traditional weddings.B. Different Attitudes to Marriage1. Chinese Attitudes to MarriageChinese people’s marriage is relatively stable. Because Chinese people always consider marriage as one of the most important things in one’s life. They choose carefully, and once they decide to get married it will be not easy to change. And Chinese people always regard marriage as a serious moral matter, they think it’s immoral to destroy other’sChinese people’s marriage is much more a rational choice, it is doubtful how much love there is in such a rational choice of marriage. Therefore,the Chinese people's marriage is much less romantic than the Western people’s.Of course, Chinese people have love, too. But there is no inevitable contact between love and marriage. To many traditional Chinese, love and marriage are two entirely different matters, they can marry someone they love or they do not love. These are the differences between Chinese and Western people’s attitudes to marriage.2. Westerner’s Attitudes to MarriageWesterners’ concepts of marriage are extremely different from Chinese. They believe that marriage is purely a private matter, and no one can interfere. That’s why they can decide their marriage themselves without their parents’ interference. They have the right to choose a favorite people to live together, and they will have a second choice once they find the existing marriage is aIt can be said that the Westerners’ marriage is more of the need for love, and love is the basis of marriage, so there are the categories of “Golden Marriage”,”Silver Marriage” and"Honeymoon", which look so romantic.In the Western countries, love is the most sacred. It is the most sacred part of human being’s emotion, which can never be sullied. And this makes it as sacred and absolute as the religious idols. At the same time, it is the extreme emotion of human b eings. That’s why they make a life promise to each other at the wedding, and the diamond rings witness their love.C. Different Religions1. Chinese Religion and It’s Influence on the Wedding CustomsIn China, the traditional moral and religious beliefs are always the most important cornerstone of marriage and stable family. The most popular religion in China is Buddhism whose teachings greatly influence people’s thought. This is reflected in Chinese customs, such as the wedding customs. The Buddhism teaches the common people to enjoy a reasonable arrangement of a good secular life, and to be good people, which is the reason of they preparing something that represents fortune and happiness. For example, they prepare things for the wedding in pairs, and they decorate the whole wedding with red items that means goodness. Therefore Chinese people pay much attention to the etiquettes at the wedding, they stress much and they have many taboos.The Buddhism also tells people to respect the heaven, the earth, the King, their parents and the persons who teach them, that’s why Chinese people must bow down before them at the wedding ceremony.At the same time, religion is the barometer of the society, which is the most important spiritual resources to uphold the social justice. It teaches people how to be a good wife or husband, how they should respect their elders and grow their kids, and the way of making a harmony marriage. Thus, Chinese people always treat marriage as one of the most important things in one’slife, and they can keep a steady family.From these we can see that the Buddhism has much influence on Chinese wedding customs. Then, how about the influence of the Western religion on the Western wedding customs?2. Western Religion and It’s Influence on the W edding CustomsMost of the Westerners are Christians, they believe in God as the only master of the universe.Christians pay serious attention to marriage. According to the Bible, the Christians have two views: firstly, marriage is sacred, because the origin of marriage is the creation of god himself; secondly, marriage should insist on the principle of monogamy, that’s why God created Eve for Adam. Because of the sanctity of marriage, people are required to take monogamy and the Christians do not advocate divorce. Christians traditionally believe that the premise of divorce is one of the couple committed the crimes of lascivious or one leave voluntarily for different believes, mentioned in theFrom this we can understand why the bride and the bridegroom make a lifetime promise to each other with a diamond ring, and how much they pay attention to the quality of the marriage.Ⅴ、ConclusionThe main color of Chinese wedding is red，which makes the wedding jubilating. The bridegroom’s parents are sitting on the u pper sides (the end of the house towards the gate), and the bride and the bridegroom hold the wedding before them. The whole wedding is presided over by the master of the ceremony, in whose command the newlyweds bow down to the god, their parents and themselves, and then into the bridal chamber, which is the climax of the whole wedding. The bride has to stay in their bridal chamber alone, waiting for her bridegroom who is drinking with his friends and relatives outside. After the bridegroom and the guests leave the tables, everybody starts to make fun of the bride and the bridegroom. They have to play various games that required by others……like this, the wedding ends in people’s laugh.Western wedding is typically romantic, which is full of romantic from start to the end. Generally, the bride's dress is white and the bridegroom is in black suit, making the whole wedding solemn and serious. The whole wedding ceremony in the church is the most important part. As the wedding march play on, the bride walk to her bridegroom led by her father. After her father delivered her hand to the bridegroom the priest begins to chair the wedding. He will ask the bride and the bridegroom to make a lifelong oath to each other, which is the climax of the whole wedding. Then they will exchange their marriage rings and kiss each other in the blessing of everyone. At the end of the wedding, the bride would throw the flowers to the present female guests, and it is believed that the girl who receives the flowers will be the next bride soon. The whole wedding ends after the new couple’sleaving for honeymoon.In a word, there are a lot of differences between Chinese and Western wedding customs, and the different thoughts, religions and attitudes to marriage between Chinese and Westerners influence the wedding customs a great deal. It is extremely important to know and understand the differences between them, so that we can understand the words and deeds of Westerners correctly and respect each other's customs in the communication, and then we can get the best effect of communication.This thesis focuses on the differences between Chinese and Western wedding customs by analyzing the whole wedding procedures and the influences of different thoughts, attitudes to marriage and religions in China and Western countries on the wedding customs. But there surely are inadequacies because of the limit of time and resources. In the future study, I will continue to collect materials in this area so as to make this research more profound and comprehensive.。

学号：127142008112604048成绩：西安翻译学院高职高专毕业论文题目:浅谈中美婚礼习俗的差异作者：张妍指导教师朱广珍专业班级08级商务英语4班院系外国语学院完成日期2011年3月浅谈中美婚礼习俗的差异张妍外国语学院08级商务英语4班（西安翻译学院,陕西西安 710105)An Analysis of the Different Wedding Customs BetweenChina and AmericaZhang YanBusiness English，Class 4, Foreign Language College(Xi’an Fanyi U niversity，Xi'an 710105)摘要：从古至今,婚姻对于人们来说都是至关重要的，婚礼则是两人婚姻的具体体现形式，所以每个国家都有举办婚礼的习俗。

然而由于人种不同、肤色不同、居住地方不同、生活方式不同的原因，各个国家举行婚礼的习俗也各不相同，所以中美婚礼习俗也存在着差异。

本文从新娘的嫁妆、婚礼举办的场所、婚礼的服饰、婚礼的习俗、这四个方面来介绍中美婚礼习俗的差异。

关键词: 婚礼；差异；习俗Abstract: From ancient times to the present, marriage is of utmost importance for most of the people. And wedding is the reflection of marriage. So every country has the custom tohold the wedding ceremony. However, owing to different human species, differentcolour, diferent living habits and other different reasons, wedding customs of each nationare various, it is also true with China and America 。

中美婚礼文化习俗比较范文大全第一篇：中美婚礼文化习俗比较中美婚礼习俗文化比较—从婚礼形式与婚礼服饰方面From Star:程杨楠、尹诗意、陈碧琳、梁勉摘要：自古以来，婚姻是人伦之首，婚姻是社会生活的重要组成部分，中西婚姻观念方面的差异，折射到人们的现实生活中，就造成了二者婚姻习俗方面的差异。

中国是一个文明古国，其悠久的历史和灿烂的文化不断向婚姻风俗沉淀，所以，中国的婚俗文化凝聚了中华文化的精华，具有独特的东方魅力。

而西方国家，由于地理，民族，历史，宗教等诸多方面的原因，他们的婚嫁习俗与中国不尽相同，带有鲜明的西方色彩。

当然，中西方婚礼习俗都是在本国长期的历史文化积淀中形成的。

下文旨在通过婚礼形式、礼服等方面的差异，对中国西婚礼文化进行对比。

关键字：婚礼习俗、婚礼仪式、礼服一、婚礼形式婚礼形式是婚礼中最重要的部分。

国家不同，婚礼的仪式也不尽相同。

与其他方面不同的是，在这一环节，传统的中国婚礼仪式比西方传统婚礼仪式要简单得多。

而婚礼形式也在随着世界形势的发展而不断变化着。

（一）中国的婚礼形式“三书六礼”“三拜九叩”。

所谓“三书”，就是指聘书、礼书、迎亲书；而“六礼”是指纳采、问名、纳吉、纳征、请期、亲迎而在这之间更有换庚谱、过文定、过大礼、安床等一系列的活动。

而在这些活动中有着大量的禁忌和礼俗，比如新娘嫁妆中要有剪刀（蝴蝶双飞）、痰盂（子孙桶）、尺（良田万顷）、片糖（甜甜蜜蜜）、银包皮带（腰缠万贯）、花瓶（花开富贵）、铜盆及鞋（同偕到老）、龙凤被、床单及枕头一对、两双用红绳捆着的筷子及碗（有衣食）、七十二套衣服，用扁柏、莲子、龙眼及利是伴着（丰衣足食）等物，每样物品都有其不同的含义。

同时，在婚礼进行时也有一定的顺序，按一般的情况，在整个婚礼过程中有：1、祭祖（男方在出门迎娶新娘之前，先祭拜祖先）2、出发（迎亲车队以双数为佳）3、燃炮（迎亲礼车行列在途中，应一路燃放鞭炮以示庆贺）、4、等待新郎（礼车至女方家时，会有一男童侍持茶盘等候新郎，新郎下车后，应赏男孩红包答礼，再进入女方家）5、讨喜（新郎应持捧花给房中待嫁之新娘，此时，新娘之闺中密友要拦住新郎，不准其见到新娘，女方可提出条件要新郎答应，通过后才得进入）6、拜别（新人上香祭祖，新娘应叩拜父母道别，并由父亲盖上头纱，而新郎仅鞠躬行礼即可。

中西婚礼习俗对比第一篇：中西婚礼习俗对比中西婚礼习俗对比1、引言自古以来，婚姻是人伦之首，更重要的是人们可以透过纷繁绚丽的婚俗，更清楚的认识人类社会历史，探索人类社会发展的基本规律。

随着中国加入WTO,中国和西方国家间的经济，文化交流日渐频繁，中国和西方国家人民之间的合作与往来与日俱增，这种要求更显迫切。

而婚礼作为将丈夫和妻子之间的关系公开确定下来的一种方式，在每种文化形式中，都有其不同的婚礼习俗。

而在中国与西方国家交流日益密切的形势下，更透彻的了解西方国家的婚礼习俗是必要的。

2、中西婚礼习俗概况 2.1中国婚礼习俗的概况几千年来，中国传统婚姻习俗一直实行的是“纳彩、问名、纳吉、纳征、请期、亲迎”的六礼之仪。

中国人传统的婚礼通常在男方家举行。

婚礼当天新郎新娘都穿崭新的传统中式服装，多为红色，以取讨喜、避邪之意；新郎古代多穿九品服，近代多穿长袍马褂，大红花扎在胸前，头戴礼帽，新娘古代多戴凤冠、披霞披，近代则多穿大红花的新衣、长裙，还要头盖红盖头。

迎亲时新郎要骑高头大马，用花轿到新娘家去接新娘。

而新娘上轿时是不能沾地的：或者将花轿抬至屋门口，再由新娘的父兄将其抱上花轿，或者在地上铺上红毯子或席子让新娘踩踏而过;或者在不乘花轿时要由新娘的舅舅或兄弟轮流背至新郎家中。

据说这样可以新娘的身份高贵，同时也不至于把新娘家的财气和福气带走。

迎亲路上还要请过乐队吹吹打打，一路上唢呐声声、锣钹阵阵以示喜庆，返回时还要抬着新娘的各色嫁妆。

抵达新郎家后，新娘要先迈过火盆方可入室，寓意“婚后生活红红火火”。

然后一对新人要在长辈的主持下施行拜堂大礼，一拜天地、二拜高堂、三是夫妻对拜，最后是送入洞房，新郎要揭开新娘的红盖头、和新娘喝合婚酒，亲友们还要请新娘“吃喜糖”，如红枣、花生、栗子等，意为早生贵子，表达了人们希望子孙昌盛的愿望；到了近代还有亲人闹洞房等。

新郎家中还要大摆宴席，招待新娘家的客人，而且新郎还要敬酒。

与此同时，新娘家里的人不是所有的不会都去，俗话有“姑不娶，姨不送；舅妈送，一场病”的说法，意思就是新郎的姑姑不能去迎亲，而新娘的姨妈、舅妈也不能去送亲。

浅谈中西方婚俗礼仪之差异第一篇：浅谈中西方婚俗礼仪之差异论文关键词：中世纪婚姻礼仪基督教儒家思想宗法思想论文摘要：婚姻乃人生大事。

通过对中世纪中西方的婚姻礼仪进行比较，可以分析得出其背后不同的文化内涵。

中世纪西方国家的婚姻礼仪主要受基督教思想的影响；而处于同一时期的中国，其婚姻礼仪则主要受封建传统思想尤其是儒家传统的宗法思想的影响。

中国有句俗话：“男大当婚，女大当嫁。

”婚姻是人生中的一件大事，而婚礼作为“五礼”中的“嘉礼”，是礼的本源和发端，是人生最重要的礼仪之一，无论在中国还是西方国家，一直深受重视。

然而，由于地理、民族、历史、宗教等诸多因素的影响，中西方的婚礼习俗存在诸多差异。

例如，西方的婚礼一般都在教堂举行且由牧师主持，然后新郎新娘相互交换结婚戒指并吟诵结婚誓言；而中国古代的婚礼多在新郎家中举行且由男方家长主婚，然后新郎新娘“一拜天地、二拜高堂、夫妻交拜”。

透过这些有趣的礼仪，令人不禁发问：“为什么会有这些结婚礼仪？为什么中西方的婚礼会出现如此大的差异？”于是，以中世纪中西方的婚姻礼仪为切入口，通过比较，试图分析其背后所蕴含的文化内涵。

从《当代国内外学者对欧洲中世纪婚姻问题的研究》一文中了解到,大约从20世纪三四十年代开始,西方社会学和人口学研究逐渐兴起,并不断开拓新的领域,大面积地涉及到婚姻与家庭问题,取得了许多有价值的重要成果。

著名的人口学家杰克·古迪(Jack.Goody),就以人口学的方法,写成了《欧洲家庭和婚姻的发展》(The Development of the Family and Marriage in Europe)一书。

而有关中世纪婚姻的专门化研究大约始于20世纪60年代,到70年代迅速拓展,大量关于中世纪婚姻和家庭研究的学术期刊应运而生,有关的讲座也频频举行。

其中英国“剑桥人口和社会结构史研究组”(Cambridge Group for theHistory of Population and Social Structure)的动态最为活跃,该团体将中世纪婚姻作为其探讨的一个中心课题,汇集了众多来自世界各地的社会史和人口学领域的著名学者,如拉斯莱特(Laslett),瑞格莱格(Wrigleg),斯克菲尔德(Schofield),理查德·斯密斯(Richard Smith)等,取得了一批引人注目的重要成果,有力地推动了婚姻问题研究的展开。

从婚礼习俗看中美文化差异1Brief Introduction of the Wedding CustomsMarriage has long been one of the primary elements of human relations ever since the ancient time. It exists in almost every country. Wedding is the ceremonies held by two people who want to become a couple and by which they tell people the fact that they have already become husband and wife. And it is the proof of their love, their happiness, and will also leave many sweet memories to them. Wedding customs reflects time and ethnic features and has their cultural and folklore characteristics according to different countries, regions and ethnics. Different wedding customs formed their shapes after the appearance of marriage. Wedding custom is not only the unity of pluralistic social life styles and features, but also the development tendency of senses of value, including values on aesthetic, ethnics, religion and psychology, which are the cultural accumulation and spiritual legacy of human beings. Now I would like to state the wedding cultural differences by introducing the Chinese traditional wedding customs and its changes as well as the American one.2Chinese Traditional Wedding CustomsAs a very important rite in one’s life, wedding has long been an emphasized subject for Chinese people. We can divide the whole ceremony into three periods: before the wedding ceremony, during the wedding ceremony and after the wedding ceremony. And some ancient books, such as The Book of Rite and Rites of Zhou,divide it into six steps: Proposing, Asking the Name, Asking for Fortune, Sending Betrothal Presents to the Girl’s Family, and Discussing the Date of Wedding and Meeting the Bride. They are also known as the six etiquettes. (Wang Ye, 2006:57)2.1 Before the CeremonyThese six etiquettes that I mentioned above were also known as the period before the wedding ceremony.Pr oposing comes first. The boy’s family retains a matchmaker to bring a live wild goose to the girl’s family, which is the symbol of the will-be-couple’s faithfulness and eternal love. If the girl’s parents agree wit h the marriage, they will accept the wild goose and the boy may propose to the girl formally.T he next step is to “Ask the Name”.The procedure goes as follows: the boy’s family asks the matchmaker to go to the girl’s home to ask her name and birthday in o rder to augury with the marriage. The present the matchmaker takes should also be a wild goose, and if the girl’s family agrees to tell the name, they would accept the present.Asking for Fortune is one of the most important steps in the six etiquettes. Th e boy’s family will retain a wizard to see the reasonability of the marriage by testing the couple’s names and birthdays that they acquired from the former step, and whether the marriage wouldbe carried on successfully or not depends on the result of the divination.If the result is good to them, then the girl accepts the betrothal presents that are sent by the boy’s family, and will be betrothed to the boy. This step is called Sending Betrothal Presents to the Girl’s Family.When the boy and the girl are suitable and well prepared to get marri ed according to the law, the boy’s family will choose a good day for the wedding and ask the matchmaker to tell it tothe girl’s family for discussion.The last step of the six etiquettes is Meeting the Bride. This is, in a narrow sense, what we call the wedding ceremony. It is also one of the most important steps in the whole process. The groom picks up the bride with a palanquin while the bride is waiting at her home. (He Xiaoming, 2007:86)2.2 During the CeremonyThe day that the groom meets the bride is the liveliest day during the whole process of the wedding ceremony. Two people will carry two big red lanterns and walk in the front of the whole team, and behind the two people is the groom who rides a tall and strong horse; then the Chinese Oboe team and a team of roustabouts carrying betrothal gifts. The whole team is surrounded by music and happiness.After the bride is picked up and arrives at the boy’s home, the couple performs the traditional Three Bows. Firstly, they bow to the great Heaven and Earth, and secondly, they bow to their parents, and finally, they bow to each other. After the Three Bows the groom’s mother picks up one dumpling which is in the “bowl of children”by using a pair of “chopsticks of children”, blessing the bride’s pregnancy. A fter the blessing rite, there will be a banquet held by the boy’s family; everyone there will enjoy a luxurious dinner. Then a program called Revelry in the Bridal Chamber, which is also named “Nao Dongfang” by the Chinese, will be on. It is often very interesting; people there will make it happy and lively by playing practical jokes on the couple, and sometimes they will friendly embarrass the bride to achieve this goal. (Li Guimei & Yu Fangqin, 2000:12)2.3 After the CeremonyThen the wedding ceremony nearly comes to an end. Butthere still remain two rites to perform; they are meeting the relatives of the spouses, and going back to the bride’s home to thank parents-in-law and other people. Till then, the Chinese traditional wedding comes to an end.2.4 Changes in the CeremonyWith its dross and essence, the miscellaneous and tedious Chinese wedding customs have kept the traditions for hundreds and thousands of years ever since the first one wasperformed and now it is integrated into the modern society. The essence becomes beautiful scenery of the city, while some dross and complex rites are abandoned, however, some of which still can be seen today. This, to some extent, enables the Chinese modern wedding customs to come into existence. But according to different eras, Chinese wedding presented different kinds of visages.During the republican period, it is in the spirit of developing people’s spiritual life and doing away with superstition that the republican government intentionally carried out the New Life Movement. As a result, the wedding customs that were very close to people were inevitably influenced, some traditional complex rites were abolished and some new styles of the western kind were integrated into the new customs. After decades of years, many people took off the mandarin jacket and cheongsam, put on the black suit and white dress in the wedding.After the establishment of People’s Republic of China, Chinese government advocated the simplicity and modesty of holding the wedding ceremony, so the traditional one gradually lost its power. People did not stand on the old rites and customs, hence the wedding ceremony was held simply and rustically. Green uniform took the place of the wedding costumes; dailynecessities like watch, bike and sewing machine played the role of betrothal gifts and marriage portion.As time goes by, nowadays people are more literate; they not only prompt the Chinese weeding to abolish the old complex rites and customs as well as dross, maintain the basic feature and essence like Three Bows, but also have been developing it by absorbing the western one’s advantages. (Shan Qi, 2005:274) 3The American Traditional Wedding CustomsIn the book All Dressed in White, Carol Wallace holds that the American wedding customs today originated in the middle of the 19th century. She says that the customs took its shape by combining the religious ceremony and the banquet held later together, and the principles they follow today are wedding customs sprung up around 1850s in the American upper class, which then gradually infiltrated into the common people. (Wallace, 2001:49) As far as we know, the American wedding can be categorized into three kinds. They are religious marriage, which is held by a priest in church; secular marriage, which is the non-religious one that is held by local officials; and common law marriage, which is the one that does not need to receive the marriage certificate nor hold a ceremony. (Liu Ning, 2006:10) However, the religious one is adopted by most American people and it is the one I will introduce to you.3.1 Before the CeremonyGenerally speaking, the spouses’ friends will be invited to the parties held before thewedding come s. As the girl’s family will hold a bridal shower, whi ch only allows women to attend to give presents to the will-be-bride, while the boy’s family will also hold a bachelor party, which only allows men to attend. And after the parties theywill hold a betrothal ceremony and make the preparations for the wedding ceremony. In the betrothal ceremony the couple exchanges betrothal rings, which represent the unbreakable relations and the duty they have to bear after they get married.Traditionally, on the wedding day, the groom cannot meet the bride nor even take a look at the bride’s dress before the y set foot on the church land. And another great feature of American wedding is that the bride always wears “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”. (Li Changlei, 2000:220)3.2 During the CeremonyThe wedding ceremony usually takes place at the church. When it begins, the church plays wedding march composed by Wagner, and the bride walks slowly through the corridor of the church with her father onto the chancel. At the same moment, a flower girl who is in charge of throwing flowers walks in front of them and throws petals into the air to make a happy atmosphere. Then the father brings his daughter to the groom who wears full dress in deep color. After that, the bride will stand on the left side of her will-be-husband and the priest will make them standing in front of him with their faces facing him. Soon the priest will preside over the traditional wedding ceremony. After the oath is made and wedding rings are exchanged, the priest says “I now pronounce you husband and wife, and hope you will be both very happy” in a solemn way, then the wedding in church comes to the end. Surrounded by the music of solemnest and happiness, the couple walks hand in hand through the corridor and roams out of the church. On their way outside, those people present will show blessings by throwing rice, petals of rose and confetti onto them. The ceremony in church usually takes 45 minutes at themost.3.3 After the CeremonyThere will be a banquet after the ceremony. By contrast with the Chinese one, the fee of American wedding banquet is bored on the girl’s family, and the size of it depends on their living condition. On the banquet, every male guest may kiss the bride, which means that it is the end of the bride’s young era, and is the time for her to become a faithful wife from then on. Then a big wedding cake will be served on the banquet. Together the bride and the groom grip a knife and cut the cake into small pieces. The first two pieces will be the couple’s, a nd the rest ones will be handed over to every guest. When the banquet is nearly over, the bride will stand in the middle of the room with her back on the guests, and throw a bunch of flowers to the young ladies, or throw the garter to the gentlemen. It is said that the one who catches the bunch of flowers or the garter will be the next bride or groom, and willget blessings from the others. So the banquet ends in a happy atmosphere.Then it is the honeymoon travel, the fee of which should be bored on the bo y’s family. It is said that in the 4th century, the young Teutones kept such a custom when they got married, and now, the honeymoon travel becomes the first stop of the new couple’s life, but it does not have to be 30 days now but the length should depend on their living condition. （Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2002:64）Some regions have their own traditions. In a city of Maryland, “Do not kiss your lover” is a popular wedding custom. It is said that a man cannot initiatively kiss his spouse when they are chatting, or he will be refused or even be accused of insultingand be taken in custody for a week. As in Hawaii, there is a lively wedding held on water, in which the couple will sing and dance first, then they will be thrown into the sea and swim to a boat prepared for their honeymoon. As time changes, some American young people today do not abide by the traditional ceremony but pursue the ones of innovation, so some of them have a mountain-tops wedding, some have the wedding on the ocean floor with oxygen tanks and some would like to hold snowfield wedding. (Zhu Huan, 2005:876)4 Different Cultures and Thoughts of the WeddingsThe above are some customs about Chinese wedding and American wedding, but what are the differences between the two weddings?4.1 The General Image of the Two WeddingsTo begin with, we can describe the Chinese wedding as a red one and the American wedding as a white one. People have different understandings of the color of red and white between the Chinese people and the American people.The main color of the Chinese wedding is red, and Chinese people have kept the habit of pasting big double red Chinese character “happiness” on the walls, the window glasses, the doors and the other goods around them ever since hundreds and thousands of years ago. In addition, the candles, eggs, peanuts, red bag, the bedclothes in the bridal chamber and the wedding dresses that the bride and groom wear during the ceremony are all red. It fills the wedding with happiness and jubilance; blesses the new couple to lead a happy life. If a bride can wear a red wedding dress made by her mother, the bride gets blessings from her mother. The reason why there are so much red things in Chinese wedding is that red has long been regarded as a symbolof good fortune as well as good luck and happiness for Chinese people. (Guo Shangxing, 2006:355)American wedding also pays much attention to choose a color for the wedding. There is a saying about the symbols of the wedding color, and it goes as: white wedding, all the best; blue wedding, right choice of the groom; brown wedding, living in the town; green wedding, shy people; red wedding, death curse to yourself; yellow wedding, wrong choice ofthe groom; black wedding, it’s better to cancel. (Pan Wenjin, 2008:159) So the main color of the American wedding is white, which is helpful to make the wedding quiet and peaceful. For instance, the wedding dress, the layout of the celebrating places, the cake on the banquet and the wedding car are all white. The bride’s white dress and the groom’s bl ack full dress plus the white surrounding create a solemn atmosphere. Back in Roman times, the white color was the representative of festivity, while between the years of 1850 and 1900, white was also the symbol of riches and honor. And now, white as the symbol of chasteness has surpassed the other meanings.Second of all, the two weddings are totally different from the sound aspect. It is considered, in China, that the more noises the wedding is, the more lively it will be and the more blessings the couple would get, and as a result, the wedding day is always filled with the noise of firecrackers. As in America, the wedding is a peaceful one, and the wedding march played in church is serene and gentle. There will be no other sound in church when the wedding march is being played, so the wedding would be completed in a very solemn atmosphere.Due to the different traditional cultural perspectives, main colors and the sound environment of the weddings between thetwo countries differ from each other. Red or white is considered unpropitious in America or China. A red wedding makes American believe that it brings curses of death to them; only white which brings a quiet and peaceful environment makes them believe that it may bring blesses from God; on the other hand, the color of white usually appears in funerals of China, but only a red and noisy environment helps to build a happy and lively atmosphere for the wedding ceremony.4.2 Different Wedding Dresses in the Two WeddingsAs time goes by, the traditional Chinese red garments are now used less and less, and as the result of foreign culture’s aggression, most Chinese brides would like to wear a white wedding dress as the Americans do to show her purity and beauty. However, while Chinese traditions have not stop spreading in the new environment, white wedding dresses will still be decorated with red flowers or ropes, for after all, white is the color used in funerals of China by tradition. All the clothes, shoes and stockings will be well prepared by mothers. She will exhort the bride not to wear anything that include the Chinese character “短” in the name, such as knickers and socks. It is believed that all the things that have a “短” character in it symbolizes the marriage would be an ephemeral one.There is an unwritten rule in American wedding saying that the bride has to wear five things: “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a tanner in the shoes.” “Something old” is a white yarn the bride wears on her head, the old one that her mother used in the wedding dozens of years ago, which means the unforgettable parents’ fosterage; “something new” refers to a white wedding gown, which must be newly bought bythe bride, representing her virginity and also the beginning of th e couple’s life; “something borrowed”is a handkerchief the bride uses should be borrowed from her friends, which means that she will never forget their friendship, “something borrowed” has to be returned to its owner so that it meets the meaning of “borrowed”; “something blue” is a ribbon that she wears has to be blue in color, representing her faithfulness and loyalty to their love; they put a tanner in the shoes to wish that they will lead a rich and comfortable life after they get married. (Zhu Huan, 2005:876) It is worth mentioning that the bride is not allowed to sell her wedding dress, or their marriage will be over soon.They have different clothes, but we are able to know from their clothes that they have something in common. Neither people of the two countries expect a short marriage, they all wish they can be happy and grow old together. We can also see the culture blending from the different wedding dresses; however, they both maintain the continuation of traditional cultures.4.3 Different Banquets in the Two WeddingsWhether it is a Chinese wedding or an American wedding, people will enjoy a banquet held by the couple. The differences are that: who pays for the banquet? In China, it is the groom’s family who pay s the money, while in America, th e bride’s family deals with it. Secondly, the Chinese new couple always holds a luxurious banquet for the guests; they drink wine with every guest at every table to thank them for their coming and blessings. Consequently, the two peoples are both whacked to the wide after the wedding banquet is finished. But it is delightful that the cash gift received from the guests is capable of dealing with the banquet, and there may be some extra money left if it is luckyenough. While on the other hand, the American wedding banquet is not the same with the Chinese one, the Americans prefer a buffet including a ball, and they barely give cash as a gift. (Xia Qiaohua, 2005:50)4.4 Different Rites in the Two WeddingsThere are a lot of different rites between the two countries when the groom marries the bride. In China, no matter how the two people meet and how they fall in love with each other, the wedding should be presided over by the matchmaker who has a son and at the same time has a family in which three generations are present, and only in this case does the bride marry into the groom’s house in an open, correct manner. In America, weddings are usually presided over by a priest who declares the legality of the marriage.It can be tough for the groom to meet the bride on the day they get married in China, for the bride’s relatives will think up every method to make it difficult for the groom. They may ask the groom for red packets or hide the bride’s shoes in order to make sure that she cannot walk out of the room etc. All of these are to express the feeling that the bride’s family hates letting their daughter go and to tell the groom to cherish his wife.However, in America, the b ride’s father passes her onto the groom directly. Everything in an American wedding is solemn and impressive especially the oath the couple makes in front of God, which is also the climax of the whole wedding, and it goes like this: “I (name), take thee (n ame), to be my wife (husband), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death, as God is my witness, I give you mypromise.”So many pe ople burst into tears at this. (Liu Ning, 2006:10)4.5 Different Religious Beliefs in the Two WeddingsDifferent religious beliefs are one reason that makes the wedding differ from each other. For one thing, Buddhism is the most popular religion in China and besides the Chinese people is deeply influenced by Confucian thoughts. By contrast, most Americans are Christians and they believe in God.So the most important part of Chinese traditional wedding is the Three Bows, and after they finish the three bows, they will be real husband and wife; while the most important part of American traditional wedding is the couple making vows in front of God, and then the priest pronounces that they are husband and wife. But as a matter of fact, there is something similar between the Three Bows wedding and Christian church wedding, which is something religious inside them.To be detailed, the Three Bows has become one of the Chinese characteristics and it is a perfect combination of Chinese folk traditions, religious belief, and moral standards. The first bow they will give to the Heaven and the Earth. Thi s not only outpours people’s respect for the Great Heaven and Earth, but also shows their respect for the great nature, and to a certain extent, shows their reverence for nature due to some facts that exists in the society, such as the fear of earthquake, fire and flood etc.; the second bow is for their parents, which is the respect for giving their lives, for human relations and it expresses their gratitude for their pare nts’ upbringing; they will bow to each other at last for their love and respect. On the other hand, the western Christians believe that the combination of two individuals is the will of God; marriage is based on the words ofJesus. In other words, Bible is the reference. In the Christians’ opinion, marriage is made by God who creates the universe. When he saw humans, his greatest masterpiece, all on his own, God expressed his thought that it was not appropriate for the man to be alone, and he made up his mind to create a spouse for him. As a result of the help from God, the man got a wife and led a happy life. The Bible says, in the ancient time, the love token used by a man who proposed to his lover would be a ring. So the Americans today use rings as their love token. The entire above make the American traditional wedding take place in church and accompany with the Bible. (Pan Wenjin, 2008:159)4.6 Different Marriage Thoughts in the Two WeddingsLast but not least, different thoughts cause different phenomena of the two weddings.Marriage has its solemn meanings in Chinese traditional concepts, and people considered marriage as the combination of Ying and Yang of the Heaven and the Earth.“A marriage made in heaven”: Chinese people in ancient time believed that the marriage was determined by the Heaven, so a happy marriage was always called as “a marriage made in heaven”. It came into being under the influence of the Confucian thoughts and thousands of years of feudalism had covered it with its characteristics. In Chinese feudal society, relationship could not be freely decided by the two young couple. A matchmaker takes part in all the processes of wedding, including discussing the marriage, engagement and the wedding ceremony. It’s not hard to see from the traditional wedding customs that in ancient time the parents and the matchmakers decided whom the young people would be married to, while the young people who played the main role in getting married were out of the name list ofplanning. The parents would first check their names and birthdays to see if they were suitable to marry, and they had the taboo as follows: if one of them was three, six or nine years older than the other, or their birth years were respectively horse and cow, pig and monkey, dragon and tiger, the parents and the matchmakers would not let such a marriage happen. They would rather that the male were several years older than the female but would not wish to have the female even one year older than the male. They believed the harmoniousness of their names and birthdays would be helpful for them to build a happy marriage relationship. So when people are talking about ancient marriage, there will be a saying that: “obey the parents’ order, consider the matchmaker’s advises.”The American marriage ethics is derived from the integration of Hellenism and Hebraism, and today it develops into the modern marriage ethics of free love. Basically, the young Americans are free to choose their lover, but not completely, because they are often influenced by the family-related factors. That’s because, on the one hand, parents educate their children in their way during the years of raising their children, so the children’s concept and behavior are often influenced by their parents. That’s the indirect influe nce of family. On the other hand, it is true that American parents do not choose a spouse for their children, but if their children chose a spouse that is not suitable for them, parents will express what’s in their mind and try to change their children’s o ption directly. However, although the young Americans are influenced by the family-related factors directly or indirectly, they still do not lose the leading power when choosing their spouse, and in fact the young keep the right to make a final decision on their marriage. So the Americanmarriage is not only the stage of placing importance on free will of individuals, of the free development of human nature, of the spontaneous outpouring of humanity, but also cooperation between parents and children in the marriage. People meet each other in daily life and one is attracted by the other without any external influence; they pursue each other and finally fall in love with each other. When their love climbs to a climax that is inseparable, they will be willing to marry themselves to each other and to contribute everything they have to their lovers. With mutual affective commitment, people build up a family to work together for their ideal life of common wish. (Wang Enming, 2000:271)5 ConclusionAs what I have elaborated above, we can see that each of the two countries’ cult ure has its uniqueness, and through the thousands of years of evolution, this uniqueness is responsible for the different shape of weddings. As one of the cultures of a country, wedding culture shows the characteristics of a country. And when different cultures are influenced by each other, they will adjust and change themselves so that they can absorb the advantages of each other, and then they will be able to make some progress. So does the Chinese wedding culture.Chinese wedding customs have changed a lot, and wedding dresses change from the ancient gallant full dress decorated with luxurious jewelry to the last century’s long gown and mandarin jacket, and then to today’s suit; from a chaple t and official robes to cheongsam, then the white dress; the vehicles used in wedding change from horse to bicycle, and then brand cars today; in ancient time Chinese people did the Three Bows, but today some of them give oaths in front God in church; the Chinese wedding。

中国婚礼习俗与西方婚礼习俗【中国婚礼习俗】1、结婚六礼：纳采，又称“采择”，相当于后世所称之“提亲”、“说媒”。

表示男方曾审慎考虑之后所做的决定。

问名，是指男家询问女家关于女家女儿的姓名、时辰八字，如女家接纳男家的提亲，就会把女儿的姓名和时辰八字等交给男家，放在神前或祖先前以占卜吉凶，如卜吉兆的话，就会决定娶女家的女儿。

纳吉，即过文定，有一点像西方人的定婚，这时其实婚事已初步议定。

纳征，即过大礼，“纳”是的意思是聘财，而“征”就是“成”的意思，亦即是说男家需要纳聘礼后才可成婚的意思。

过大礼时，男家会请两位或四位女性亲戚（须是全福之人）约同媒人，带备聘金、礼金及聘礼到女方家中；完成纳征的仪式后，婚约便正式定立。

请期，即是“择吉日”成婚的意思。

男家会择定一个成婚的良辰吉日，再准备婚期吉日书和礼品给女家，女家受礼及同意后，便可确定婚期。

亲迎，亦称迎亲，就是在结婚之日，新郎会与媒人和亲友一起前往女家迎娶新娘。

新郎前往女家之前会先到女家的祖庙行拜见之礼，然后以花轿接新娘回到男逐。

新人会在男家举行拜天、地、祖先的仪式，然后送入洞房。

2、男家礼品以下的礼品皆是均双数以取其“好事成双”之意，依照各地风俗不同，礼品的种类会有差异。

聘金：这表示男方承认和感谢女方家长对女儿的养育之恩。

聘饼：一担（五十公斤）海味：分四式，六式或八式，款式与数量视男家的经济状况而定。

每款通常分两包。

其中发菜是必须的，以取其发财之意。

三牲：两对鸡，两雄两雌（父母不全，一对已足够）；猪肉三至五斤起双飞，即一片相连开二，以表示丰硕诚恳的敬意。

鱼：大鱼或鲮鱼；意即腥（声）气；也表示有头有尾年年有余。

椰子：两对（父母不全可用一对），即有爷（椰）有子的意思。

酒：四支，表示爱情浓郁。

四京果：即龙眼干、荔枝干、合桃干和连壳花生，以祝福子孙兴旺，亦含圆满多福，生生不息之意。

生果：即生生猛猛的意思。

四色糖：即冰糖、桔饼、冬瓜糖和金茦，表示象甜密，白头到老的意思。