CRI English Unit 9:Western Marriage Customs 西方国家婚礼习俗

Part 2   On Wedding Day 西方婚礼的传统和习俗

Dialogue Script  对话原文

Julia: I would prefer a sincere affair of a few people. Here you really felt that it was a meaningful thing, and not just a showy prestigious affair for...for parents to show off what they can provide for their daughters or son.
Ray: But that's an important thing for the parents to do, isn't it? I mean, parents at that...it ought to be ...parents ought to be allowed to do this.
Julia: But one is getting married, not one's parents.
Ray: Yes, but it's the parents who are paying for it. And it's the parents who've, if you like,...brought up this young girl or man to...
Julia: Surely the money that is spent...I'd prefer to see the money spent on something more worthwhile.
Ray: Yes, but it's not...it may not be your money as such. And I think if the parents are paying for it, then they should have a great deal to say about it. If they prefer a large wedding and they prefer to...to invite Aunty Fole, Uncle Bill who you haven't seen since you were two years old, well, I think that's their prerogative.
Julia: So it really boils down to what they prefer rather than what...the son or daughter prefers...
Ray: Well, not entirely. But nevertheless I think it is important that they should...that they be consulted.

讲解：

1. Modern wedding customs and traditions have their origins in the past, many coming from the Middle Ages. In ancient Rome, the bride wore a girdle fastened with many tiny knots. The groom had the pleasure of untying all those knots before he could bed his new wife.

    Up until the 1400's, the bride usually wore her best dress regardless of the color. It was Queen Victoria (1840) who began the present day fashion of wearing white as the wedding dress. It is also considered unlucky for the bride to make her own wedding dress.

    The idea of having bridesmaids, pages, a best man and ushers originated with the belief that evil spirits, envious of the couple's happiness, would be out to hamp3 them, but would be confused by so many similarly dressed people.

    The custom of the best man probably goes back to the days when the groom took a friend with him when he went to kidnap the bride from her home. Bells were originally rung at weddings to frighten away the evil spirits, and noisy celebrations were held beforehand to try and drive them from the community. These were the ancestors of our stag and hen parties.

    东方人自古以来，喜欢用浓重的颜色表示自己的快乐与喜庆；西方人，特别是虔诚的耶稣的信徒们，更是从宗教信义上出发，认为男女的结合是圣洁的，代表着神圣的生儿育女生活的开始，所以必须用圣洁的白色来妆点它，这才是最完美的。因此，西方人的婚礼多用白色来布置，从古老的教堂婚礼到现代的前卫婚礼，无不见新娘们穿着雪白的婚纱，挽着闪着珠光的白色小拎包，洁白的纱手套上捧着的是一大捧粉白的百合。这样的习俗延续了几百年，至今未变。

    婚礼中配伴娘、男童、男傧相和迎宾员的观念源于这样一种信仰，即嫉妒新人幸福的邪恶幽灵会冒出来伤害他们，但如果婚礼上有许分着装类似的人，就能迷惑幽灵。配男傧相的习俗大概要追溯到那种年代，那时新郎往往要用上一个朋友去新娘家把她绑架出来。铃在婚礼上叮当作响原是为了吓走邪恶幽灵，而在婚礼之前举办热闹的庆祝会也是为了把那些邪恶幽灵从新人和他们的亲朋好友中赶走。这就是"雄鹰会"和"母鸡会"的由来。

    西方人婚礼上随处可见花，从教堂到酒店，小到教堂中的每一把椅子，无处不有花的存在。他们喜爱使用粉色系的花，粉白，粉兰，粉红，粉绿，粉紫，粉黄...而且他们喜欢使用新鲜的花朵，绝不会采用假花。一般每对新人结婚，鲜花的使用量是相当大的。随处可见的就是花，因为每一位盛装出席的女士，不论其年龄，都会在发髻处戴上一小束花以示对新人们的尊重。

    在西方国家，通常婚礼的活动就是抛花球的游戏，其他小游戏很少。在步出教堂后，新娘要背转身将手中的花球向后抛去，最后被哪个女宾接到，她就是下一个幸福的新娘。所以在这个时候，所有未婚的女宾都会主动站到前一排来，做好抢花球的准备，为的是沾沾新娘的喜气。

2. 在这段对话中，Julia和Ray在讨论父母在子女结婚时所扮演的角色。Julia认为婚礼是子女们自己的事儿，不必兴师动众，大操大办。父母亲不应将其视为向别人炫耀的平台。Ray 则认为，由于婚礼的费用主要来自父母，因此他们应该有一定的发言权，况且，从尊重长辈的角度出发，无论如何，在终身大事的问题上与父母商量也是很重要的。

3. showy, 浮华的，（过分）艳丽的；show off是“向人炫耀，卖弄”的意思。

4. provide常常有两种用法，一种是provide sb with sth，另一种是provide sth for sb，表达的意思差不多；另一个是bring up，意思是“教育，培养，抚养成人”。

5. Aunty Fole和Uncle Bill，指很久没见面的阿姨或叔叔，不特指哪一个阿姨或叔父，也许很多人。