Japanese wedding traditions

Today I’m going to tell you something about Japanese wedding traditions. 

                                                    

   I would like to begin by general information. There are many different wedding rituals such as Christian, Buddhist and Shinto in modern Japan. Firstly, weddings used to be organized by parents and newlyweds didn’t know each other before their wedding. But now this situation is completely different. Now like in other countries young people usually start going out and then if they fall in love, they can get married. Of course, all couples have their ups and downs, and if family life is not successful and people realise that they want to go their separate ways, they usually get divorced. Unfortunately, the divorce rate in Japan is rather high and it is nearly about 30%.

   But now I want to tell you about more optimistic things and I think you will be glad to hear about Japanese Shinto wedding.

   So, when it comes to wedding traditions, the Japanese is one of the most colorful cultures. There are a lot of details in a traditional Japanese wedding, so it costs a lot. But everyone who has been a guest at a Japanese wedding will tell you that the results are more than worth both the effort and the expense.

                                              Getting married in a Japanese Shinto Shrine.

Historically, Japanese wedding ceremonies were performed in Shinto Shrines. And even today many of Japan's weddings, therefore, are held in shrines for couples who want to follow Japanese wedding traditions.

Let’s now turn to Japanese Wedding Day and wedding dress.

The Japanese bride-to-be is painted pure white from head to toe. The bride wears a white kimono and an elaborate headpiece which is covered with many ornaments to invite good luck to the happy couple. The bride wears this kimono only once, because, in Japan, this kimono is worn only by young, unmarried women. 

Red is the most popular kimono color, but they are also available in other colors. 

  A white hood is attached to the kimono, which the bride wears like a veil to hide her 'horns of jealousy' from the groom's mother, who will now become the head of the family. Japanese grooms wear black kimonos to their wedding ceremony.

 It isn’t an easy task to put on this kimono, so the bride and groom will get some help from assistants. Tying the obi, or belt, is particularly difficult. Accessories are also an important component in the traditional wedding clothes.

 The traditional Japanese wedding costume for the groom consists of an outer garment (Hakama) worn over a full-length kimono. It is split between the legs like pants. Hakama pants originally were designed to protect the legs of samurai warriors when they were riding a horse. The hakama today is worn as formal dress for wedding ceremonies and also for dances, martial arts and by artists. The pants are made of cotton and other materials. The traditional color of the hakama is black, gray or brown with a white pinstripe. Today pants are available in many colors to suit the bride and groom ' s taste.

While the bride and groom exchange their wedding vows, their families face each other. Central to the traditional Japanese marriage ceremony is the ritual of drinking nine cups of sake, after which newlyweds are considered united. Families and guests also drink sake, to symbolize the bonding of the couple as well as of the two families. The father of the groom, and of the bride, then introduce their family members.

Let me move on to Japanese Reception Celebration

For the wedding reception, the new bride changes into a red kimono and again later into a western-style gown for the wedding party. The  invited guests are engaged in games and karaoke during the wedding reception. Guests are expected to offer the couple goshugi -- money -- in a festive envelope either before or after the wedding ceremony.

Many Japanese brides prefer spring and autumn for wedding. Wedding anniversaries are thought to be lucky, so it is common to see dozens of newlywed couples going for their honeymoon on the same day.

Next we come to the most pleasant thing it’s Gifts and after that I’ll tell you some words about the cost of this ceremony.

Traditionally the bridal couple receives two gifts from each guest. Friends and relatives send a wedding gift to the couple before or after, but never on the wedding day. Guests are also expected to bring cash for a gift. The amount of money depends on their degree of closeness to the couple and the family. In traditional Japanese invitations, that relationship will be indicated on the invitation card. The average cash gift is 30,000 yen ($250) for a close friend's wedding, but gifts can be from $30 to $200.

The money is placed into a special envelope, or Shugibukuro, and the guest's name is written on the front of the envelope. Envelopes, called iwaibukuro, can be bought at Japanese supermarkets or grocery shops.

At the end of the evening, the couple thanks all the guest for attending the ceremony.

Cost 

The average Japanese reception in Japan can be from several million yen ($20,000-$30,000), to $100,000.

The number of guests is either 50 or 200 people, on average. The scale of reception has begun to decline in Japan and couples are beginning to like more simple weddings.

Unfortunately today, only 30% of young couples in Japan marry in traditional Shinto style. Most of a Japanese weddings tend to copy modern Western culture.