中西方婚姻文化差异的研究论文

随着我国经济的发展和全球一体化的加速前进，中西方两种文化开始了更广泛的碰撞和交融，而对婚礼习俗的研究能反映出国家之间文化的异同, 有利于促进两国的文化交流。本文旨在通过对比中国与西方（以英国为例）在婚礼习俗上的不同来研究中西婚礼习俗的差异与文化融合，以此来帮助人们更好地理解中西方的婚俗文化,达到开阔视野的目的。中式 ：相传中国最早的婚姻关系和婚礼仪式从伏羲氏制嫁娶、女娲立媒约开始。《通鉴外纪》载：“上古男女无别，太昊始设嫁娶，以俪皮为礼。”从此，俪皮（成双的鹿皮）就成了经典的婚礼聘礼之一。之后，除了“俪皮之礼”之外，还得“必告父母”；到了夏商，又出现了“亲迎于庭”“亲迎于堂”的仪节。周代是礼仪的集大成时代，彼时逐渐形成一套完整的婚姻礼仪，《仪礼》中有详细规制，整套仪式合为“六礼”。六礼婚制作从此为华夏传统婚礼的模板，流传至今。西式： 这个传统始于15世纪，当时奥地利大公麦西米伦以钻戒向玛丽许下海誓山盟。当时，他的亲信呈文献言：“殿下，在订婚时，您必须送一枚有钻石的戒指。”麦西米伦纳言。这个仪式从此流传至今，已有数世纪之久。

1、婚前习俗不一样

西方订婚戒，这个传统始于15世纪，当时奥地利大公麦西米伦以钻戒向玛丽许下海誓山盟。当时，他的亲信呈文献言：“殿下，在订婚时，您必须送一枚有钻石的戒指。”麦西米伦纳言。这个仪式从此流传至今，已有数世纪之久。

中方过大礼仪式，“过大礼”的仪式，这是订婚的最隆重，也是最重要的仪式；因为这仪式过后就等如正式定立了婚约。跟“过文定”一样，男家会选择一个吉日，带同聘金和各种礼品到女家；而女家亦会准备回礼礼品。

2、结婚当日流程不一样

中方，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家。新人会在男家举行拜天、地、祖先的仪式，然后送入洞房。

西方：

（1）前往教堂

新人会前往教堂，到达后婚礼就正式举行。

（2）仪式开始

一般来说，西式婚礼是由牧师或神父主持的。亦有所谓的Civil Wedding，在此情况下，婚礼并没有任何的宗教仪式，那当然亦不会由牧师或神父主持了。）当牧师或神父到来时，伴郎及伴娘就会进入会场，这时也会播放或演奏进场的乐曲。而宾客即会起立；戒子童Ring Bearer 也同时会把戒子交给该牧师或神父。

跟着就会奏出婚礼进行曲，新娘会挽着她爸爸的手进场。新娘进场后，新娘的父亲就会把新娘交到新郎的手中。跟着就是最重要的时候了，全场的宾客都会肃静，而所有的奏乐也会停止。主持人会问新郎新娘会否愿意成为夫妇，这就是说I Do 我愿意的时候了！

然后是交换戒指的仪式；当然，在现今社会中，还需要签字作实，这才可以使西式婚礼具法律的约束力。

3、婚后习俗不一样

中方有三朝回门，即归宁，三朝是指婚后的第三天，新娘由丈夫的陪同下，带备烧猪及礼品回娘家祭祖，然后再随丈夫回到夫家。

西方，“蜜月”（Honeymoon）  一词的由来起源于古欧洲的习俗。新婚夫妇在婚后的30天内，或直到月缺时，每天都要喝由蜂蜜发酵制成的饮料，以增进性生活的和谐。古时候，蜂蜜是生命、健康和生育能力的象征。“蜜月”是新婚夫妇在恢复日常生活前的单独相处。

参考资料来源；百度百科-中国婚礼

百度百科-西式婚礼

Differences Between Chinese Marriage Custom and Western Marriage Custom 中西方婚俗的差异AbstractThere are many procedures in Chinese marriage custom. The book propriety and ceremony, which records earliest wedding ceremony, says that marriage includes six etiquettes, namely, proposing, asking the name, asking for fortune, sending betrothal presents to the girl's family, discussing the date of marriage and meeting the bride. In western marriage, there are four procedures. They are proposal, changing surnames, choosing the day and holding the wedding. As the different religions, cultural origins, marriage concepts and geographies, there are many differences existing in the two kinds of marriage customs. In Chinese marriage custom, the matchmaker functions almost all the time and youths have no right to choose and women are not on an equal footing with men. By contrast, in western marriage custom, the priest functions and the youths have legal right to choose whom they want to marry and men and women are equal. There also exist common things in the two sides. They have been maintained for thousands of years. But in recent years (especially after the founding of modern China), people have tended to discard some of the details and advocate simplified marriage procedures and wedding WordsMarriage custom; differences; reasons摘 要中国婚俗有着许多的仪式。最早记载婚礼习俗的《仪礼》云：“婚有六礼，纳采、问名、 纳吉、纳征、请期、亲迎。”而在西方国家主要有4个程序，即建议，改姓，选期和举行婚礼。由于宗教、文化根源、婚姻观念以及地理环境的不同在一定程度上导致了中西方婚俗的不同。在中国婚俗中，媒人起着决定性的作用，而作为婚姻当事人的青年男女却没有选择的自由和权力，而且男女在婚姻中的不平等现象也屡有出现。 在西方，是牧师在婚姻中起作用，并且青年男女有合法的权力去选择自己的夫婿或妻子。当然中西方的婚俗也存在相同的地方。它们存在了上千年之久。近年来（特别是新中国成立之后），中西结合的婚姻屡有出现。关键词婚俗；差异；原因IntroductionMarriage is formed in a long historical evolution of the marriage custom in a nation. It is the regularity of the activities that restrains people's awareness of marriage and marriage. Marriage custom’s binding does not depend on the law, and it can not rely on science tests neither, but on the force of habit, traditional culture and national psychology. During the development of human history, the institution of marriage and family system has experienced different processes of development. Human have experienced group marriage, the dual system of marriage and individual marriage system (monogamy).As a union of a man and a woman and a family formation stage, marriage includes not only marriage, but also the preparation phase for the marriage and the performance stage after the festivities. It runs through the whole process of life. These customs, as a national symbol and cultural development, plays a very important role in ethnic studies and the history of is a country with an ancient civilization and a long history, and many customs. Among so many customs, there is a particular marriage custom. This custom goes through various and long stages of development from ancient simple wedding ceremony to later complex ceremony, from feudal marriage custom to the modern free marriage custom. During these courses, people’s ideas are progressing, though we can not say that their ideas are up to the top of mankind’s ideas in all over the world at all over the time because there are still backward ideas existing in many places, in many people’s mind and they maybe will still exist for a long time. However, they are up to the top of mankind’s ideas in a certain stage of the uninterrupted development of civilization is the base of western culture. Britain plays an important role in western history and western culture, and of course marriage with each other, they are different in many aspects such as in right aspect and in freedom aspect and there are many reasons that result in these differences such as cultural reason and geographical reason. I. Chinese Marriage CustomLike other folk, marriage custom has the same development and evolving process. In the early days of humanity, the human relationship in a very long period of time still carried the irregular relations like the animal world. There was no marriage at all, if suggest some, the only "arbitrary marriage." In China, marriage has gone through for a long time. As a most grand etiquette, it has always been a high degree of attention. To control the marriage, the family and the whole society, since the beginning of Zhou Dynasty, Chinese marriage should comply with six procedures, which is the so-called "six etiquettes." And Later in Tang and Ming Dynasty in China, marriage also complied with the "six etiquettes". As time goes by, although many wedding customs experienced various changes "Six etiquettes" as the basic pattern has not changed much. It is still essential and core in marriage has changed much today, but in many places, there still remains traditional marriage feudal society, a marriage would be decided not by the youths’ love, but by their parents' desires. Only after a matchmaker's introduction and when parents considered the two family conditions were similar and could be matched, would the marriage procedures went forward. Conditions that should be taken into consideration included wealth and social status. If a boy's family was well-off or an official family, his parents would never permit him to marry a girl from a poor family. Essential to the marriage process were the commonly recognized 'three Letters and six etiquettes'. The three letters were the betrothal letter, the gift letter with a gifts list and the wedding letter used on the day the bridegroom met his bride at her home. The book propriety and ceremony, which records earliest wedding ceremony, says that marriage, usually, involves six necessary procedures, namely, proposing, asking the name, asking for fortune, sending betrothal present to girl's family, discussing date of marriage and meeting the . Proposing:Proposing is the first etiquette in marriage and is the first meet between the members in the two families. Thus, it is very important. Using a common expression, it is making an offer of marriage to another family on behalf of the son or the parents thought that the girl could be the daughter-in-law in old times, they would ask a matchmaker for sending the gifts and bring the son and the girl together. If the girl’s parents also agreed on the marriage, they would accept the gifts. People usually used a wild goose when sending the gifts. Because the wild gooses could fly to the south or the north according to the seasons and they would never change it which implied the woman would be punctual and also because when the wild gooses flied they were in a row and when they stopped they were in a line which implied that woman should comply with the marriage rules and arrange in order that one should not breach . Asking the NameIt aims to ask for girl’s name and ancient times the girl’s name would not be known by other people until the girl was in an age of marriage. First, one must have the matchmaker and inform of the man’s family through a card. And the man’s family would lastly receipt for postal remittance. Thus it can be seen that “asking the name” not only meant that the man’s family wanted to know the girl’s name, but also wrote down the woman’s birthday and Eight-characters (in four pairs denoting the time, date, month and year of a person’s birth, each pair consisting of one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch, used in fortune-telling). If the birthday and Eight-characters were not harm the man, the man’s family would lastly receipt for postal remittance. Sometimes the woman’s parents also wrote down the official position of the woman’s great-grandpa, grandpa and father and the dowry that could be supplied. What’s interesting is that during this progress it was the matchmaker that functioned, not the man’s family or the woman’s family. Matchmaker was also important in the other procedures. In traditional Chinese marriage, people believed “behest of the parents and proposal of a matchmaker”. That’s why many marriages in the past were arranged by parents and matchmakers. Matchmaker’s proposal was the marriage’s valid basis in Tang has been simplified today. Many marriage does not need this . Asking for Fortune After asking the name, the bridegroom’s side had got the woman’s birthday and Eight-Characters and they went to consult a fortune-teller then which was called “asking for fortune”. It included two aspects of contents. One was consult the female virtues. Ancient people regarded female virtues as the most important one in the gospel of three obedience that were obedience to one’s father before marriage, to one’s husband after marriage, and to one’s son after one’s husband’s death and four virtues that was morality, proper speech, modest manner, and diligent work for a woman according to Confucian lichun, Zhuge Liang’s wife (Zhuge Liang was a statesman and strategist in the period of the Three Kingdoms, now a symbol of wisdom in Chinese folklore) was famous for her ugliness, wisdom and high female virtues. A man in old times always had many wives. In order to solidifying and stead in the family, people paid much attention to female virtues. Hence there was the saw “Marry wife is marrying virtues and take a concubine is marrying appearance”.The other one was consult good or bad luck. If they were not fit for each other in Eight-Characters according to the birthday and what’s more, the woman would harm the man, the result was that this marriage would not be held and would be cancelled. If the result was fit for each other and moreover the woman would make the man prosperous, the man’s side would inform the woman’s side through the matchmaker and send the betrothal gifts and exchange cards. Thus the marriage was actually decided to be . Sending Betrothal Presents to the Girl’s FamilyThe book propriety and ceremony wrote by the scholars in Han dynasty regards it as sending money. If there is no receipt of gifts, there is no marriage. Hence whether receipt the gifts or not is the implication of the agreement of the marriage by the woman’s significance of it includes two aspects of meaning. One is the thanks for the woman’s parents because the parents feed up her. The other is help the woman’s family prepare for . Discussing the Date of MarriageIn the past, the bridegroom’s side decided the lucky day and sent the matchmaker to inform of the woman’s family. People paid much attention to the marriage time. They usually had a person looked at the almanac or asked for fortune. They liked having marriage in spring or autumn because spring was the time that everything comes back to life and time when spring was changing into summer and was favor to pregnant with new life; autumn was the season of harvest. After the labor for a year, people had enough money to hold the , it is also an important event. People pay many attentions to . Meeting the BrideThe marriage is finally held after the five procedures. In the past, the bridegroom wore wedding suit, riding on a horse, and guided the bridal sedan chair to marry the bride on the day. And the bride wore a red cheongsam waiting for the bridegroom. Now, the bridegroom wares western suit, and the bride wares wedding dress and usually in a car.待续

首先，是在传统结婚仪式上面。中国的传统婚俗有“三书六礼”“三拜九叩”这些繁俗礼节。所谓“三书”，就是指聘书、礼书、迎亲书。（聘书：订亲之书，男女双方正式缔结婚约。纳吉（过文定）时用。 礼书：过礼之书，即礼物清单，详尽列明礼物种类及数量。纳征（过大礼）时用。 迎亲书：迎娶新娘之书。结婚当日（亲迎）接新娘过门时用。）而“六礼”是指纳采、问名、纳吉、纳征、请期、亲迎。（纳采：古时婚礼之首，属意女方时，延请媒人作谋，谓之纳采，今称「提亲」。 问名：男方探问女方之姓名及生日时辰，以卜吉兆，谓之问名，今称「合八字」。 纳吉：问名若属吉兆，遣媒人致赠薄礼，谓之纳吉，今称「过文定」或「小定」。 纳征：奉送礼金、礼饼、礼物及祭品等，即正式送聘礼，谓纳征，今称「过大礼」。 请期：由男家请算命先生择日，谓之请期，又称「乞日」、今称 「择日」。 亲迎：新郎乘礼车，赴女家迎接新娘，谓之亲迎。）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：祭祖（男方在出门迎娶新娘之前，先祭拜祖先。）、出发（迎亲车队以双数为佳。）、燃炮（迎亲礼车行列在途中，应一路燃放鞭炮以示庆贺。）、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。）、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。）、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。）、出门（新娘应由福高德劭女性长辈持竹筛或黑伞护其走至礼车，因为新娘子在结婚当天的地位比谁都大，因此不得与天争大。）、礼车（ 在新娘上礼车后，车开动不久，女方家长应将一碗清水、白米撒在车后，代表女儿已是泼出去的水，以后的一切再也不予过问，并祝女儿事事有成，有吃有穿。）、掷扇（礼车起动后，新娘应将扇子丢到窗外，意谓不将坏性子带到婆家去，扇子由新娘的兄弟拾回，掷扇后必须哭几声，且在礼车之后盖「竹筛」以象征繁荣。）、燃炮（由女方家至男方家的途中，同样要一路燃放礼炮。）、摸橘子（迎新车队到达新郎家时，由一位拿着橘子或苹果的小孩来迎接新人，新娘要轻摸一下橘子，并赠红包答礼。这两个橘子要放到晚上，让新娘亲自剥皮，意谓招来「长寿」。）、牵新娘（新娘由礼车走出时，应由男方一位有福气之长辈持竹筛顶在新娘头上，并扶新娘进入大厅。进门时，新人绝不可踩门槛，而应横跨过去。）、喜宴（时下颇流行中西合壁式的婚礼，大都在晚上宴请客人同时举行观礼仪式，在喜宴上，新娘可褪去新娘礼服，换上晚礼服向各桌一一敬酒。）、送客（喜宴完毕后，新人立于家门口送客，须端着盛香烟、喜糖之茶盘。）、闹洞房（新人被整之灾情大小，端视新人是否曾在其他的婚礼上戏弄别人，或平素待人够不够忠厚等。）、三朝回门（在婚后第三天，新妇由夫婿陪同下，带备烧猪及礼品回娘家 祭祖，甚至小住一段日子，然后再随夫婿回家。）。有此可以见到我国文化的繁琐，但不要以为繁琐是我国婚礼的特有特征，其实，不同国家虽然有不同的婚俗，但从繁复的细节与用品的喻意，都可见对婚姻的尊重和期许无分国界。在西方国家中，婚礼时有旧（Something Old）、新（Something New）、借（Something Borrowed）、蓝（Something Blue）等习俗。旧是指母亲传下来之婚纱，头饰或首饰，代表承受美好的一切；新是指朋友送的礼物如裙子，饰物，象征新的生活；借是指可向任何人借东西回来，据说从富裕亲友借来金或银放在鞋内，象征带来财运；蓝是指新娘的一些小饰物或花束用蓝色，意味着新娘的纯洁及贞洁。而在进行婚礼时，西方亦有大量的习俗。比如，在结婚时新娘总要带着一方手帕，西方人认为白手帕象征好运。根据民俗说法，农夫认为新娘在磨擦婚当天所流下的泪能使天降甘露，滋润家作物。后来，新娘在新婚汉天流泪，就变成她将有幸福婚姻的好兆头。而在婚礼典礼时，新娘总是站在新郎的左边，据说，古时候，盎格鲁撒克逊的新郎必须保护新娘子免得被别人抢走。在结婚典礼时，新郎让新娘站在自己左边，一旦情敌出现，就可以立即挥出配带于右边的剑，吓退敌人。在进行结婚晚宴时，要特别定制结婚蛋糕，根据历史记载，自罗马时代开始，婚礼结束时，人们会在新娘头上折断一条面包的材料----小麦象征生育能力，面包屑则代表着幸运。新人必须以糖霜，就形成今天的结婚蛋糕了。由此可见，西方的婚俗并不比中方简洁。其次是在服装方面。在进行婚礼不只是有仪式习俗需要遵守，在穿着方面也有讲究。中国传统婚礼进行时新郎和新娘具着红色的礼服，象征的吉祥如意，预示在结婚后日子红红火火。而西方的新娘则穿白色的礼服。自罗马时代开始，白色象征欢庆。1850年到1900年之间，白色亦是富贵的象征。到了本世纪初，白色所代表的纯洁意义更远超其他。西方认为白色与童贞有关。古罗马的新娘穿着白色的婚纱，蒙着鲜橙黄色的面纱，象征着激情的火焰。在西方的天主教传统里，白色代表着快乐；其他一些地区，白色在他们的婚礼和葬礼里指示各种各样的通路典礼和意义。例如，在安达曼群岛（Andaman Islanders），白色代表一种地位的变化。“传统”的白色结婚礼服，在早期是贵族的特权。在多利亚女王时代，大多数的新娘只能穿传统的国家服装，只有上层阶级才能穿代表权力和身份的白色婚纱。一直到近代，贵族阶级的特权消失以后，白色的婚纱才成为普通新娘的礼服。而相对于西方白色婚纱的历史，中国婚礼中的大红色的凤袍的历史则较简单。龙凤在中国的神话中有着重要的地位。龙主阳凤主阴，而阳则代表男子，阴就表示女子。因此新娘就用凤表示。所以在红色的礼服上绣着凤也就很容易理解了。还有就是在一些小的习惯上面，中西方的婚俗有相似的地方。例如，中国古代有抛绣球迎亲的习俗；而西方的新郎新娘在教堂举行婚礼后，会把手中的鲜花抛向空中，如果有人接到的话就预示着他将很快结婚。中西方在婚俗上面有以上种种的差异，这和中西方人在思想思维的差异有直接的联系。中国人比较保守，喜欢热闹，思维较古板，所以在中国历史几千年的时间里整个婚礼的习俗并没有多大的变化。直到近代西方的文化传入以后，中国的传统文化才开始向西方转化，但在很大的程度上任有中国传统婚俗的礼仪。而中国人爱热闹的性格在中国传统婚礼中可以得到充分的体现。除了中西方都有的结婚晚宴以外，在中国的传统婚俗中，还有一个为新娘饯行的结婚午宴。其次在婚宴结束以后，新人的亲朋好友会去新房中闹洞房。认为在新房中越热闹，新人在婚后的生活越幸福。因此闹新房的成员们无不用所其极，用种种方法刁难新郎新娘。西方人的思想则比较开放，对于婚礼的要求也比较低，他们婚礼的高潮则是在教堂中：随着神圣的《婚礼进行曲》步入鲜红的地毯，娇美的新娘手挽着父亲捧玫瑰慢慢向新郎走去，新娘的父亲将女儿的手放在新郎的手上，将女儿的一生托付给你，所有人的目光注视着这对新人，幸福洋溢在他们的脸上。她是今天最美的新娘。 在神圣的教堂上空，他们的誓言在回荡，带上永结同心的婚戒，只到神父说：“你可以亲吻你的新娘了…… 结婚是一生的盟约，你是要为之坚守一辈子的誓言。 主耶稣说：上帝所配合的人便不可分开。 这一生一世的爱情，因为今天而完美。”然后新郎新娘或是去晚宴地点或是去渡蜜月，并没有中国传统婚俗的种种礼节。另一个造成中西方差异的原因是中西方不同的宗教。中国是以佛教为主，而西方则是基督教为主的。所以西方的婚礼是在教堂中举行而主婚人则是神甫。中方的传统婚俗中的最重要环节就是拜天地，拜了天地以后就算是礼成了。西方的婚礼是属于浪漫型的,整个婚礼从开始到结束到充满了浪漫气息。新娘的礼服一般为白色,新郎是黑色的礼服,使整个婚礼显的庄重严肃.到教堂去举行结婚仪式是整个婚礼最重要的环节.首先,随着婚礼进行曲的节奏,新娘挽她的父亲的手走到新郎面前,由她的父亲将她亲手交到新郎手中.牧师会要求新郎新娘对对方作出一辈子的承诺,这也是整个婚礼的高潮.然后他们会在牧师和众人的祝福下,交换结婚戒指并亲吻对方。而新娘手中的花球也不是一般的装饰用品.在婚礼结束时,新娘就会抛给到场的女宾客,如果谁接到花球,谁就是下一个结婚的人,这就使整个婚礼在欢声笑语中结束了。中国的婚礼就不同于西方,整个婚礼的主色调是红色,这也是中国的传统的代表喜气的颜色。这也就使婚礼变的喜气洋洋.在传统婚礼中,新娘一般穿着红色罗衣,头戴凤冠,上面还有一块红色丝巾.而新郎就穿着红色的长衫马褂,头戴红色大沿帽。新娘乘着大红花轿在后,新郎骑着马在前,随着红娘和迎亲队伍到新郎家中拜堂.双方家长坐在上堂,而新郎新娘在下堂成婚.整个婚礼由司仪主持,在他的指挥下,新郎新娘一拜天地,下拜高堂,然后夫妻对拜,送入洞房.闹洞房是婚礼的高潮,新娘先回洞房等待新郎,而新郎就在外招待客人,酒足饭饱后,新郎在一大堆人的簇拥下来到洞房.众人就开始闹洞房了,新郎新娘在大家的起哄下做各种游戏……这样整个婚礼就在一片笑声中结束了。