Wedding Traditions of Brazil
By Felipe Santiago
By Felipe Santiago
Epoch Times Staff Aug 18, 2009
Inheritor of the European Catholic culture, the common Brazilian wedding is a mix of old tradition and the modern way of thinking. After dating for several years, the couple will decide to get married, at an average of 25 years old.
They will spend the next two or three years choosing the guests, the church, the party house, the buffet, the costumes, everything, balancing what they dreamed about and what they can afford. In the past, her family would pay for everything as the dowry.
But nowadays things have changed and the couple will pay for everything on their own or both families will share the expenses.
In Brazil, it was custom to announce only to the brides’ and grooms’ families and friends. However, nowadays, the fashion to make a big party celebrating the engagement is a demonstration of good taste and glamour.
Civil marriage always precedes the religious. The church cannot, by law, perform the religious ceremony if civil marriage hasn’t been performed. For civil marriage, bride and groom must go to the office twice. The first time is for qualification that consists in a process of data analysis. The second time, thirty days later, is the ceremony itself.
The religious ceremony consists, essentially, in three stages: the procession of entry, in which the guests must be present before the bride enters, because together with the priest they represent the church that receives the couple for marital blessing; the liturgy, in which the priest pronounces holy words, blessing the marriage and there is also the signature and photos by the end; and the leaving of the participants.
In the Catholic Church, the liturgy may comprise two rituals: the mass and the marriage, or just the ritual of the marriage. The chosen date and ritual are fixed in the church by submitting the documents required by the Diocesan Curia.
The most famous churches in Brazil require that the reservation date for the wedding is made with more than a year in advance.
A solemn church full of guests, a small orchestra opening the ceremony, the place decorated with white or yellow flowers everywhere.
The nervous groom in a black tuxedo is waiting anxiously, when the trumpets announce the most expected arrival. Camera flashes go crazy.
Everybody stands up while the beautiful bride walks slowly through the saloon wearing her long white wedding dress and meets her loved one.
The priest pronounces inspiring sacred words, the couple makes their vows to each other and with the blessings of God they are declared husband and wife.
After the religious ceremony it’s party time. Everybody moves to the party house. A lot of food and drinking, family, new and old friends all together, good live music all night long and everybody shaking a leg.
Suddenly, the music stops. The bride and the groom are going to dance the Waltz. However, no Brazilian wedding would be complete without the sound of a good samba school playing their powerful drums in the end.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/21168/
Inheritor of the European Catholic culture, the common Brazilian wedding is a mix of old tradition and the modern way of thinking. After dating for several years, the couple will decide to get married, at an average of 25 years old.
They will spend the next two or three years choosing the guests, the church, the party house, the buffet, the costumes, everything, balancing what they dreamed about and what they can afford. In the past, her family would pay for everything as the dowry.
But nowadays things have changed and the couple will pay for everything on their own or both families will share the expenses.
In Brazil, it was custom to announce only to the brides’ and grooms’ families and friends. However, nowadays, the fashion to make a big party celebrating the engagement is a demonstration of good taste and glamour.
Civil marriage always precedes the religious. The church cannot, by law, perform the religious ceremony if civil marriage hasn’t been performed. For civil marriage, bride and groom must go to the office twice. The first time is for qualification that consists in a process of data analysis. The second time, thirty days later, is the ceremony itself.
The religious ceremony consists, essentially, in three stages: the procession of entry, in which the guests must be present before the bride enters, because together with the priest they represent the church that receives the couple for marital blessing; the liturgy, in which the priest pronounces holy words, blessing the marriage and there is also the signature and photos by the end; and the leaving of the participants.
In the Catholic Church, the liturgy may comprise two rituals: the mass and the marriage, or just the ritual of the marriage. The chosen date and ritual are fixed in the church by submitting the documents required by the Diocesan Curia.
The most famous churches in Brazil require that the reservation date for the wedding is made with more than a year in advance.
A solemn church full of guests, a small orchestra opening the ceremony, the place decorated with white or yellow flowers everywhere.
The nervous groom in a black tuxedo is waiting anxiously, when the trumpets announce the most expected arrival. Camera flashes go crazy.
Everybody stands up while the beautiful bride walks slowly through the saloon wearing her long white wedding dress and meets her loved one.
The priest pronounces inspiring sacred words, the couple makes their vows to each other and with the blessings of God they are declared husband and wife.
After the religious ceremony it’s party time. Everybody moves to the party house. A lot of food and drinking, family, new and old friends all together, good live music all night long and everybody shaking a leg.
Suddenly, the music stops. The bride and the groom are going to dance the Waltz. However, no Brazilian wedding would be complete without the sound of a good samba school playing their powerful drums in the end.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/21168/
