 Rituals of a Portugal Wedding
Added: 10/15/2007 |
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In ancient days a Portugal wedding used to revolve around the central notion of simple marriages in order to build a family. But at that time the decision of the family used to be the final one over the selection of both the groom and the bride. The role of personal selection therefore used to be scanty, with hardly any room for love to flourish. Now, though love has been prevalent from the dawn of the human civilization, even some decades ago its role was not so dominant, not to speak of the ancient or the mediaeval age!
A Portugal wedding in its entirety depended on a pious agreement between the two families. The norms were such that the bride's family would be responsible for the hosting of all the parties, while on the other hand the groom's family would be responsible for giving a large gift to the newlyweds, usually a house. But times have changed and norms of new days have come up. Though many traditional and conservative families do exist with their adherence to ancient rituals, weddings in Portugal have become identical with a promise to mutual love that will last as long as both parties shall live. At this instant, when we are talking of the changing times and also the thought process, it is highly imperative for us to know how a Portugal wedding used to get organized! In the past days, the bride's family in a Portugal wedding was entitled to hold the engagement party. There used to be a special rule that either the friend or a relative of the groom's family would seek permission to ask for the daughter in marriage. In many respect the groom's father used to perform this role. But after all everything depended on the bride's father. If he agreed, then the young man would proceed to formally ask for the girl, and having thus received the father's blessing, the wedding was allowed to take place. Well, there was a peculiar ancient tradition, which is beyond imagination in the modern age! The prospective bride was asked to pretend to be a cow that needed to be recognized by its owner, her soon-to-be husband, before the wedding celebrations could begin! Now, at the time of the observance of the rituals of a Portugal wedding the religious norms were used to be performed in the strictest manner. The majority of people in Portugal are Roman Catholic; therefore a mass would follow the engagement. The mass would be followed by the invitation of close relatives to a small reception. The Bride would choose a "Madrinha" -- a Maid of Honour -- and the Groom would choose a "Padrinho" -- a Best Man, a ritual that is still in operation. In some cases, two couples would be chosen to fill those roles. If some one introspects deeply he/she will find that there exists similar processes in different religious systems, in spite of the great difference of language or ethnicity. Or else how can there be a concept of wedding invitation in a Portugal wedding, carrying as a part of the convention the addresses of both the bride and the groom, since it is customary to live with one's parents until married! The next important role is of the wedding gifts, which are sent to the bride's house, as a part of the convention. There they would be put on display, so as to be admired by relatives and close friends who come to visit. When they do visit with the gifts the bride's house normally will serve them with a cup of tea and a piece of home made cake.
In many European countries there is a concept to hold bachelor and bachelorette parties. But this is nothing new, on the contrary, a legacy of the tradition of many centuries, -- consisting mostly of friends and relatives getting together for food and drinks. Again, since Portugal is a very conservative country with a large Roman Catholic population, he parties do happen keeping the religious customs in concern. It is time-honored for the oldest members of the Bride and Groom's community to attend the Groom's stag party, where he bids farewell to his single life and his single friends.
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