Marriage In American Culture

Throughout the globe, marriage is regarded as an institution of the utmost importance. Each culture has its own unique ceremonies and festivities to create and celebrate a marriage, but some activities seem very strange in comparison to the traditions and rituals commonly practiced in the United States.
One such unique ritual originated in southwestern China. For hundreds of years, the women of Tujia ethnic group have performed a very strange wedding ritual. It is customary for a bride to cry on her wedding day, but the custom is far more complex than just that. A month before the ceremony a bride must begin to cry; usually for an hour in the hall in which she will be getting married. Ten days later, the bridge’s mother joins. After another ten days pass, then her grandmother begins to cry as well; any other female relatives are also obligated to join into this unique custom. At the wedding, all of the women cry together as they sing creating a chorus of varied sobbing voices - a unique wedding song sung nowhere else in the world. This custom and the tradition of swearing at the matchmaker likely originated with the bride’s feelings of sorrow and anger during an arranged marriage. Today the culture endures in operas and other pieces of folk art and through the preservation of the custom in rural weddings.
Another Asian country, …show more content…
The tradition of crying brides in China, marriage to a tree in India, and being covered in molasses and other sticky household goods may seem strange to Americans, but these rituals hold immense importance within each respective culture. Each of these customs are based in ancient traditions and beliefs and are considered normal within that society. The significant difference between each of these customs excellently exemplifies the sociological principle that norms are subjective and change depending on a given time and