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We're Getting Married: Marriage Traditions Around the World (Advanced Program) · Spotlight English: Advanced

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Ah, Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Andrew Davis.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: And I'm Alice Irasari. Spotlight uses a special English method
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: matter where in the world they live.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Feng and Anna loved surfing. Surfing is when a person
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: stands on a board in the ocean and rides a
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: wave towards the shore. Feng and Anna used their hands
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: to move out into the water to wait for a wave.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Feng pulled out a beautiful ring from his swimsuit and
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: asked Anna to marry him. Anna screamed she was so excited.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: The other surfers heard her scream and started paddling back
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: to shore. They thought she had seen a shark. Hannah said, yes,
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: it's a thing.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: On today's Spotlight, we look at marriage traditions around the world.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: Before some wedding ceremonies, the man must first ask the
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: woman to marry him. In many countries, it is tradition
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  Speaker 2: for him to seek her father's blessing first. It is
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  Speaker 2: a sign of respect for the father and for their
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  Speaker 2: entire family. Afterward, the man can propose however and whenever
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: he chooses, But in Japan, there is a unio. This
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: is an engagement ceremony that both families must attend. The
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: two families often meet for the first time. At this ceremony,
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: they exchange nine gifts wrapped in rice paper. These gifts
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: symbolize their hopes for their marriage.
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  Speaker 1: Muslim families in Egypt hold a small engagement ceremony. The
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: woman getting married sits on the floor next to her father.
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  Speaker 1: The man who wants to marry the woman sits across
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  Speaker 1: from her father. The man places his hand on top
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  Speaker 1: of her father's hand. Then they say the first part
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: of the Islamic holy book, the Fatiha together.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: In Chile, the man and the woman wear engagement rings.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: They place the rings on the third finger of their
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  Speaker 2: right hands. When they marry, they move the rings to
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: the third fingers of their left hand.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Just as engagement traditions differ around the world, so do
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  Speaker 1: wedding customs. The color of the bride's dress carries different significance.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: In Western cultures, the bride wears a white wedding dress.
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  Speaker 1: This symbolizes innocence and purity. In Japan, the bride wears
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  Speaker 1: a white robe called a kimono. For similar reasons. In
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: Eastern countries like China and India, the bride often wears
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: a red wedding dress. This signifies happiness and good fortune.
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  Speaker 1: The Chinese wedding dress chipaw often features gold to symbolize
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  Speaker 1: wealth and power.
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  Speaker 2: For many years, in Spain, it was common for the
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  Speaker 2: bride to wear a black dress to signify her lifelong
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  Speaker 2: commitment to her partner. The Kikuyu people are one of
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  Speaker 2: the largest ethnic groups in Kenya. Brides there wear colorful
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: prints to show joy. Malaysian wedding gowns are usually purple
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: or violet. This symbolizes elegance and royalty.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Some mothers give their wedding dresses to their daughters. It
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: is an honor and a special gift. Sometimes the daughter
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  Speaker 1: will later pass the wedding dress on to her daughter.
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  Speaker 2: Adele Larson married Roy Stoneberg in Chicago in nineteen fifty.
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  Speaker 2: She wore a special dress with many unique features. The
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  Speaker 2: dress cost one hundred dollars. Three years later, Adele's sister
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: Eleanor got married. Eleanor's mother offered to take her shopping
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  Speaker 2: for a wedding dress, but Eleanor said, well, why would
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  Speaker 2: we do that, I will wear this one.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: The tradition of passing Adele's wedding dress down to other
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  Speaker 1: family members continued for generations. Eight brides have worn the
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: same wedding dress. The family has the dress professionally cleaned
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: and stored to preserve it. Each bride has added her
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: own accessories. They even made a book called The Bride Book,
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  Speaker 1: featuring photos of all the brides at their weddings. More recently,
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  Speaker 1: Lars and Stoneberg's granddaughter Serena got married naturally. Serena wore
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  Speaker 1: her grandmother's wedding dress.
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  Speaker 2: She said, I felt just so happy and honored to
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  Speaker 2: be able to wear it. Certain cultural traditions are part
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  Speaker 2: of weddings in the United States. The bride picks her
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: wedding dress, then she plans the ceremony. Sometimes she hires
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  Speaker 2: a professional to help organize everything, or she might do
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  Speaker 2: it on her own. It is also a tradition for
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  Speaker 2: the newly married couple to dance first at their wedding reception.
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  Speaker 2: Before the couple leaves, the bride throws a bundle of
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  Speaker 2: flowers behind her to a group of single women. People
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  Speaker 2: believe the person who catches the flowers will be the
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  Speaker 2: next one to get married.
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  Speaker 1: In Norway, brides wear a silver and gold crown. The
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  Speaker 1: crown is decorated with small charms. When the bride moves,
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  Speaker 1: the charms make a noise. This sound is believed to
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  Speaker 1: scare off evil spirits.
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  Speaker 2: In Armenia, the bride and groom break a plate for
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  Speaker 2: good luck. They eat honey to symbolize happiness. The couple
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  Speaker 2: also places bread on their shoulders to ward off evil.
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  Speaker 1: In parts of the Congo, a couple is not supposed
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  Speaker 1: to smile during the entire wedding. If they smile, others
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  Speaker 1: may think they are not taking their marriage seriously.
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  Speaker 2: At the end of a Jewish wedding ceremony, the groom
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  Speaker 2: breaks a glass wrapped in cloth. It reminds people of
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It also symbolizes
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  Speaker 2: the delicate nature of marriage and how it must be
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  Speaker 2: treated with care.
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  Speaker 1: For Christians, the wedding ceremony is more than just the
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  Speaker 1: union between husband and wife. Marriage is also seen as
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  Speaker 1: a bond between the couple and God. The pair joins
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  Speaker 1: with Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Savior. He
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  Speaker 1: is at the center of the relationship. The Christian Bible
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  Speaker 1: teaches that marriage is a living picture of the relationship
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  Speaker 1: between Christ and the Church. Christian couples are called to
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  Speaker 1: love and serve each other selflessly. This reflects Christ's love
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  Speaker 1: for his people. The Christian couple's wedding bond should demonstrate
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  Speaker 1: God's love and grace in their lives.
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  Speaker 2: At Hindu weddings, the walk to the wedding location is
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  Speaker 2: called the barat. During the barat, the groom rides a
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  Speaker 2: horse to symbolize that the groom is ready to take
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  Speaker 2: on the responsibilities of marriage. There is music and dancing
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  Speaker 2: as the groom rides the horse.
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  Speaker 1: Couples often exchange vowels or promises during the ceremony before
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  Speaker 1: the minister declares them married. In Indian weddings, they perform
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: the sutuputi, the couple takes seven steps around a sacred fire.
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  Speaker 1: Each step accompanies a promise for a joyous life. In Japan,
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  Speaker 1: during the sun san Kudo ceremony, the bride and groom
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  Speaker 1: take three SIPs from three different cups of a drink
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  Speaker 1: called saki. This symbolizes the union of their families. In
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  Speaker 1: Western weddings, the couple takes turns saying a special promise.
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  Speaker 1: They each say their names, then they promise the following,
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  Speaker 1: to have and to hold from this day forward, for better,
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  Speaker 1: for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health,
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  Speaker 1: to love and to cherish until death do us part.
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  Speaker 2: The great truth about marriage is held in this promise. Proposals, ceremonies,
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  Speaker 2: and cultural traditions differ widely around the world, but one
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  Speaker 2: thing remains true. No matter who is getting married, there
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  Speaker 2: can be joy and success. There can be problems and challenges.
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  Speaker 2: The married couple can expect good times and difficult days,
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  Speaker 2: but the challenges can bring a couple closer together. If
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  Speaker 2: they let them, they can trust God more during their
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  Speaker 2: most desperate moments. They can hold on tighter to each
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  Speaker 2: other and to their marriage. The road will become smooth again.
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  Speaker 2: They will breathe easily. They will find they have moved
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  Speaker 2: closer together. Their marriage will be stronger.
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  Speaker 1: Are you married? What was a unique tradition at your wedding?
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: What was the significance behind the tradition? You can leave
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: a comment on our website at www dot Spotlight English
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: dot com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram,
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: and x You can also get Spotlight episodes delivered directly
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: to your Android or Apple device through our free official
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Spotlight English app.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: The writer of this episode was Peter Anderson. The producer
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: was Michyo Osaki. The voices you heard were from the
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted
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  Speaker 2: for this episode and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: artificial intelligence was used in this episode. Spotlight episodes are written, voiced,
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: and produced by real people for real people, no matter
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: where in the world they live. This episode is called
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: We're Getting Married wedding traditions around the world.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: We hope you can join us again for the next
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: Spotlight Advanced episode. Goodbye.