On Wed, 12 Aug 1998 21:45:33   doug_w wrote:

Could someone please describe for me the ending of a traditional Japanese
wedding?

The traditional Japanese wedding ceremony is very
short. The groom is dressed in a hakama and gi, the
bride in a multilayer wedding kimono (can be any
color or design, though white is a popular color).

The hall is arranged with an altar or shrine opposite
the entrance. Tables on the right side facing in from
the door have the groom's family seated. Tables on the
left side have the bride's family.

The groom enters the hall followed by the bride.
They are seated before the altar/shrine. The groom
on the same side as his family.

A priest blesses some sake. A shrine maiden then
pours the sake three times into a bowl. The groom
then takes three sips of the sake. The bowl is then
handed to the bride who also takes three sips and
then the groom again for another three sips.

Once this is done the bride and groom are officially
married. They stand up turn and face their families
and take a bow. That's it for the ceremony.

The legal niceties involve going to the temple or
office where the family registers are kept and
having the bride's name deleted from the rolls
and added to the groom's family. The register is
a document listing the members of a single family
going back as far as possible.

This explains the bit in Maison Ikkoku where
father Otanashi tells Kyoko to have herself
removed from the Otonashi family going back to
the Chigusa family so she can move on with her
life. And how Kyoko went back to being a Chigusa
for a few days before marrying Yusaku.

---
Patrick Vera
vorkosigan@my-dejanews.com
kasuga@mnl.sequel.net
iiradned@hotmail.com
Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet
Daring rescues our specialty.



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