中西方婚俗的差异

摘　要

中国婚俗有着许多的仪式。最早记载婚礼习俗的《仪礼》云：“婚有六礼，纳采、问名、 纳吉、纳征、请期、亲迎。”而在西方国家主要有4个程序，即建议，改姓，选期和举行婚礼。由于宗教、文化根源、婚姻观念以及地理环境的不同在一定程度上导致了中西方婚俗的不同。在中国婚俗中，媒人起着决定性的作用，而作为婚姻当事人的青年男女却没有选择的自由和权力，而且男女在婚姻中的不平等现象也屡有出现。 在西方，是牧师在婚姻中起作用，并且青年男女有合法的权力去选择自己的夫婿或妻子。当然中西方的婚俗也存在相同的地方。它们存在了上千年之久。近年来（特别是新中国成立之后），中西结合的婚姻屡有出现。

关键词

婚俗；差异；原因

Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………. I

Key Words.………………………………………………………………………….. I

摘要………………………………………………………………………………………………..II

关键词…………………………………………………………………………………………….II

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...1

I. Chinese Marriage Custom …………...……………………………………......2

A. Proposing ……………………………………………………………………..3

B. Asking the Name……...………………………………………………………....3

C. Asking for Fortune……...…………………………………….…………………4

D. Sending Betrothal Presents to the Girl’s Family……………………………….4

E. Discussing the Date of Marriage…..……………………………………….5

F. Meeting the Bride………………………………………………………….....5

II. Western Marriage Custom……..…………………………………………..…5

A. Proposal ……………………………………………………………………....6

B. Changing Surnames……………………………………………………………7

C. Choosing the Day……………………………………………...……………..7

D. Holding the Wedding…………………………………………………………8

III. Differences ………………………………………………………………..…9

A. Different Marriage Media……………………………………………………9

B. Freedom: Free or Not…………...…………………………………………...10

C. Right: Equal or Not…………….………..……………………………......11

Different Purposes of Marriage..........……………………………..…….……12

IV. Reasons for the Differences Above ……………………….……………………12

A. Religions……………………………………………………………………..12

B. Cultural Origins……...………………………………………………………13

C. Marriage Concepts…...…………………………………………………….13

D. Geographies……………………………………………………………………14

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...15

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………..……………...16

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………17

Abstract

There are many procedures in Chinese marriage custom. The book propriety and ceremony, which records earliest wedding ceremony, says that marriage includes six etiquettes, namely, proposing, asking the name, asking for fortune, sending betrothal presents to the girl's family, discussing the date of marriage and meeting the bride. In western marriage, there are four procedures. They are proposal, changing surnames, choosing the day and holding the wedding. As the different religions, cultural origins, marriage concepts and geographies, there are many differences existing in the two kinds of marriage customs. In Chinese marriage custom, the matchmaker functions almost all the time and youths have no right to choose and women are not on an equal footing with men. By contrast, in western marriage custom, the priest functions and the youths have legal right to choose whom they want to marry and men and women are equal. There also exist common things in the two sides. They have been maintained for thousands of years. But in recent years (especially after the founding of modern China), people have tended to discard some of the details and advocate simplified marriage procedures and wedding ceremonies.

Key Words

Marriage custom; differences; reasons