Welcome 2 Cam & Videos.......!!

Hi all this the Rama Krishna in short " RK  ", Network Engineer in a good MNC. Besides  my regular work I have  a passion in writing articles on various Topics  and  to express my feelings on my passion of writing ,I believe Blog could be the better way. So I started my Journey on writing Blogs on various Topics.

The one I am going to introduce is  my new Blog "Cam & Video" specially focusing on "Wedding".In this Blog I am planning to cover all cultural  Weddings  across  our beautiful globe, I hope you will love this Blog  and will come again & again to give feedback and appreciation  to make this  Blog more & more attractive.

In this Blog you will find Wedding Rituals, Bride Preparations, Wedding Traditions,Regional Weddings, Wedding Preparations, Groom Preparations ,Theme Wedding ,Marriage Venues, Before the Wedding, After the wedding and lots more ahead...!

Let's start our journey by knowing What is wedding and how it is celebrated across the world

Wedding :

A wedding is the ceremony where people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of wedding vows by the couple, presentation of a gift (Offering, ring(s), symbolic item, flowers, money), and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or leader. Special wedding garments are often worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers or readings from religious texts or literature are also commonly incorporated into the ceremony.

 Who are the Participants in Wedding ceremony :

Wedding ceremony participants, also referred to as the wedding party, are the people that participate directly in the wedding ceremony itself. Depending on the location, religion, and style of the wedding, this group may include only the individual people that are marrying, or it may include one or more brides, grooms (or bridegrooms), persons of honour, brides persons, best persons, groomsmen, flower girls, pages and ring bearers. A woman’s wedding party consists of only those on her side of the wedding party. Those on a groom’s side are called his groom’s party.

• Bride: A woman about to be married.
• Bridegroom or Groom: A man who is about to be married.
• Marriage officiant: the person who officiates at the wedding, validating the wedding from a legal and/or religious standpoint. This person may be a judge, justice of the peace, or a member of clergy.
• Best Man, Woman, or Person: The chief assistant to a bridegroom at a wedding, typically a sibling or friend of special significance in his life. Often holds the wedding rings until their exchange.
• Mother of the Bride or Groom: The mother of either the bride or groom. The mother of the bride is required to choose her outfit before the mother of the groom.
• Maid, Matron or Man of Honor: The title and position held by a bride's chief attendant, typically her closest friend or sibling.
• Bridesmaids: The female attendants to a bride. Males in this role may be called honor attendants or sometimes bridesmen, but that term has a different traditional meaning.
• Groomsmen or Ushers: The attendants, usually male, to a bridegroom in a wedding ceremony. Female attendants, such as a sister of the groom, are typically called honor attendants.
• Page(s) : Young attendants may carry the bride’s train. In a formal wedding, the ring bearer is a special page who carries the rings down the aisle. The coin bearer is similar page who marches on the wedding aisle to bring the wedding coins.
• Flower girl(s) : In some traditions, one or more children carry bouquets or drop rose petals in front of the bride in the wedding procession.
  
  Some Traditional wedding clothing :

• Cheongsam or Hanfu : Chinese traditional formal wear
• Batik and Kebaya : a garment worn by the Javanese people of Indonesia and also by the Malay people of Malaysia
• Hanbok :the traditional garment of Korea
• Barong Tagalog : an embroidered, formal men's garment of the Philippines
• Kimono :the traditional garments of Japan
• Sari/Lehenga :Indian popular and traditional dress in India
• Dhoti :male garment in South India
• Dashiki : the traditional West African wedding attire
• Ao dai :traditional garments of Vietnam
• Ribbon shirt : often worn by American Indian men on auspicious occasions, such as weddings, another common custom is to wrap bride and groom in a blanket
• Kilt : male garment particular to Scottish culture
• Kittel : a white robe worn by the groom at an Orthodox Jewish wedding. The kittel is worn only under the Chupah, and is removed before the reception.
• Topor : a type of conical headgear traditionally worn by grooms as part of the Bengali Hindu wedding ceremony
• Western code :Morning dress, western daytime formal dress ,Stroller ,White tie & Evening Suits
• Non-traditional : "tuxedo" variants (colored jackets/ties, "wedding suits") Lounge suit
• Sherwani :a long coat-like garment worn in South Asia
• Wedding crown : worn by Syrian and Greek couples and Scandinavian brides ,Wedding veil & Wedding dress
• Langa oni : traditional two piece garment worn by unmarried Telugu Hindu women.

Religious opinion on Wedding :

Most religions recognize a lifelong union with established ceremonies and rituals. Some religions permit polygamous marriages or same-sex marriages.

Many Christian faiths emphasize the raising of children as a priority in a marriage. In Judaism, marriage is so important that remaining unmarried is deemed unnatural. Islam also recommends marriage highly; among other things, it helps in the pursuit of spiritual perfection  . The Bahá'í Faith sees  marriage as a foundation of the structure of society, and considers it both a physical and spiritual bond that endures into the  afterlife.  Hinduism sees marriage as a sacred duty that entails both religious and social obligations. By contrast,  Buddhism does not encourage or discourage marriage, although it does teach how one might live a happily married life and emphasizes that marital vows are not to be taken lightly.

Different religions have different beliefs as regards the breakup of marriage. For example, the Roman Catholic Church believes that marriage is a sacrament and a valid marriage between two baptized persons cannot be broken by any other means than death. This means that civil divorcés cannot remarry in a Catholic marriage while their spouse is alive. In the area of nullity, religions and the state often apply different rules. A couple, for example, may begin the process to have their marriage annulled by the Catholic Church only after they are no longer married in the eyes of the civil authority.

Customs associated with various religions & cultures :

Few customs we are following in "Cam & Video"  Blog, however we will see lot more ahead.....!! 

Hindu customs :

Hindu ceremonies are usually conducted totally or at least partially in Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu scriptures. The wedding celebrations may last for several days and they can be extremely diverse, depending upon the region, denomination and caste. On the wedding day, the bride and the bridegroom garland each other in front of the guests. Most guests witness only this short ceremony and then socialize, have food and leave. The religious part (if applicable) comes hours later, witnessed by close friends and relatives. In cases where a religious ceremony is present, a Brahmin (Hindu priest) arranges a sacred yajna (fire-sacrifice), and the sacred fire (Agni) is considered the prime witness (sākshī) of the marriage. He chants mantras from the  Vedas and subsidiary texts while the couple are seated before the fire. The most important step is saptapadi or saat phere, wherein the bride and the groom, hand-in-hand, encircle the sacred fire seven times, each circle representing a matrimonial vow. Then the groom marks the bride's hair parting with vermilion (sindoor) and puts a gold necklace (mangalsutra) around her neck. Several other rituals may precede or follow these afore-mentioned rites. Then the bride formally departs from her blood-relatives to join the groom's family.

Christian customs :

Most Christian churches give some form of blessing to a marriage; the wedding ceremony typically includes some sort of pledge by the community to support the couple's relationship. A church wedding is a ceremony presided over by a Christian priest or pastor. Ceremonies are based on reference to God, and are frequently embodied into other church ceremonies such as Mass.

Customs may vary widely between denominations. In the Roman Catholic Church "Holy Matrimony" is considered to be one of the seven sacraments, in this case one that the spouses bestow upon each other in front of a priest and members of the community as witnesses. As with all sacraments, it is seen as having been instituted by Jesus himself  In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the Mysteries, and is seen as an ordination and a martyrdom. The wedding ceremony of Saint Thomas Christians, an ethno religious group of Christians in India incorporate elements from Hindu, Jewish and Christian weddings.

Jewish customs :

A traditional Jewish wedding usually follows this format :
Before the ceremony, the couple formalize a written ketubah (marriage contract), specifying the obligations of husband to the wife and contingencies in case of divorce. The ketubah is signed by two witnesses and later read under the chuppah. The couple is married under a wedding canopy (chuppah), signifying their new home together. The chuppah can be made from a piece of cloth or other material attached to four poles, or a prayer shawl (tallit) held over the couple by four family members or friends. The couple is accompanied to the chuppah by both sets of parents, and stands under the chuppah along with other family members if desired. Seven blessings are recited, blessing the bride and groom and their new home. The couple sip from a glass of wine. The groom will step on the glass to crush it, usually with his right foot, ostensibly in remembrance of the fall of the Second Temple. At some weddings the couple may declare that each is sanctified to the other, and/or repeat other vows, and exchange rings.  

In next few pages we will go in detail about the Jewish marriage...

Muslim cultures :

A wedding is always a happy time for families to celebrate. In the Muslim world, there are colourful, cultural variations from place to place. According to the Quran, a married Muslim couple, both husband and wife act as each other’s protector and comforter and therefore only meant "for each other". All Muslim marriages have to be declared publicly and are never to be undertaken in secret. For many Muslims, it is the ceremony that counts as the actual wedding alongside a confirmation of that wedding in a registry office according to fiqh, in Islam a wedding is also viewed as a legal contract particularly in Islamic jurisprudences. However, most Muslim cultures separate both the institutions of the mosque and marriage, no religious official is necessary, but very often an Imampresides and performs the ceremony, he may deliver a short sermon.

In Islam, polygyny is allowed with certain religious restrictions, despite that an overwhelming majority of Muslims traditionally practicemonogamy. It is forbidden in Islam for parents or anyone else: to force, coerce, or trick either man or woman into a marriage that is contrary to the individual will of any one of the couple. It is also necessary for all marriages commence with the best of intentions.

Chinese cultures :

At traditional Chinese weddings, the tea ceremony is the equivalent of an exchange of vows at a Western wedding ceremony. This ritual is still practiced widely among rural Chinese, however young people in larger cities, as well as in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, tend to practice a combination of Western style of marriage together with the Tea Ceremony.

When the bride leaves her home with the groom to his house, a "Good Luck Woman" will hold a red umbrella over her head, meaning "raise the bark, spread the leaves." This "good luck woman" should be someone who is blessed with a good marriage, healthy children and husband and living parents. Other relatives will scatter rice, red bean and green bean in front of her. The red umbrella protects the bride from evil spirit, and the rice and beans are to attract the attention of the gold chicken.
Newlyweds kneel in front of parents presenting tea. A Good Luck Woman making the tea says auspicious phrases to bless the family. Newlyweds also present tea to each other, raising the tea cups high to show respect before presenting to each other. Those who receive the tea usually give the bride gifts such as jewellery or Li Shi money wrapped in red envelope.
Tea Ceremony is an official ritual to introduce the newlyweds to each other's family, and it's a way for newlyweds to show respect and appreciation to their parents. The newlyweds kneel in front of their parents, serving tea to both side of parents, as well as elder close relatives. Parents give their words of blessing and gifts to the newlyweds. During tea presentation, a "Good Luck Woman" would say auspicious phrases to bless the newlyweds and the parents. These auspicious words of blessing are designed to bless and amuse the family and make the occasion filled with fun and joy.

Same-sex wedding :

A same-sex wedding is a ceremony in which two people of the same sex are married. This event may be legally documented as a marriage or another legally recognized partnership such as a civil union. Where such partnerships are not legally recognized, the wedding may be a religious or symbolic ceremony designed to provide an opportunity to make the same public declarations and celebration with friends and family that any other type of wedding may afford. These are often referred to as "commitment ceremonies."
Officiate at same-sex weddings may be religiously ordained. Some religions and branches of religions, including Quakers, Unitarians, Ethical Culture, Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, the Metropolitan Community Church, the Reformed Catholic Church, and Buddhist organizations like Soka Gakkai perform and recognize same-sex marriages, even if the government of their geographic area may not.

Will Cover some More Soon,Thanx for all your support....!
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