I do not know how many of you are familiar with Catholic church ceremonies but you have to be baptized, had your first communion, and be confirmed in order to be married (in the most traditional ceremonies). You have an actual mass which is typically one hour, which gives you the rite of marriage. Then followed by the reception.
Here is a picture of my husband's tia and tio married in Puerto Plata, D.R their hometown.
Wedding parties in the Dominican Republic are not usually as big as out here in the U.S. People that are incorporated into the wedding are the padrinos and madrinas which are the godparents of the bride and groom (again very religious).
Arras:
They call it a unity coin. A tradition originated in Spain. A child (usually a boy) carries the arras or
coins on a silver tray and there are 13 of them. Coins get passed to the
priest, priest to groom, groom to bride. This is a representation of
material goods and that they are to be shared equally between the two.
It also represents the brides dowry. Also
someone, usually a child, carries the bible up to the alter for the bride and
groom.
The reception is when the party begins ! Lots of traditional food , music, and alcohol!
Here is a cute wedding video where you can see some of the city in DR. It super cute only like5 minutes long!
Cute Dominican Wedding video
Interesting facts:
If the groom sees the bride, it is not that big of a deal.
They do not separate based on bride and groom.
Gifts are given to the brides home before the wedding, not at the wedding.
Ceremonia Cantada: guests sing the music at the wedding
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteAn hour ceremony would be way too long for me! Definitely a long time to be standing :) Are they usually that long out here when getting married in the Catholic church? Thank you for sharing!
Yeah i just went to a friend of mine's wedding and it was an hour long too! It goes by faster when you get the reasons behind things but it sometimes can get even longer than an hour !
DeleteThis is super fun! I enjoyed the video you linked. Haha. Overall atmosphere around wedding in D.R. is far different from Korea. There are various styles of wedding today though, most ceremonies are very calm and sedate. We never dance nor sing during the ceremony. You might say it seems to be too boring. :)
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in the customs and traditions of a korean wedding, is religion a big part of the wedding process?
DeleteMy aunt and cousin had a Catholic ceremony so I am very familiar with the long ceremony. They didn't have any coins though. I am curious how that tradition got started in the D.R. Seeing as Catholicism seems to be the dominant religion I am curious if interfaith marriages are something that is common there. What are the other religions popular in the D.R.?
ReplyDeleteIt is about 90% catholic, i know jehova witnesses are present as well as christian. Interfaith marriages are not as common because of the high percentage of one religion but if you marry someone who is not catholic, it is not a dishonor in the family, like some other cultures.
DeleteAww they look so happy! I have never been to a catholic church but the after party sounds like a blast. I think it is interesting there are only subtle differences between wedding even though we think of being so different in cultures. Just goes to show you can always find something in common.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, the Ukrainian and Russian weddings are also heavily influenced by religion and tradition and the ceremony can take up to an hour if not more.
ReplyDeleteFun video :)