Japanese Weddings

Japanese Weddings

Contemporary Japanese weddings are celebrated in variety of ways including Shinto, Buddhist, or Christian style. Many contain elements from traditional Japanese and western culture. The rituals of cake cutting, exchanging rings and honeymoons are a few of the western traditions that have been adopted. The Japanese wedding I saw took place at a Shinto Shrine. The bride wore a wedding kimono of white silk and the groom wore a black kimono decorated with his family crest in white. Usually, only the bride and group, their immediate families, and the go-betweens attend the religious part of the Shinto wedding. A Shinto priest first offers prayers to the deities, then the groom makes his marriage oath. Next, the couple performs the Sansan-kudo exchange of nuptial cups. San-san-ku means 3 * 3 = 9 and the small, medium and large cups are each brought to the lips three times with one sip each time.