Freeway - Wedding traditions uniting us

Wedding traditions uniting us

The traditions concerning weddings in Europe is pretty much the same. There's only a few things that tell them apart for instance the price and the size of the wedding festivities. But at the same time not everyone share the same belief and they choose not to get married in the church. Others aren't allowed.
Before writing this article we saw two documentaries about weddings. One was from England and the other from Italy. Our conclusion afterwards was that the wedding ceremony is a custom that unites the European countries.
The traditions during the wedding and the preparation are pretty much the same in the different countries. The hen and the stag party, the father that walks his daughter down the isle, the dress that looks like a meringue, the fact that you trough rice at the newly married couple.
Even if the number of Christian seems to be decreasing from year to year and many takes total distance from the church the majority of the marriages that are held, takes place in the traditional church.

We think this depends on the fact that the church is a big part of the romantic dream every girl has. The wedding is supposed to be the happiest day in your life and a civil marriage seems to be a bit dry to many. Most people want their own wedding to be luxurious, beautiful, romantic and memorable.
But not everyone has the traditional marriage that we're used to.

Greek wedding
Greek weddings have slightly different customs than we have in Sweden, Italy and England. Two days before the wedding, family and relatives meet to make the weddingbed. They make the bed in white and put rose leaf and grains of rice on it and also money that will symbolize a great economic future for the bridal couple. Last of all they put children on the bed to give the bridal couple luck with the childbirth. After this ceremony it's a big party and a stag party. The next time the bridal couple meet are on the churchstairs on the wedding day. During the marriage ceremony people aren't silent, they are talking and laughing the whole time. The ceremony is also a bit different than we are used to in Sweden. The pope, the greeks name on their priest, walk the couple around the alter and that doesn't exist in Sweden, Italy or in England.

Homosexuals and marriages
That Christians don't approve of homosexual marriages is no secret. They believe that God created man and women to be together, not man and man or woman and woman, and that's the way it should be. This makes it impossible for homosexual couples to get married, at least in Sweden.
But that doesn't change the fact that there's several thousands of people with the same sex that love each other more than anything in the world and who would do anything to be able to get married.
For these Registered Partnership was introduced in Sweden in 1995.
It's pretty much the same as a civil marriage. The vow is a bit different though and you don't swear faithfulness before God.

After the ceremony the same law that goes for heterosexuals also goes for the homosexuals. The only thing that's different is that homosexuals are not allowed to adopt children.
The issue about however the homosexuals should be entitled to a proper marriage and adoption has grown in to an enormous debate in Sweden. Some think that the homosexuals should have the same rights as heterosexuals, others don't agree.
We did an opinion poll at school which showed that the main part of the students that took part didn't approve of homosexual relationships.
Keep in mind that this opinion poll can't be representative for the rest of Sweden. Örnsköldvik is a small town with many nonconformist churches. We think that the people in bigger cities, for instance Stockholm, have a greater tolerance concerning issues like this.

Age, future and carrier
Before the 70's it was popular among young people to get married. Nowadays, as the society has changed, young couples often push their wedding plans into the future.
Many girls feel a pressure for the coming marriage. They feel that they have an obligation to wholehearted take care of the household if they marry. And that make them believe they have to push their carriers aside. This scares many young girls who are looking forward to a lucky carrier. In that case young couples rather live together without marriage, and make an engagement instead.
For those who want to get married there are some rules which have to be followed.

If you are close relatives you cant get married.
Somebody who's already married can't enter a new marriage with out having a divorce.
A couple that's under the age of 18 can't get married without a permission.

If you want to get married and are under 18, which is the minimum age in Sweden, you have to get a permission from the tax-authorities and then your parents have to sign their names on it.
But it's unusual because most people that get married here in Sweden are between 25-30.

Do you think that homosexual should be able to get married?