There is a huge gap between Chinese culture and western culture. Western culture builds on the foundation of Christian culture,so some traditions ,such as free love and free marriage,were generated from it,in the beginning of Christianity. On contrary,Chinese culture is based on Confucian culture, so there is no doubt that marriage customs were impacted by Confucian culture values--Marriage,beyond a kind of mere and simple relationship between the couple,connects two different families and two different societies related with that two families. That’s one of the primary reasons that Chinese marriage differs from western marriage. So let’s make a brief comprehension about it.
西方和中国的文化传统有很大区别，西方文化是建立在基督教文化上的，西方人追求的自由恋爱、自由婚姻也可以追溯到基督教产生时期；中国文化以儒家文化为基础，中国婚俗也受到了儒家价值观的深刻影响——婚姻不仅仅是两个人的结合，更是联系两个家庭和各自社会关系的大事。这也主要导致了中西方婚礼习俗的不同。接下来就让我们一起简要了解一下中西方婚俗文化的差异。
In western countries,due to their Christian beliefs,god plays a significant role in their marriages. No wonder people in western countries hold their marriages in churches. Before marriage, it’s usual for bride’s family to get prepared for marriage,which is sharp distinct from Chinese traditions. Family members need to contact with priest so as to discuss about celebrations in church,accompanying band,time of marriage and so on. Besides, they are expected to hold a reception. But groom’s family will be in relief in this part. In China, marriage will be held in groom’s home,and they need to finish most of marriage preparations. Since marriage is the most magnificent event,a number of relatives and neighbors will give hands voluntarily.
在西方，由于他们的基督教信仰，婚礼总是有神的直接参与，所以他们的婚礼一般在教堂举行。在婚礼之前，通常是由女方家庭主要承担婚礼的主要筹备工作，同牧师联系，商定布置教堂，请乐队伴奏，商定婚礼时间等等，同时还要负责婚礼招待会的各项事宜，而男方家庭在这方面就相对轻松了。而在中国，婚礼一般在男方家庭主持，婚礼的筹备也一般由男方家庭承担，婚礼是两个家庭最壮观的事，因此热心的亲戚邻居也会自愿来帮忙。
In western marriage, the most interesting thing is “listing of presents”. When marriage is coming, the couple will list a “listing of presents”on which they will write down presents which haven’t been well-prepared and then some relatives will buy them for the couple. That’s because it’s normal for relatives and friends to help sharing the costs of presents,and generally presents are some issues for daily use,such as tableware and blankets. In China,people who join the reception also send some presents, but “listing of presents”isn’t suitable for unpretentious Chinese.
在西方婚礼中，更有趣的是“礼品清单”，临近婚礼时，新人会列出一个“礼品清单”，把自己想要准备的礼物写在上面，并让愿意为他们购买的亲人朋友准备，这是因为在西方，亲人朋友帮助分担礼物花销是一件很平常的事。通常这些礼物都是生活用品，如餐具、毯子等。在中国，参加新人婚礼的亲人朋友，也会送礼，不过含蓄的中国人是没有这种礼物清单的了。
In ancient China,there is a set of complicated rites before marrying,including Presenting Betrothal Gifts(Groom’s family asks the requirement of bride’s family about presents,which is the beginning of the preparation.),Placing Name of Couple in Front of Ancestral Alter(Bride’s family and groom’s family ask for information about name,birthday and family properties through matchmaker,in order to decide whether they can get married or not.),Predicting Luck or Not, Asking A Lucky Day and so on. But marriage preparation in west is quite different: since western people approve of free love. After their free love,the man will seize the initiative and propose to the woman,by going down on his one knee and rising a shining ring. Then there will be an engagement which symbolizes a sort of commitment and promise,and after that, the couple will call fiance or fiancee to each other.
在古代中国，结婚前有一套非常复杂的仪式，包括纳彩（即男方家庭向女方家庭询问彩礼要求，这是婚礼准备程序的开始），问名（男女方家庭通过媒人询问男女双方的姓名，出生日期，家产等问题，看他们能否结婚），纳吉、请期等。在西方就格外不同了，西方崇尚的是自由恋爱，当双方经过了恋爱的阶段后，男方会抓住机会向女方求婚，男方会单膝跪地，举起求婚戒指；之后将会有一个订婚仪式，订婚实际是婚姻的一种约定和承诺，订婚之后就可以互相称未婚夫（妻）了。
In China,on the third day after the marriage,the couple will go back to the bride’s home with presents for bride’s family. This visit is called “Gui Ning”or “Hui Men”. What should be highly noticed is that presents must be even numbers,which stands for the couple being in pairs forever. “Hui Men” means that bride won’t forget parents’ upbringing and shows respect for bride’s parents. In western countries,new couple will begin their honeymoon by traveling through the world,which helps increasing intimacy between the couple.
在中国，新人结婚之后的第三天，新郎带上准备好的“回门礼”，和新娘一起回娘家，叫做“归宁”、“回门”。回门礼要是双数的，寓意着成双成对。这表达了女儿不忘父母养育之恩和对女方家庭的尊重。在西方，新人们会开始度蜜月，一同去世界各地旅行，这也是新人之间增进感情的方式。
There are still other various and attractive customs in marriage,but since the article is limited,the instruction must be brief. You can find more information if you like.
依然还有很多关于中西方婚礼习俗的差异，但是由于篇幅有限，所以这篇介绍只能是简短的，如果你们对婚礼习俗感兴趣的话，可以自行查找更多的资料。
Time:2019-3-13
