Customs and Traditions are Part of a Country Character
A country without traditions is a poor country! It’s important for every country to have it’s special customs and traditions. One of the conventional customs is wedding. Every country has its own classic way of wedding but in some countries the traditional wedding is usually the same. America and Saudi Arabia are big countries with unique customs and traditions. The difference between a Saudi wedding and an American wedding is like the difference between moonlight and sunlight. The wedding is an important event for all cultures. American culture and Saudi culture are different in preparation for the wedding, ceremony, and after the wedding. Preparation for the wedding is the busiest day for the bride’s and groom’s family in both cultures. In Saudi culture, organizing the wedding needs more work than the American wedding because in Saudi Arabia there are places for weddings but they aren’t fully ready but in America the wedding halls are almost ready; therefore, Saudi brides and American brides need to book a place for the wedding but Saudi brides need more work on preparing the wedding halls. Wedding halls in Saudi Arabia are much bigger than halls in America because the number of guests in Saudi wedding is much larger than America. Saudi brides and their families have to prepare to the wedding place by filling it in with accessories. Also, they have to send invitation cards for people who they want to come individually, and the brides in both cultures need to customize their attire.
In America the wedding preparation needs less work because the wedding is smaller when compare to Saudi wedding, and the wedding halls in America are often ready, so brides can just add few accessories then they will be done. However, some Americans like to have their wedding in public places like a beach, a park or downtown. This kind of wedding might be the hardest to prepare for since the brides have to create everything by themselves. For instance, if American couples want to get married in a beach, they have to ask the organizer of this beach, then provide the beach with all materials. Furthermore, some American weddings take place in church, so brides have to rent the church for the day of the wedding but they don’t have too much to prepare for. Nevertheless, some American brides choose their ceremony to take place far from home, so it will be easy transition to a honeymoon; most of these people do it in Las Vegas or New York City. However, in Saudi culture the whole wedding usually happens in the bride’s city. Saudis don’t like their wedding to take place far from home since they want to take advantage of being close to the halls and have all their family and friends there. Finally, Americans and Saudis have different ways of preparing the wedding American and Saudi cultures have different ways of ceremony and reception. First, in Saudi culture men and women are separate. In addition, the men celebration is different from one family to another.
In some families men just get in groups and have conversation. The bride’s siblings usually walk around the place to talk with their friends but the father of the bride and the groom sit in the front to welcome visitors. After everyone arrives in, they go to the dining room to have their dinner, and the husband gets with his family and the wife’s family in one table. In another type of ceremony, the men celebrate by bringing a band and dancing. Also, there are different types of dances but receptions are mostly the same of other families, they welcome visitors the same way and they have the same type of meal. However, in America females and males aren’t separate. Moreover, in America bridesmaids and groomsmen take part of the ceremony by surrounding the bride and the groom. The bridesmaids originated as a way to confuse evil of who the bride is. The groomsmen originated many centuries ago when men had to capture a women in order for the groom to marry her but in these days groomsmen surround the couples as a traditional thing only. Also, the bride walks with her father to the stage in order to show the groom their acceptance. After that, clergyman reads a word for the couples then they have a kiss which has different meanings depending on the couple’s religion. Then, the music begins and the attendees start to talk to each other or dance but it’s usually a small group of people not like Saudi culture which is often a big wedding. i After the wedding day, usually in American culture and Saudi culture newlyweds start their honeymoon.
The honeymoon is a period of time where the newlyweds can take a break to share some private and romantic moments that can help them to make a strong relationship. Therefore, newlyweds travel outside of their country or a different city in their country from their decision, sometimes it takes a couple of days or weeks. In Saudi Arabia, usually the groom pay for the honeymoon but in America it depends on the couples situation, sometimes the groom pay it alone and sometimes both of them pay for it. In Saudi Arabia, the honeymoon is so important for newlywed because it’s the first time for them to spend time alone and have some privacy. The honeymoon is important for Americans also but newlywed has already sat alone and had some privacy. Therefore, the honeymoon is important for American newlyweds because they can take a break from their work and get together to make their relationship stronger.
Saudi couples prefer to spend their honeymoon in quiet places so they can have more privacy and get to establish their relationship. However, Americans like to go to places that they never been to because Americans like to travel a lot. Although Americans and Saudi newlyweds have the same traditions which is honeymoon, the importance of the honeymoon is not the same and the places are different. In conclusion, wedding is an important event in every culture even though it’s different from culture to other. Americans and Saudis have different traditions in their wedding in preparing for the wedding, celebrations, and the honeymoon.
