揭秘：中国式婚礼的N个为什么

 　　Traditional Chinese weddings are always filled with red things to bring auspicious¹ blessings² and respects. And even wedding customs reflect traditions from Chinese philosophy。

　　中国传统婚礼中总是用红色的东西来表达吉祥、祝福和隆重的意味。其实婚礼习俗也反映着中国的传统哲学思想。

　　1. Favoring red comes from worship of the sun

　　喜欢红色来自太阳崇拜

　　The Chinese regard the color red as the symbol of happiness, success, luck, faith and growth. They like red very much, which comes from worship of the Sun. In traditional Chinese weddings, there are double Xi characters in red, red scarves, red flowers and the bride wears a red coat。

　　中国人将红色看做是幸福、成功、好运、忠诚和繁荣的象征。他们很喜欢红色，其实是由于对太阳的崇拜。在传统中国婚礼上，有红色的“囍”字、红色的丝带、红花和新娘的红衣。

　　2. The wedding ceremony shows harmony between nature and people

　　婚礼传达出“天人合一”的思想

　　A marriage is not only a merger³ of the couple; traditionally, it symbolizes⁴ the merger of two families. So the wedding ceremony should reflect the holiness of marriage, drawing the attention of relatives and friends. There is harmony between nature and the people inside。

　　婚姻不仅是一对新人的结合，按照传统，婚姻也象征着两个家庭的结合。因此婚礼要能体现出婚姻的神圣，要能够吸引亲朋好友来参加。这里面有“天人合一”的思想。

　　Inviting⁵ relatives and friends to the wedding symbolizes the formality and the relationships between people. During a marriage, two families become in-laws. The ceremony reflects the importance and family status of the parents。

　　邀请亲朋好友来参加婚礼体现着人与人之间的关系和礼节。在婚姻中，双方的家庭结为“亲家”。婚礼体现了家长在家庭中的地位和重要性。

　　After the ceremony, the bride and the groom⁶ usually burn money and food as offerings to the gods. As the fire consumes the offerings accompanied by the sound of firecrackers, god accepts the gift, indicating that there is harmony between nature and people。

　　婚礼之后，新郎和新娘通常会烧纸钱和食物来祭祀祖先。伴着鞭炮的声音，火苗将祭品烧给祖先们，这象征着人与自然的和谐。

　　3. The sound of musical instruments in the wedding is usually loud to express the voice of the people. The sound should be loud enough to let nature know, and it also demonstrates the importance of the marriage。

　　婚礼上奏乐的声音通常很响，响到足以让自然“听到”，同时也证明婚姻的重要性。

　　4. The food the bride eats has cultural significance

　　新娘吃的食物也是一种文化象征

　　In traditional weddings, the bride usually has red dates, peanuts, longans and melon seeds. The meaning is evident in the Chinese pronunciation of these four foods. When they are said together, it sounds like "Have a baby soon."

　　传统婚礼上，新娘一般会吃红枣、花生、桂圆和瓜子。其中的象征意义可以从这四种食物的读音中看出。当这四种食物放在一起读时就是“早生贵子”。

1 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。

2 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

4 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

6 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。