单项选择题

Wedding Customs around the World
Wedding Ceremonies
A wedding is celebrated with some kind of ceremony almost everywhere in the world. The ceremonies vary greatly among different nations and different religions. But whatever the form of a marriage ceremony, it serves the important purpose of announcing to the community that a male and a female have been joined in matrimony (婚姻).
The wedding ceremony may be a religious one performed by a churchman. In Western societies it may be a civil ceremony performed by a civil official, such as a mayor or a judge. Or it may be only a couple’s declaration, before witnesses, of their intention to marry. In some places a transfer of property makes a marriage binding. In other places blood is drawn from the hands of the bride and groom. The blood is mixed, sealing the union. Among some people the marriage rite consists only of the bride and groom’s sharing the same food.
Marriage is one of the seven important religious ceremonies of the Catholic Church. The marriage is held in a church with the service conducted by the priest in the language of the country. The couple stand at the altar (圣坛). The priest asks each in turn, "Do you take name of partner here present for your lawful wife/husband, according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Church"In turn, each answers, "I do. " They then repeat the marriage vows after the priest. The priest blesses the union. "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. " The priest sprinkles the couple with holy water and blesses the ring or rings.
Many traditional customs are observed at Jewish weddings, although they are not required by Jewish law. Usually the Jewish priest, the bride and groom, and their attendants stand under a decorated cover called a chupah (犹太教举行婚礼的彩棚). The present use of the chupah began during The Middle Ages among the Eastern European Jews. The Jewish priest conducts the service. During the ceremony the bride and groom make appropriate vows and take part in the ring ceremony. The Jewish priest blesses a cup of wine, from which the bride and groom both drink. The Jewish priest talks to the couple about the sacredness of marriage and responsibilities of the bride and groom. After the Jewish priest has pronounced them man and wife, a wine glass is often placed on the floor. The groom steps on the glass and breaks it. Scholars disagree about the symbolism of the custom, but many believe that the breaking of the glass recalls the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, reminding the couple that even at the moment of greatest joy, there may be sorrow.
The Muslim marriage is a civil and religious contract between the bride and groom. The religious ceremonies and celebrations vary with the customs of the country in which the marriage is held. People of wealth begin the celebrations two or three days before the wedding and continue for two or three days after. The bride is elaborately dressed in bright colors and wears her finest jewelry. The wedding takes place at the home of the bride. The service is performed by Muslim priest, before at least two male witnesses or one male and two female witnesses and then the vows are exchanged.
Wedding Customs
Many of the customs associated with wedding ceremonies are based on neither church nor civil law. They developed from wedding customs of earliest times and come from many lands.
The wearing of a bridal veil dates back to early Greek and Roman times. The veil was thought to conceal the bride from evil spirits. The veil is also believed to have been worn as an indication of the bride’s innocence and purity.
The wedding ring is the most widely used symbol of marriage today, as it has been for centuries. The word "wedding" comes from the old English word "wed", which means "promise" or "pledge". During Anglo-Saxon times, a promise to marry was sealed when the bridegroom-to-be gave his sweetheart a ring. The ring, a circle with no begging or end, was considered a symbol of being eternal. The third finger of the left hand was chosen as the ring finger because of mistaken beliefs that a nerve runs from that finger to the heart.
The best man has been explained as a survival of the ancient practice of wife capture, in which the bridegroom’s friends helped him in his struggle to carry off a wife. The bride’s attendants were supposed to protect her from being captured.
The honeymoon, or holiday spent by the couple after marriage, may have had its beginnings in the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest. The word comes from the French phrase lune de mile, which means "moon of honey". It is believed that it was an ancient custom for a newly married couple to take a drink containing honey on each of the first 30 days of the marriage.
In ancient times people drove off any unfriendly spirits around the bridal couple by making noises, lighting fires, and waving torches. Many practices that were supposed to prevent bad luck and bring blessings to the bridal pair have come down through the years. Throwing rice after a newly married couple is a very old custom. The ancients threw rice at the bride and groom to distract evil spirits. In many countries the bridal pair is showered with nuts, corn, or wheat. Tin cans or old shoes are sometimes tied to the car that carries the bride and groom away. This practice may have come out of the ancient belief that loud noises frighten bad spirits away. To assure good luck, brides often follow the old saying and wear for the wedding "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue".
Legal Requirements
Every society has its own laws and requirements governing marriage. There may be regulations concerning the ages at which a couple may marry, the procedures for a license to marry, the recording of the marriage, or the type of ceremony.
Each state in the United States sets its own minimum age at which a couple may marry. In most states, people must be 18 to marry without the consent of their parents. With parental consent, people may marry at 16 in most states. In most of Britain, 16 is the minimum age for marriage, and parental consent is required until the person is 18. India allows women of 14 and men of 18 to marry. The minimum age for marriage with parental consent in France is 15 for women and 18 for men, but people of 21 may marry without consent. In Italy the bride must be 14 and the groom 16. The minimum age for marriage in Japan is 16 for women and 18 for men.
A marriage license is required in the United States, Canada, and many other countries. In some countries a license to marry is not required, but after the marriage take place, it must be recorded with the state authorities. Most states in the United States require a medical examination and blood test before the license is issued.
The minimum age for marriage in France without parental consent is ______.