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西方婚礼之二:新郎不可见新娘? |
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新郎不可见新娘?
It has long been considered bad luck for a groom to
see his bride before the wedding day. One explanation f
or this superstition is that waiting at the altar, wond
ering how she will look, heightens the sudden appearanc
e of his beloved, decked out like a vision in white, so
astonishes the man that he is a husband before he knows
what has hit him. The surprise factor thus ensures groo
mly compliance.
A more substantial historical explanation is that t
he prohibition is the remains from primitive seclusion
rites, which stipulate that nobody should see an engage
d girl before she has passed fully into womanhood. As o
ne of the most significant rites of passage, marriage i
nvolves a period of separation from old ways, a period
of transition, and a period of incorporation into the n
ew. The middle period is filled with confusion and imag
ined dangers. In many cultures brides-to-be are conside
red unclean and are secluded for a period of time befor
e the ceremony so that they will not contaminate others
. Whether or not this attitude plays a role in the mode
rn superstition, it's clear that keeping the bride at a
distance until the critical moment reflects the primiti
ve anxiety about transition—the cocern that, until the
incorporation ceremonies are completed, something can a
lways go wrong. |
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