Heian society was organized by an elaborate system of rank, and the purpose of marriage was to produce children who would inherit the highest possible rank from the best-placed lineage.
Regardless of religious rituals, most Japanese also include a cultural sake-sharing tradition at the wedding, popularly called -- san means "three," ku means "nine," and do means "to deliver." This ritual dates back to a time when sharing sake created a formal bond as strongly as a handshake did in Victorian times.
Using three flat sake cups stacked atop one another, the bride and groom take three sips each from the cups.
I would love more input from the experiences of others.
I would especially love to hear back from my Japanese friends with their thoughts and perspectives on the topic. Any more I can learn will only serve myself and others better. Japan, and as I understand it most of Asia, has a very different dating culture than that of the West.
Wedding Ideas Etiquette" data-blog-content="false" data-content-tags="["2bbbb9eb-bab8-4143-b561-97f1b90aedf7", "3dfb465f-330a-4c77-85e3-d75232781e7f", "e3ff7bbd-251d-473b-9e26-967d9e0f3a6a"]" data-singular-terms="["Wedding Tradition","Japanese","Wedding Etiquette"]" data-content-hub-id data-content-strategy-type="editorial" data-content-series Want to include your Japanese heritage in your wedding festivities but aren't sure where to start?
We asked Shu Shu Costa, author of Wild Geese and Tea : An Asian-American Wedding Planner (Riverhead Books, 1997), to offer some great ideas on how to add Japanese customs to your celebrations.
Plenty of courses are served, but never in a multiple of four because the number four sounds like the word for death.
Additionally, the different foods served all have special meanings, for example lobster might be served because red is a lucky color or clams served with both shells symbolize the couple’s union.
Most weddings are held either according to Shinto traditions or in chapels according to Christian marriage traditions.