Japanese Wedding Ceremonies

This is the first part of my presentation☆

Let's take a look at what kinds of wedding ceremonies Japanese have had. There are Shinto（神前式）, Buddhist（仏前式）, Christian, and Intimate（人前式） styles.
First, the Shinto style ceremony. Have you ever heard of Shinto(神道）? Shinto is the ancient religion of Japan. Our ancestors believed there are many gods in the world, not only one. When I was a child, my grandmother told me, “You will be scolded by a nature-god if you spoil the flowers.” Or “You will be punished by a fertility god if you leave your food.” and so on. In Shinto, two gods gave birth to the Japanese islands. If people celebrate a Shinto wedding, they go to a Shinto shrine, and swear their love to the two gods who created Japan.

I will explain what is the Shinto wedding is like briefly. 　A bride wearing a white Kimono(like the picture) and A groom wearing the black Kimono go to a Shinto shire. They ride an ancient-typed taxi pulled by a person(人力車）. The families follow the couple. Just close families participate in a Shinto wedding because a Shinto wedding room is not so big. In the ceremony, a Shinto minister purifies the couple and he announces their marriage to the gods. The bride and groom drink Sake, an alcohol drink from the same cup, instead of kissing. The groom makes a vow. They hold holy branches to swear their eternal love to Japanese gods. At last, the whole family drinks sake to promise they will become one family. This is a Shinto style wedding which was very trendy in the early 20th century. (This picture is from the Website of Okayama Kokusai Hotel: http://www.oih.co.jp/wedding.html )

The Buddhist style is celebrated in a Buddhist temple to announce their marriage to Buddha and the couple’s ancestors because in some temples, they have buried their believers. I think you know well about the Christian style weddings. Last, “the Intimate style wedding” is not related to religion. Couples swear their eternal love, not to a god, but to their families and friends, intimate people.

Now, I think I should explain about the relationship of the Japanese and religion. A wedding is a big event of a personal life, so many people celebrate their weddings based on their religion. So, which religion do the Japanese have? There is no formal record, but one private survey says, “45% of the Japanese believe in Shinto: 49% are Buddhist: 1% are Christian: The other 5% believe in other religions.” However, I am not sure this survey is correct because many Japanese don’t think they are religious, including me. A typical Japanese pattern is like this. When she was a child, she was celebrated at a particular age like one, three, seven, at a Shinto shrine. But she celebrates her wedding as the Christian style. And when she dies, her funeral is organized as the Buddhist style. Many Japanese have a Buddhist altar and a Shinto altar in their home, as well as my parents. I am not a specialist of religion, so please don’t ask deep questions about that. However, in my personal opinion, many Japanese cherish our ancestors’ customs and morals instead of religion. So, the popular Japanese wedding ceremony styles have been changed by trends and life styles in the era, and some celebrities’ weddings .