Family is our basic social unit. It has undergone significant changes over the last century. More than ever, modern family has a lot to cope with compared to family during the golden days. Today, family faces more pressures such as money worries and drug abuse. Also, relationship by taking away quality family time which should be forging warm and loving relationship. Furthermore, in today's challenging time, family no longer has a clear job function for its members. A reversed role where the man brings up the children and the woman is the breadwinner is becoming quite common.
As a human being I cannot imagine living in this world without family. This is because family is the most valuable aspect of my life. I believe, without family I am not a complete person. Who is going to teach me all the basic values in life such as helping people, abiding to rules and being good to others? In fact, without family I would be a lonely individual. I will not have a shoulder to cry on and not able to talk about fear and dream. Also, family is the most important in my life not solely for the fact that family provides love and relationship but also never to forget money and other necessities in life.
B. Make up 15 questions on the texts and ask the group-mates to answer them.
C. Compare different opinions on the family of the citizens of different countries. Which of them do you agree\disagree with?
Exercise 3.
A. Read and translate the texts.
Wedding Customs from Around the World
Wedding traditions and customs vary from one country to another, but each one is special and celebrates the marriage bond of the newly weds.
Belgium
Wearing White, Giving Flowers, and Throwing Rice.
In my country, the bride always, or almost always, wears a white dress. The man comes to the house of the bride and gives her bouquet of flowers (also in white or other light colors). They go to the church and the man is inside when the father of the bride brings her to her future husband. And at the end, when they come out, the family throws rice on them.
Brazil
Important Details of the Wedding Ceremony.
A wedding ceremony in Brazil has many important details. For example, the bridegroom can't see the bride wearing her wedding dress before the ceremony. The bride has to use something old, something new, and something that is borrowed. One more detail is that the rings should be engraved: the name of the bridegroom on the bride's ring and vice-versa.
China
Exchanging Handkerchiefs and Wishing Each Other Good Luck in China.
Every new couple needs to go to a park to have a video made before the evening party starts. If a new couple meets in a park, the bride and bridegroom should exchange a new handkerchief and wish each other good luck. It has to be red and have a picture of mandarin ducks. Because ducks always stay together, it means they will stay together. We have this custom so they share happiness and congratulate each other. Traditionally, the more happiness you share, the more good luck you get. So, don't forget to prepare these handkerchiefs by hand when you are going to get married.
Hong Kong
One of the Interesting Things in a Chinese Wedding Ceremony.
In traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, a couple always has jokes played on them by their friends or guests. For example, during the ceremony an apple is hung with a thread before the couple. Then people who attend their wedding ask the bride and groom to bite the apple at the same time in order to show they love each other. However, at the moment their lips touch it, one of their friends suddenly pulls it away and the couple's lips meet and they have a big kiss instead of biting the apple before them. Interestingly, this action or behavior always causes a loud laugh.
Colombia
The Candle Ceremony.
There is a traditional custom in Colombian Christian weddings. After the ring ceremony, the groom and the bride each has to light a candle. This custom has a special meaning. Each lighted candle represents the life of each one. After that, they light another candle together and put out the first candle of each one, leaving only the one that they lit as a couple. This bright candle means that now they are the same body and they are going to share every moment of their lives.
In a Christian ceremony in Colombia there is the "candle ceremony" after the ring ceremony where the groom has to light the candle on his left and the bride lights the candle on her right. When they both have their candles lit, they put them together and light the candle in the middle. Then they have to put out their own candles and this means they become just one body for the rest of their lives.
El Salvador
Escorting the Bride to the Church.
All the wedding ceremonies around the world try to express different things through different ceremonies. For some reason, in some places in El Salvador, when a wedding is celebrated, the wedding ceremony service starts without the bride. The groom and all the people who have been invited to the ceremony are waiting for her during the service. When the wedding ceremony service starts, a group of seven men goes to the bride's home. The bride and her family are waiting for seven white cars which escort the bride's car until they arrive at the church. Finally, the bride enters the church and then the nuptial song starts playing.
Germany
Polterabend – the Evening with Lots of Broken Porcelain.
Some days before the wedding, friends and relatives bring old porcelain and kitchenware to throw on the ground in front of bride and groom. This is supposed to grant them a happy, lucky life; that's why this evening event is called Polterabend –the evening with lots of broken porcelain. The German proverb – Scherben bringen Glück – which can be translated as "Broken crockery brings you luck" is derived from this custom. The Polterabend often develops into an informal and casual party.
India
A Marriage of Two Families, Not Just Two People.
In the Sikh faith (East Indian) some weddings are arranged and others are love marriages. When a couple is to be wed it is considered a marriage of two families not just two people. The bride traditionally wears red (white signifies death in our culture) and the groom wears a traditional cream colored long coat called an etchkin with a red turban. The father of the bride joins the bride to the groom by handing her one end of a cloth that is held by the groom. The groom leads the bride 4 times around our holy book with the help of the bride's brothers and cousins. After the fourth round the couple is considered married. Priests give blessings and advise the couple on how to live and love in their new lives together. The couple is two bodies with one soul...
Indonesia
Receiving a Holy Shower.
In Java, the bride and the groom mustn't meet each other on this day because that would bring them bad luck. I was receiving a holy shower with water and flowers from my mother.
B. Compare the wedding customs from around the world. What is the main difference between these customs and the customs of your country?
Exercise 4.
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| Esraa Dawood, Middle East | | | A. Read and translate the text. |