Traditional marriage customs in the Philippines and Filipino wedding practices pertain to the characteristics of marriage and wedding traditions established and adhered to by Filipino men and women in the Philippines after a period of courtship and engagement. These traditions extend to other countries around the world where Filipino communities exist. Kasalan is the Filipino word for "wedding", while its root word – kasal – means "marriage". The present-day character of marriages and weddings in the Philippines were primarily influenced by the permutation of native, Christian, Catholic, Protestant, Spanish, and American models.
Historical overview
A typical ancient traditional Filipino wedding, during pre-colonial times, is held for three days and was officiated by a babaylan, a tribal priest or priestess.
The house of the babaylan was the ceremonial center for the nuptial. On
the first day, the couple was brought to the priest's home, where the
babaylan blesses them, while their hands are joined over a container of
uncooked rice. On the third day, the priest would prick their chests to
draw a small amount of blood, which will be placed on a container to be
mixed with water. After announcing their love for each other for three
times, they were fed by the priest with cooked rice coming from a single
container. Afterwards, they were to drink the water that was mixed with
their blood. The priest proclaimed that they are officially wed after
their necks and hands were bound by a cord or, sometimes, once their
long hairs had been entwined together. In lieu of the babaylan, the datu or a wise elder may also officiate a pre-colonial Filipino wedding.
After the ceremony, while at the just-married couple's residence, a
series of gift-exchanging rituals was also done to counter the negative
responses of the bride: if asked to enter her new home, if she refuses
to go up the stairs of the dwelling, if she denies to participate in the
marriage banquet, or even to go into her new bedroom, a room she would
be sharing with her spouse.
Spanish colonialism
brought changes to these marriage rituals because of the teachings and
conversion efforts of Spanish missionaries, which occurred as early as
the 18th century. As a result, the majority of current-day Filipino
weddings became predominantly Christian or Catholic
in character, which is also because of the mostly Catholic population,
although indigenous traditions still exist today in other regions of the
Philippines.
Parts of Filipino wedding ceremonies have become faith-centered and
God-centered, which also highlights the concept that the joining of two
individuals is a "life long commitment" of loving and caring
In general, the marriage itself does not only signify the union of two
persons, but also the fusion of two families, and the unification two
clans.
Requirements
The following are the legal requirements that must be met in order to marry in the Philippines. To be specific, the exact wordings as stated in Philippine marriage law are presented below:
- Legal capacity of the contracting parties who must be a male and a female, 18 years old and above without any impediment to get married.
- Consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer.
- Authority of the solemnizing officer (only incumbent member of the judiciary; priest, rabbi, imam, or minister of any church or religious sect duly authorized by his church or religious sect and registered with the civil registrar general; ship captain or airplane chief, military commander of a unit to which a chaplain is assigned, in the absence of the latter, during a military operation only in marriages at the point of death; and consul-general, consul or vice-consul only between Filipino citizens abroad are authorized by law to solemnize marriage).
Marriage law in the Philippines also requires couples to attend a seminar on family planning
before the wedding day in order to become responsible family life and
parenthood. The seminar is normally conducted at a city hall or a
municipal council.
Some officiating ministers or churches require the couple to present a certificate of no marriage record
(CENOMAR), on top of or together with the marriage license and the
authority of the solemnizing officer. The CENOMAR can be secured from
the National Statistics Office or its designated offices and branches.[
Marriage proposal
The traditional marriage proposal takes the form of the pamanhikan or pamamanhikan
or the "parental marriage proposal", a formal way of asking the parents
of the woman for her hand. The would-be groom and his parents go to the
would-bride's home, and ask the parents for their consent. Once the
woman's parents accept the proposal, other matters will be discussed
during this meeting include among other things, the wedding plan, the
date, the finances, and the list of guests. The expenses for the wedding
are generally shouldered by the groom and his family.
Pamamanhikan enforces the importance of the familial nature of
the wedding, as traditionally a marriage is the formation of an
alliance between two clans as well as the joining of individuals. This
is sometimes further expressed in how the whole extended family goes
with the groom and his parents, using the occasion as a chance to meet
and greet the other clan. In this situation, there is a feast held at
the bride's family home.
This event is separate from the Despedida de Soltera (Spanish:
"Farewell to Single-hood") party some families have before the wedding.
The local variant of the Hispanic custom normally holds it for the
bride, and it is held by her family. It is similar in sentiment to the hen night, albeit a more wholesome and formal version.
Wedding announcement
After the pamamanhikan, the couple performs the pa-alam
or "wedding announcement visitations". In this custom, the couple goes
to the homes of relatives to inform the latter of their status as a
couple and the schedule of their nuptial. It is also during this visits
when the couple personally delivers their wedding invitations.[9]
Wedding date and invitation
The typical Filipino wedding invitation contains the date and venue
for the wedding ceremony and for the wedding reception, as well as the
names and roles of the principal sponsors of the bride. Weddings in the
Philippines are commonly held during the month of June.
Ceremonial protocol
Wedding attire
Bride's garment
The Filipino bride's attire is typically made of a custom-made white wedding gown. This is from the American influence of dressing the woman on her wedding day.
Groom's apparel
The Filipino groom's clothing is the Barong Tagalog, a formal and traditional transparent, embroidered and button-up shirt made from jusi (also spelled as husi) fabric made from pineapple fibers. This formal Filipino male's apparel is worn untucked with a white T-shirt beneath, and over a black pair of pants.
Wedding ceremony
Generally, the wedding ceremony proper in the Philippines includes
the celebration of a one-hour long mass. The Filipino groom arrives one
hour earlier than the Filipina bride for the purpose of receiving
wedding guests at the church. The bride will arrive later on board a
wedding car, then gets off the vehicle to meet her waiting groom. The
groom could be waiting with his parents. Afterwards, the groom and the
bride performs the bridal procession or the wedding march. During the nuptial, the bride holds an heirloom rosary along with her traditional bridal bouquet.
Ceremonial sponsors, witnesses, and participants
The principal wedding sponsors – also known as special sponsors, primary sponsors, counselors, or witnesses of the marriage ceremony – chosen by the would-be spouses normally
includes a multiple set of pairs of godparents (typically a total of 12
individual godparents composed of 6 godmothers or ninang, and 6 godfathers or ninong). Chosen secondary sponsors are made up of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and 3 more pairs of wedding attendants. The wedding attendants are responsible for the special parts of lighting the wedding candles, placing the veil and the cords on the couple being wed. Other official ceremonial participants are children, usually males, with the role of being the coin bearer and the ring bearer.
Ceremonial paraphernalia
Ceremonial paraphernalia in Filipino weddings include the wedding rings, the wedding arrhae, the wedding candles, the wedding veils, and the wedding cord.
The ring bearer acts as the holder and keeper of the rings until the
exchanging of rings is performed, while the coin bearer acts as the
holder and keeper of the arrhae until it is offered and given by the
groom to his bride.
Among the secondary sponsors or wedding attendants, three pairs – each
pair consists of a male and female secondary sponsors – are chosen to
function as lighters of the wedding candles, handlers of the wedding
veils, and placers of the wedding cord.
Wedding rings and the arrhae
After the exchange of wedding rings by the couple, the groom gives
the wedding arrhae to his bride. The arrhae is a symbol of his "monetary
gift" to the bride because it is composed of 13 pieces of gold, or
silver, coins, a "pledge" that the groom is devoted to the welfare and
well-being of his wife and future offspring. Both rings and arrhae are
blessed first by the priest during the wedding.
Wedding candles
The lighters of the wedding candles, known as the candle sponsors,
light the pair of candles, one on each side of the couple. For
Christians, this embodies the presence of God in the marital union.
Many weddings add the ritual of the "unity candle"
which signifies the joining of their two families. The couple takes the
two lighted candles and together lights a single candle. For
Christians, lighting this single candle symbolizes the invocation of Jesus Christ into their life as a married couple. The use of the unity candle is rooted in Protestant and American culture.
Wedding veils
After the ritual of lighting candles, a pair of secondary sponsors
known as the veil sponsors will pin the veil(s) on the couple. Two forms
of this tradition exist, with either one long, white-coloured veil
draped over the shoulder of the groom and above the bride's head,
or pinning two separate veils, one on the groom's shoulder and the
other on the bride. The veiling ritual signifies the clothing of two
individuals who have become one due to the ceremony of marriage.
Wedding cord
After the veiling ritual, the pair of secondary sponsors, known as
the cord sponsors, will then drape a cord over the shoulders of the
groom and the bride. This decorative cord is called the yugal and is customarily shaped or looped to form the figure 8 (or alternately, the infinity sign), to symbolise "everlasting fidelity".[1][2] Each loop of the cord is placed around the invidual neck-and-shoulder area of the bride and the groom.
Apart from silk, other popular materials are used to make the wedding
cord such as a string of flowers, links of coins, or a cord designed
like a long rosary.
Wedding reception
During the wedding reception, it is typical to release a pair of
white male and female doves, symbolising marital harmony and peace.
These are placed in a cage or receptacle, which can be opened by
pulling ribbons or cords or manually opened and released by the couple
themselves. After their release from their cage, the person who catches them may take them home to rear as pets.
Tossing the bouquet is for the most part uncommon for the bride to do
though it is increasingly being observed by younger couples. Instead,
the bride traditionally offers it at a side altar or image of either the
Virgin Mary, a patron saint, or leaves it at the grave of a significant
deceased relative.
Wedding superstitions
Filipinos have also developed superstitions that are related to marriage and weddings.
Pre-colonial customs include the groom or bride avoiding travel beforehand to prevent accidents from happening. The bride must not wear pearls as these are similar to tears, and a procession of men holding bolos and musicians playing agongs
must be done. This march was also done after the ceremony until the
newly-wed couple reaches their abode. The purpose of this procession is
similar to the current practise of breaking plates during the wedding reception, in order to shoo away bad luck.
During Spanish colonisation, the Spaniards introduced new beliefs
with particular concern over banning activities that may cause broken
marriages, sadness and regret. Wedding gowns cannot be worn in advance as any black-coloured clothing during the ceremony, and sharp objects cannot be given as gifts.
Other Filipino beliefs hold that typhoons on wedding days may bring
bad fortune; that after the ceremony the bride should walk ahead of her
husband or step on his foot to prevent being dominated by him; an
extinguished candle during the ceremony is an omen that the groom or
bride will die ahead (depending on which candle on whose side was blown
out); and an accidentally dropped wedding ring, wedding veil, or wedding arrhae will cause marital misery.
Superstitious beliefs on good fortune include showering the married
couple with uncooked rice, as this wishes them a prosperous life
together. The groom's arrival at the venue ahead of his bride also diminishes dire fate.
In addition, a single woman who will follow the footsteps of a
newly-married couple may enhance her opportunity to become a bride
herself.
Siblings are not permitted to marry within the calendar year as this is considered bad luck. The remedy to this belief, called sukob, is to have the one marrying later pass through the back entrance of the church instead of its main doors.
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