外国的婚礼习俗 英文版.pptVIP

Chapter Fifteen  British Family Life Character and Customs Marriage Meals and Drinks Social Contact Conservatism and Temperament Privacy Customs Connected with the King or Queen Marriage According to English law , no child can get married below the age of 16. If they are between 16 and 18 the parents’ consent 同意 ，准许to the marriage is necessary, but over the age of 18 the parents’ consent is unnecessary. Most girls and nearly all men are over 18 when they get married. Marriage marks the beginning of a new and independent family. Now British society is considered to be permissive, which allows a considerable amount of freedom. In terms of marriage the young people do not like to have control placed on them by other family members. It is quite normal for a girls of 16 to go out with a boyfriend. If they are together for a long time and know each other well, the girl would invite her boyfriend to her house to meet her parents. If they had made private promise to marry, the boy will buy an engagement ring 订婚戒指 for the girl. The engagement ring is placed on the third finger of the girl’s left hand. If the girl changes her mind, she usually returns the ring. If they continue getting along well, the engagement ring will be replaced by the wedding ring of plain gold. For the wedding, most British couples, whether religious or not, will go to church to have the ceremony. Other couples may go to a registry 登记office to have the ceremony 典礼, where the ceremony is usually less formal and more purely legal. For the church ceremony the bride dressed in a long white dress and attended by her close friends and relatives. A churchman will ask whether they are willing to marry each other and they have to make promises of loyalty to each other. Ironically, Britain is one of the countries with highest divorce rate in the developed country. Meals and Drinks British meals mean different things at different times to different people. The first meal of the da