Abstract

    Wedding customs are the embodiment of national culture of one country. Thus, different wedding customs also reflect cultural differences among different countries. This paper begins with comparison between Chinese and American wedding customs from premarital tradition, wedding decoration, bridal apparel to wedding ceremony, and then a further analysis on reasons that lead to such differences is to be made, including religious belief, historical and cultural background and values. Last but not least, it reveals the importance of conflicts and cultural integration brought by different Chinese and American wedding customs.

Key Words: wedding customs, cultural differences, cause analysis, cultural integration  

摘要

婚礼习俗是一个国家民族文化的体现，婚礼习俗的差异性也反映了不同国家之间的文化差异。本文首先对中西方婚礼习俗文化差异进行对比，从婚前传统、婚礼布置、新娘穿戴到婚礼仪式；进而来探究导致其差异形成的原因，包括中西方宗教信仰、历史文化背景和价值观；最后揭示了中西方不同的婚礼习俗带来的冲突以及文化之间的融合的重要性。

关键词： 婚礼习俗；文化差异；原因分析；文化融合

1. Introduction
Culture, the true essence of a nation, is the product of long-term accumulation of human material life and spiritual life. Weddings, regarded as an organic constituent part of cultures, to some extent, show us different culture features among different nations. Since ancient times, either China or America has continued with their own unique wedding customs, which can be reflected from many aspects. Generally speaking, the difference is due to their religious brief, cultural background and values. However, with the integration of Chinese culture and American culture, there is an increasing number of young people in China begin to accept American wedding. At the same time, American youth want to experience Chinese culture including Chinese wedding.