The majority of Japanese couples were customarily intimate unions between members of the same family https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.845110/full. Some couples nowadays choose to have a more elegant wedding service held at a temple or another religious site. Others continue to practice the more traditional rituals, frequently including a sakura ( cherry blossom ) ceremony, where the bride and groom cross a tree together to honor the renewal of their vows.
Shinto, the spirituality of Japan’s indigenous citizens, dominates these rites for the most part. A priest officiates these weddings, known as shinzen shiki, in a service that is both somber and joyful. The partners asks for the kami’s grace during this tradition, in which they declare their union. In a festival known as the sansankudo, they consume nine sips of the three cups, where the amount three signifies luck and unity. The bride and groom take pledges, exchange donations, and therefore kiss each other before performing a ceremonial waltz to appease the gods.
The shinzen shiki rites are not likely to vanish, despite the increasing popularity of Western-style marriages in Japan. Toyohiko Ikeda, a chief Shinto pastor at Sugawara Shrine in Machida, with whom we spoke, about the customs that have evolved into more contemporary rituals.
The handful attends a bridal greeting following the main service. Relatives and friends usually attend this extremely official gathering. Traditional gifts are traditionally presented in fabric 2redbeans reviews and tied with mizuhiki, or paper strips, to symbolize good fortune.