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Latin.html
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Latin American
Pre-wedding
tradition: A party to celebrate the engagement is
common. The couple may be blessed at home by
their parents before the wedding.
Wedding attire and jewelry: The Spanish mantilla,
or veil, completely covers the face and
shoulders. Brides in many Latin-American
countries wear a light blue slip beneath their
dresses. The flower girls and ring bearer may be
dressed as miniature versions of the bride and
groom.
Ceremony: Godparents or sponsors of the wedding
(padrinos and madrinos) place pillows for the
couple to kneel, present the couple with a bible
and present coins in a treasure box. A cord, el lazo, is
placed around the couple to show that they are
bound together for life. The groom gives the
bride 13 coins, called "Arras", as a sign of
sharing his wealth with her. In some Latin
American cultures only the couple's parents stand
with them at the altar.
Reception and food: A money dance is sometimes
performed to collect dollars from guests. Special
favors, called capias, are displayed on a doll
dressed like the bride. The capias have the
couple's names and wedding date inscribed on
them, and are given as favors to the guests. Food
may include chili, soups, tamales, fajitas,
paella, cake, flan and sopapillas.
For more information:
''Viva el Amor: A Latino Wedding Planner,'' by
Edna R. Bautista (Filter Press).
THE ARRAS CEREMONY
Arras Ceremony
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More information found online... The Thirteen
Gold Coins
Unlike
today's Anglo-American customs, the padrino, not
the father, escorted the bride and gave her away
at the wedding ceremony. Also, the marriage vows,
the placing of the ring, and the giving of the thirteen coins or arras, took place at the
church door, and then they entered for the Mass.
Since many families could not affort the arras,
it was usually omitted from the prendorio and
instead enacted in a highly ritualized form
during the nuptial ceremony. The custom
originated because dragging the wedding trunk
down the aisle was impractical and inappropriate.
The bride and groom offered las arras to the
church to show their concern for the poor.
Another version of its meaning mentions the groom
offered gold or silver coins to the bride as a
symbol that he would take care of her. Priests
rented a small pouch containing thirteen gold or
silver coins to symbolize the bride's endowment
with arras. In an Indian ceremony, the groom let
the money run through the bride's hands into a
plate held by the priest's helper. The church
kept the money. Then the priest put one ring on
the groom's finger and gave him the other to put
on the bride's finger. "These rings were
kept until three days after the ceremony when
they were returned to the embracer."
http://www.muybueno.net/articles/mexicanwedding.htm
These traditions are usually associated with
Hispanic and Filipino families.
The coins are carried by either an attendant or
an especially-designated extra member of the
wedding party. After the rings exchange, the
Groom is given the coins, which he then gives to
the Bride. The Bride gives them in turn to her
Maid of Honor. The symbolism, which may be
explained by the officiant, is that the Groom
recognizes his responsibility as a provider.
http://www.partydirectory.com/guide/sb19.htm
Arras: The "Arras" comes from the
Middle Eastern influence when money was given to
the father to cover the expense of raising his
daughter. This tradition was introduced to the
French by the Moores. The Arras is now symbolized
by thirteen coins that may be in gold or
they may be gold-dipped Mexican, Spanish or
American coins. They are enclosed in a treasure
box and are placed, one by one, by the groom in
the hands of the bride. The action symbolizes his
commitment to take care of her. His wealth
becomes her wealth. After receiving all thirteen
coins the bride passes them to her maid of honor.
Attention to future fortune and wealth plays a
role in Filipino weddings. During the ceremony,
coins are passed from one partner to the other.
According to custom, the groom or bride gets the
coins from a family member or someone in the
wedding procession and then carefully hands the
coins to his or her partner. The couple must be
extra cautious not to drop anything because the
dropping of a coin symbolizes misfortune in their
new life together. The coins need not be real,
and may instead be gold tokens or round, flat
metal pieces that resemble coins. It is not the
monetary value which is important, but the
representation of wealth, prosperity, and
security. Filipinos have a high regard for
security, and through marriage, the bride and
groom take on the added responsibility of
supporting one another and their future family.
In the Philippines, the family, both immediate
and extended, remains a central concern
throughout one's life. The Catholic Church and
the collective organization of the indigenous
tribes have shaped Filipino culture so that it
continues to emphasize the importance of family
to this day.
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/folklore/peter/Folk15Web/DanLinJasonLisingVivianLum/coins.htm
After the engagement (which may be a private
affair or a family party) the couple have to find
sponsors--padrinos and madrinas. Sometimes there
are as many as fifteen couples used as sponsors.
First of all, there are the two witnesses
required by church law. Then come the
"padrinos de arras"--of the coins; next
the "padrinos de lazo"--of the
cincture; "padrinos de los cojines"--of
the cushions; maids of honor, flower girls, and
so forth.
Thirteen coins are used in the
ceremony. The coins are presented by the groom to
the bride as a sign that the man is giving to his
bride all that he possesses and with the promise
that he will use it for her support. These coins
(las arras) are kept by the couple for life.
The cincture (el lazo) is similar to that which
the priest wears at Mass. It is placed by the
padrinos de lazo over the bridal couple after the
Gospel of the Mass and is removed by them after
the Communion of the Mass. Of course, it
represents the binding tie of marriage.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/FAMILY/HOUSE.TXT
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