Kissing The Bride

Western brides have been kissed as part of the wedding ceremony since the days of the Roman empire．Among engaged Roman couples，the kiss was a legal bond1)，the public certification that the union had taken place symbolically；if one of the contracting parties died before the formal ceremony，the survivor could keep the wedding gifts if，and only if，the two had kissed．“The symbolic value of this kiss，”Nicolas Perella notes，“depends upon the deeply rooted idea of the kiss as a vehicle for the transference2) of power or
’souls’ ．”The kiss as a binding3) symbol survives in the modern wedding ceremony．According to the church and the state，a couple is one when the officiant pronounces them so，but that is never enough for the guests：The community sees the ceremony as completed －－that is，as formally“sealed”－－only when the bride and groom kiss．
The wedding kiss also symbolizes the change of state of the bride．When he lifts her veil to touch her lips，the husband announces to the congregation that he defines and accepts her new identity．Just as the kiss of t he Prince awakens Sleeping Beauty，so the kiss of her own Prince Charming fractures the bride's slumber4) of maidenhood5) and initiates her into adult life．The custom of having the guests kiss the bride may be seen as an elaboration of this initiation motif．The serial pecking ritual that often follows the ceremony －－in which everybody from Uncle Joe to the newspaper boy gets a shot at the bride －－should be seen not as a harmless sexual game，and much less as the distribution of bridal favors，but as a communal welcoming rite．The guests' kissing fortifies and endorses6) the husband's．

□by Tad Tuleja

吻新娘

自罗马帝国时代以来，吻新娘一直是西方结婚仪式的组成部分。在订了婚的罗马情侣当中，接吻是法律上的一种契约，象征着他们的结合有了公开的证明；倘若立下婚约的一方在正式婚礼举行之前死去，那么活着的一方可以保留结婚礼物，只要双方已经接过吻，而且也只有在已经接过吻的情况下才可以这样做。“这种接吻的象征价值，”尼古拉·佩雷拉指出，“在于对接吻的一种根深蒂固的观念，即接吻是传递权力或‘灵魂’的一种方法。”接吻作为男女结合的象征，一直流传到现代的结婚仪式上。根据教会和国家法规，一对未婚男女一俟司仪牧师宣布他们愿意结合便算成婚，但这对客人们来说还远远不够；只有新娘和新郎接过了吻，社区的人才认为婚礼完成———这就是说已经正式“盖印”。
婚礼上的接吻还象征新娘身份的变化。当新郎揭开她的面纱去吻她嘴唇的时候，丈夫是在向大家宣布，他已确认并且接受了她新的身份。就像那王子的亲吻唤醒睡美人一样，她可爱的王子的亲吻把新娘从少女时期的酣睡中唤醒，并把她引进成年人的生活。让客人们吻新娘的习俗可以被看成是这种引进主旨的完美阐释。常常在婚礼结束以后，客人们———从大叔大伯到报童———依次都可匆匆轻吻一下新娘。这一仪式不应该被看成是一种无恶意的性游戏，更不应该被看成是新娘爱意的分送，而应该被看成是大家举行的一种欢迎仪式。客人们的吻强化并认可了丈夫的吻。


NOTE 注释：

1. bond [bCnd] n. 结合
2. transference [5trAnsfErEns] n. 移动, 转送, 转让
3. binding [5baindiN] n. 捆绑
4. slumber [5slQmbE] n. 睡眠
5. maidenhood [5meId(E)nhJd] n. 少女时代
6. endorse [in5dC:s] v. 认可

Oh, very interesting.

I want to kissing my bride too