matrimony signs and symbols

VISIBLE SIGNS OF MATRIMONY


MATTER

FORMMINISTERS



MATTER

“The church holds the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element that makes marriage. If consent is lacking there is no marriage.” [CCC 1626]



“Matrimonial consent is an act of will by which a man and a woman by an irrevocable covenant mutually give and accept one another for the purpose of establishing a marriage.” [CIC 1057, §2]



“In marriage, the ‘external sign is the love relationship between spouses.” [CFC 1881]



FORM

“The sacrament of matrimony consists in the mutual expression by both contracting parties of their free consent to take each other as husband and wife. The exchange of “I DO” is the main act in the marriage ceremony.” [CIC 1057]



Bridal ProcessionBridal Procession

White Gown White Gown

Rings

CandlesCandles

Joining of handsJoining of hands

Arrhae

VeilVeil

CordCord

SYMBOLSSYMBOLS

Other Symbolsused in theCelberation

erSYMBOLS, MEANI NGS, MI NI STERS AND RECI PI ENTS I n the wedding rite there are a number of things used as symbols signif ying something else that we should understand well. Here are the f ollowing:

1. The Bridal procession – symbolizes the “transfer” of the parents’ rights over their daughter to the groom. The groom will now be the protector and defender of the bride. (MT. 25: 1-13)

•The white gown – traditional vestments of the bride; symbolizes inner beauty and purity

•the joining of hands – after expressing their marital consent, the bride and the groom are asked to join their hands and say: “Grant us oh Lord, to be one heart and one soul from this day forward , for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part”. The joining of hands symbolizes their mutual self donation. As husband and wife they belong to each other and become one body, heart and purpose

•the rings – symbolizes their pledge of mutual love and faithfulness. They have to wear their rings all throughout their lives as a sign of mutual love and unbroken loyalty

•the arrhae – signify the sufficiency of material possessions that a family should have in order to take care of their temporal needs

•the candles – represent Christ, the light sent by the Father to show us the way to salvation

•the veil – emphasizes the union and mutual self surrender of the couple to one another. This veil is laid over the head of the bride and the shoulders of the groom

the cord – the word comes from the Latin “jugum” which means “yoke”. That’s why we hear the word “conjugal”, which means of marriage – conjugal property. Conjugal rights etc. A yoke means two things: something that has to be carried and also something that unites those who carry it. Marriage is a yoke that binds together a man and a woman and which has to be carried by both the husband and wife

•the nuptial blessing – the Church gives the newly wed the nuptial blessing so that they may be reminded of their duties and prays for help from the Lord so that they may keep them

the Matrimony and the Eucharist – all sacraments are oriented towards the eucharist because all sacraments come from and lead to Christ, and Christ is above all the eucharist. It is the Eucharist as bread from heaven that provides the newly wed the food to make their spiritual life grow and with the strength they need to keep their duties imposed upon them by the sacrament of matrimony

OTHER TRADITIONS & SUPERSTITIONS:

OTHER TRADITIONS & SUPERSTITIONS:1. The bride is to wear the gown worn by the mother,

grandmother, and great grandmother.

2. Using same chord, veil, coins, tiara & jewelry because of the same tradition.

3. The bride should not try on her wedding gown.

4. She and the groom should not see each other a few days before the wedding until the day of the rites.5. Brides shouldn’t try on her wedding dress before the wedding day or the wedding will not push through.


OTHER TRADITIONS & SUPERSTITIONS:6. Knives and other sharp and pointed objects are said

to be a bad choice for wedding gifts for this will lead to a broken marriage.

7. Giving arinola (chamberpot) as wedding gift is believed to bring good luck to newlyweds.

8. Altar-bound couples are accident-prone and therefore must avoid long drives or traveling before their wedding day for safety.

9. The groom who sits ahead of his bride during the wedding ceremony will be a henpecked husband.


OTHER TRADITIONS & SUPERSTITIONS:10. If it rains during the wedding, it means prosperity

and happiness for the newlyweds.

11. A flame extinguished on one of the wedding candles means the one on which side has the unlit candle, will die ahead of the other.

12. Throwing rice confetti at the newlyweds will bring them prosperity all their life.

13. The groom must arrive before the bride at the church to avoid bad luck.

14. It is considered bad luck for two siblings to marry on the same year.


OTHER TRADITIONS & SUPERSTITIONS:15. Breaking something during the reception brings

good luck to the newlyweds.

16. The bride should step on the groom’s foot while walking towards the altar if she wants him to agree to her every whim.

17. A bride who wears a pearl on her wedding will be an unhappy wife experiencing many heartaches and tears.

18. Dropping the wedding ring, veil, or arrhae during the ceremony spells unhappiness for the couple.

matrimony signs and symbols

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