譯/趙曉囡

各國(guó)婚禮禮金風(fēng)俗

譯/趙曉囡

Monetary Wedding Gift Traditions Around the World

如今，相比于按照婚禮禮物訂購(gòu)清單選購(gòu)禮品的風(fēng)俗，結(jié)婚送禮金的風(fēng)潮變得更為流行。如果你沒什么經(jīng)驗(yàn)，不妨記住以下信息。

Giving money is becoming a more popular alternative to sticking to the registry1registry禮品愿望清單。列禮品愿望清單是西方婚禮獨(dú)有的做法，新郎新娘在結(jié)婚之前想清楚婚后家里需要添置的東西，選擇某一個(gè)（或幾個(gè)）商場(chǎng)，登記好自己的愿望清單，親友可到網(wǎng)站上查詢新人列出的禮品愿望清單來(lái)選禮物，還可以通過(guò)清單來(lái)查看某些物品是否已經(jīng)被其他婚禮嘉賓購(gòu)買。, so here are few things to keep in mind if you’re going green2green缺乏經(jīng)驗(yàn)的。.

[2]大部分即將步入婚姻的夫婦都希望在結(jié)婚之初，他們的銀行賬戶里有些盈余。根據(jù)美國(guó)的傳統(tǒng)，賓客通常向新人贈(zèng)送可以包裝的實(shí)物，但現(xiàn)在更為主流的做法是贈(zèng)送蜜月旅行或禮金。世界各地風(fēng)俗有所不同。很多文化中，向新郎新娘贈(zèng)送禮金已經(jīng)或正在成為一種慣例——而有些地方既送禮物，又送禮金。贈(zèng)送禮金甚至成為婚禮喜宴上必不可少的環(huán)節(jié)。

[2] Most to-be-weds would agree that it’d be nice to start off their married lives with a little extra in the bank. In the US, guests traditionally gave gifts you could wrap, but honeymoon and cash registries are now more mainstream. Around the globe things are a little different. In many cultures, money has and is routinely given as a gift to brides and grooms—and sometimes in addition to the giving of other gifts. It can even be an intrinsic3in-trinsic內(nèi)在的；本身的。part of the wedding reception itself.

[3]不同文化的人們?cè)诨槎Y上通過(guò)不同的方式送新人禮金，這里逐一進(jìn)行概述。

[3] Here, we’ve outlined how various cultures around the world give money to couples on their wedding day.

中式婚禮

[4]在中式婚禮上，贈(zèng)送禮金在一個(gè)被稱為“茶道”的特別的敬茶儀式上完成?；槎Y即將結(jié)束時(shí)，新娘向男方家人敬茶。敬茶儀式開始時(shí)，新娘跪在端坐著的長(zhǎng)輩面前，然后依照特定的順序，從公婆開始，按新郎家的輩分次序一一敬茶。

Chinese Weddings

[4] In Chinese weddings, the giving of money is linked to a special tea ceremony calledcha tao. Near the end of the wedding day, a Chinese bride serves tea to her new in-laws. As the tea ceremony begins, the bride kneels in front of the people she will serve, who are seated. She serves the tea in a specific order, starting with the groom’s parents and moving from the oldest to the youngest member of the groom’s family.

[5]長(zhǎng)輩飲茶結(jié)束后，新娘從每位親戚手中取回空杯子，并相應(yīng)得到一個(gè)裝滿禮金（有時(shí)是珠寶）的紅色信封，稱為“紅包”。在現(xiàn)代的儀式中，新娘和新郎都要參加敬茶。

[5] When the tea is fi nished, the bride takes the empty cups from each family member and in return she is presented with a red envelope, called ahung bao, which is full of money (and sometimes jewelry). In a more contemporary version of this ritual, both the bride and groom participate.

[6]如今，新郎新娘通常在婚宴上依次向每桌客人敬酒。每次敬酒過(guò)后，客人會(huì)向新人贈(zèng)送紅包。另一種做法（在美國(guó)尤其常見）是手持許愿盒或錢盒?？腿藢⒀b有禮金的信封和寫滿祝福的卡片投進(jìn)安全牢固且裝飾精美的禮盒。

[6] Today, brides and grooms of Chinese background often visit each table at their reception to toast their guests. After each toast, the guest may choose to offer money envelopes to the couple. Another option, particularly common in the US, is the wishing well or money box. This is a secure, decorated box into which guests can deposit envelopes and cards fi lled with money and good wishes.

日本婚禮

[7]日本婚禮上贈(zèng)送禮金的做法很普遍。根據(jù)傳統(tǒng)，新郎父母將禮金裝在特殊的“祝儀袋”里送給新娘家人。信封包裝非常精致，金銀絲線相互纏繞，系成裝飾結(jié)。根據(jù)日本民俗的說(shuō)法，繩結(jié)寓意永結(jié)同心，因此無(wú)法打開。禮金數(shù)額相當(dāng)可觀，大約等同于新郎三個(gè)月的工資，或者固定為50萬(wàn)日元（大約5000美元）。這份禮金被視為男方家庭送給女方家庭的禮物，因此大部分新郎不會(huì)將其據(jù)為己有。但是禮金贈(zèng)送環(huán)節(jié)并未結(jié)束，賓客也會(huì)向新人贈(zèng)送禮金。普通朋友一般贈(zèng)送300美元，關(guān)系特別密切的朋友可能給500美元。與新人關(guān)系特別好的老板、長(zhǎng)輩會(huì)分開贈(zèng)送禮金，總額大約為1000美元。贈(zèng)送人的姓名和禮金總額寫在信封外面。

Japanese Weddings

[7] Money is a very common gift in Japanese weddings. The groom’s parents traditionally give the bride’s family money in a shugi-bukuro4特別節(jié)日要用到的信封。, or special envelope. The envelope is elaborately decorated with gold and silver strings twisted and tied into a decorative knot. Japanese folklore says that the knot is supposed to be impossible to open. The amount inside is usually quite generous—three months of the groom’s salary or a set amount of 500,000 yen (about $5,000). Most grooms don’t get to keep the whole amount, which is seen as a family-to-family gift. But the money-giving doesn’t stop there. Guests also give cash gifts to the bride and groom. A friend may give about $300, and an especially close friend may up the sum to $500. Bosses, uncles and aunts may part with up to $1,000 for their favorite couple. The gift-giver’s name and the grand total of the cash inside is written on the outside of the envelope.

波蘭婚禮

[8]如果你參加波蘭婚禮，假如你想與新娘共舞，不要忘記帶安全別針和現(xiàn)金。在波蘭婚禮上，賓客將錢別在新娘的婚紗上，以獲得與新娘跳舞的機(jī)會(huì)。這份禮金通常用來(lái)資助新人的蜜月旅行。此外，賓客還會(huì)圍著新娘站成一圈，往她的面紗里投擲現(xiàn)金。有時(shí)伴娘會(huì)用圍裙收集禮金。

Polish Weddings

[8] If you’re attending a Polish wedding, don’t forget safety pins and some cash—that is, if you want a dance with the bride. At a Polish wedding, guests pin money on a bride’s gown to get the chance to dance with her. Usually, the money is used to fund the newlyweds’honeymoon. In addition, guests may form a circle around the bride and toss money into her veil. Sometimes the maid of honor collects money in her apron.

尼日利亞婚禮

[9]尼日利亞新娘在婚禮上四處走動(dòng)時(shí)，手里為何拿著一個(gè)裝飾精美的袋子？原來(lái)要把收到的賓客禮金放到這里。參加尼日利亞婚禮的賓客將裝有支票的信封放入袋中。通常，新娘在婚宴上會(huì)收到很多信封，她確實(shí)會(huì)收到很多禮金。有些非洲裔美國(guó)夫婦希望能在婚禮上承襲文化傳統(tǒng)，于是采用了這種儀式。

Nigerian Weddings

[9] What’s that beautifully decorated bag a Nigerian bride carries around with her at her reception? It’s the receptacle5receptacle容器。for money she’ll be receiving from her guests. Guests at a Nigerian wedding fill the bag with envelopes containing checks. It’s customary for the bride to receive numerous envelopes at the reception as she is literally showered with money. Some African American couples who wish to infuse their weddings with cultural traditions have adopted this ritual.

意大利婚禮

[10]意大利新娘可能也會(huì)在婚宴上手持一個(gè)特別的袋子。它叫作la borsa（緞袋），是buste（信封）習(xí)俗的一部分，賓客們將裝有禮金的信封放入緞袋。這些錢用來(lái)支付婚禮費(fèi)用。在婚宴進(jìn)行期間，意大利家庭通常會(huì)把緞袋交由一位年長(zhǎng)的親戚保管。

Italian Weddings

[10] An Italian bride may also be carrying a special bag at her reception. It’s calledla borsa, and as part of a custom calledbuste(meaning “envelopes”), guests place envelopes with money in the satin bag. The money is used to help cover wedding expenses. Italian families often ask an older relative to hold ontola borsaduring the reception.

其他地方

[11]世界各地禮金傳統(tǒng)一覽：在西班牙，每位在婚禮上

Around the World

[11] Here’s a peek into other traditions involving money: In Spain, each

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〔〕與新娘共跳傳統(tǒng)舞蹈的來(lái)賓都會(huì)向她贈(zèng)送禮金。在亞美尼亞，教母替新娘新郎收取禮金，并向賓客分發(fā)果脯和干果作為回報(bào)。在婚禮當(dāng)日上午，馬來(lái)西亞的孩子們捧著盛滿食物的托盤、將禮金塞進(jìn)折成動(dòng)物形狀或花形的信封，步行到新娘家中。在波多黎各，參加婚禮的賓客在與新娘共舞時(shí)用別針將禮金別到她的婚紗上，因此新娘渾身披滿禮金。這些別針被稱作capias，來(lái)賓可以從一個(gè)特制的娃娃身上摘取。 □ guest who dances with the bride during the seguidillas manchegas6 =sevillanas塞維亞之舞，西班牙最廣為世人熟知的民俗舞蹈，節(jié)奏歡快鮮明，適合兩個(gè)或多人對(duì)跳，在西班牙各個(gè)節(jié)慶的時(shí)候遍布街頭巷尾。, the traditional dance, presents her with a gift of money. In Armenia, a godmother collects money for the bride and groom and gives out dried fruit and nuts to guests in return. On wedding morning in Malaysia, children carrying trays of food and money tucked inside animal or flower-shaped envelopes march to the bride’s house with their offerings. A Puerto Rican bride may be covered with cash after guests pin money to her gown while dancing with her. The pins used are called capias and are available to guests who remove them from a special doll.

［譯者單位：中國(guó)石油大學(xué)（北京）］