Cultural Oddity Moment #11

In Korea there are two types of weddings: a traditional wedding (전통식) and a modern wedding (현대식). Nowadays, thanks to Hollywood and American cultural imperialism, a Western style wedding has become quite popular among the currently marrying generation of Korean youth. But how Western is it? Surely they got the ceremony and atmosphere completely right. Nothing could go wrong with the idea of an Asia country mimicking a Western cultural practice, right? (I'm reminded here of the Meiji restoration and the ball that was thrown by the new Japanese gov't. ㅋㅋㅋ)

Clearly, all was not right.

First off, there was no church, no pastor. I can assume with 80% certainty that the marrying couple was indeed Christian as Seoul is overwhelming a Christian city just by demographics, but the very fact that the wedding was Western style is enough that I would bet an appendage that both those people were Christian (Christianity here is another post all together). We went to a "wedding hall," a 6 story construction with two chambers per floor in which weddings were being held all day, every hour on the hour. Instead of a pastor there was just some guy speaking about all the things that should and are expected to be said (...long life...prosperity...good times and bad...love...happiness...don't go to bed angry...). The religious aspect of the Western wedding was completely removed.

The very fact that I was there is proof enough that everyone on the planet was invited. Koreans like their weddings big and bustling: it never actually got quiet at any point before, during, or after the ceremony. There were people chatting it up, kids running and playing and laughing, and old men telling stories all throughout the entire show.

And it was a show. I'm talking about a spotlight whirling around the room like a blue light special at K-mart, multiple light fixtures fading from one color to another, and machines enveloping the whole floor in a layer of fog. It was like Kiss was doing a tour called "Matrimonium." I kept waiting for the pyrotechnics.














The bride and groom said not one word the entire time. In fact, their participation in the whole event was to walk down the aisle (together might I add: no giving the bride away and no superstition about seeing the bride in advance either.), stand and listen to the speaker, and then bow to each set of parents and walk out. There was no exchange of vows, no ring, no flower girl, no brides maids or best man, no bride's side or groom's side of the room, no "I do," no kiss. It was a wedding completely stripped of everything. The one ceremony that they did stick to (but completely at the wrong time) was cutting the cake. After the speaker was done, women dressed like the Navy rolled a wedding cake over on a cart that was also spewing fog. The bride and groom were given a machete and they held it together as they hacked the top layer of the cake in half. Immediately after the cake was severed, the Navy ladies rolled it back away. They didn't even eat the cake!
















During the ceremony a very intrusive and indiscreet cameraman and photographer walked in circles around the speaker and the couple, sticking flashing bulbs and video cameras in their faces. After a while they started to film those of us in the crowd who were actually watching the debacle. Soon the audience was getting into it, and people in t-shirts and jeans would walk up with a kid on one hip, stand behind the speaker, and take a picture of the couples faces from over the man's shoulders...as he was marrying them!

I don't know if anything about it was very Western at all, but the feast afterward was top notch. I stuffed myself at the "reception," which was held in a banquet hall in the adjacent building. Again, there was no band, no couple's first dance, no Father/daughter dance, no dancing at all for that matter.

This has been your cultural oddity moment of the day.