Spain is a country with a long history and a brilliant ancient culture. The Spanish people have always maintained their own unique customs and habits, which can be seen in their wedding traditions. In Spain, there is no such thing as arranged marriages by parents; some parents do not even get involved at all. Young people have a wide variety of ways to date and are very free. After immigrating to Spain, you will find that there is no difficulty in finding a partner in Spanish society, and personal ads are almost non-existent; even if they occasionally appear, they are limited to older singles.
Expressing Affection with Fans
To this day, in certain social situations in Spain, many women, especially young and beautiful girls, always carry a fan. The local climate is not particularly hot, so the fan in their hand is clearly not for cooling off. It turns out that men and women use fans to express their feelings. By using the fan to make various movements, they convey different emotional meanings, especially those that are inconvenient to express in words, which can be explained through fan gestures. If a girl already has a lover, or if she is not interested in a suitor, she will throw her fan onto the table. This is a way of telling the other person, "I already have a sweetheart," or "I cannot develop feelings for you," and the man will tactfully leave upon seeing this. If a married woman encounters a man expressing romantic interest, she will fan herself vigorously, which tells the other person, "Please leave me! Otherwise, my husband will duel with you." Once the man sees this, he naturally understands what to do. If a girl makes a gesture of covering the lower half of her face with her fan to a suitor, it is a way of saying, "I love you" or "It was love at first sight." Upon seeing this, the man will enthusiastically embrace and kiss the girl. When a couple parts ways after a date, if the girl opens her fan and rests her chin on it, she is telling the other person, "I hope to see you again soon." A devoted man will certainly follow the girl's hints.
The Chair as a Third Party
In other parts of Spain, when young men and women are courting, they like to place a chair or a small stool beside them, which is neither sat upon nor used to hold anything. It turns out this represents a fictional third party present, symbolizing that there is a guardian nearby.
Legal Marriage Age: 14 and 12
Spanish law stipulates that the minimum age for marriage is 14 for men and 12 for women. Only upon reaching the legal marriage age are they considered to have the appropriate physical and psychological conditions to fulfill marital obligations and assume responsibilities toward their family and society.
Although the social phenomenon of "parents' orders and matchmakers' words" does not exist in Spain, young men and women must obtain written consent from their parents or legal guardians and complete marriage registration procedures to get married. The wedding can be held within three months from the date of registration. Two or three months before the wedding, the couple must contact the priest at the church, present their baptism and confirmation certificates, and the priest will fill out a pre-marital inquiry form and provide detailed guidance to the future couple.
The vast majority of Spanish residents are Catholic. According to custom, the wedding is organized by the bride's parents, and the religious ceremony is held in a church, usually between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. The wedding banquet is held at home, which has both similarities and differences compared to other European countries.
Struggling for Household Dominance Before Cutting the Cake
The most grand and lively moment at a Spanish wedding is when the bride and groom cut the wedding cake. When the banquet reaches a certain point, the staff will bring out a huge cake. The cake is finely crafted, with patterns made of colored cream on the surface and the Spanish word for "happiness" written on it. The bride and groom walk to the cake together and, amidst the cheers and applause of the crowd, hold a long stainless steel knife together. Unlike other European weddings where the couple cuts the cake together, in Spanish weddings, the bride and groom engage in a battle of wits to see who can cleverly remove one of the other's shoes; whoever succeeds is the winner. It is said that whoever wins at the wedding will hold the power in the household in their future life.
As the cake-cutting ceremony begins, the groom is eager to cut the cake, while the bride strongly opposes it. Since the groom has more wrist strength and the cake is about to be cut, the bride hurriedly lifts a foot and steps on the groom's foot to distract him. Unexpectedly, the groom takes the opportunity to cut down with force, slicing the cake into two large pieces, while simultaneously bending down to remove one of the bride's shoes and holding it high for everyone to see. The guests applaud enthusiastically, cheering for the groom's victory, and share the wedding cake. In fact, this is a sacrifice the bride makes so the groom does not lose face in front of everyone; she intentionally lifts her foot, and the shoe is not tied, so the groom can easily remove it.
When guests share the cake, they always come up with many ideas to tease the bride and groom. To increase the festive atmosphere of the wedding, the bride and groom appear shy and hesitant toward the guests' various requests, but ultimately satisfy them. Some guests ask the couple to embrace and kiss in public, others ask them to describe their love story through gestures or pantomime, and some ask them to illustrate their plans for future life through drawings... Whoever teases the couple in a clever, novel, and meaningful way will win a round of warm applause. The funny performances of the bride and groom make the whole room burst into laughter.
Finally, the bride and groom dance gracefully, and the guests also pair up to dance with them, and even the parents of the bride and groom happily enter the dance floor. The lively and joyful family wedding dance continues until dawn the next day.