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12
The choice of date is important. May is traditionally unlucky for weddings. The tradition that the bride's
parents should pay for the wedding dates from two or three centuries ago, when wealthy families would pay
an eligible bachelor to take an unmarried daughter off their hands in exchange for a large dowry. At most
formal weddings, brides still get married in vilginal white — many other colours are considered unlucky.
A bride will also ensure that her wedding outfit includes "something old, something new, something
borrowed, something blue". "Old" maintains her link with the past; "new" symbolizes the future; "borrowed"
gives her a link with the present; and "blue" symbolizes her purity.
Even a modem bride will observe the taboos about wearing her dress before the ceremony. The groom
mustn't see her in it until she enters the church. The veil should be put on for the first time as she leaves for
the church.
It's a lucky omen if the bride should see a chimney sweep on her way to church. Sometimes a sweep is
paid to attend the ceremony and kiss the bride - a relic of the idea that soot and ashes are symbols of fertility.
After the ceremony, the couple are showered with confetti. One old custom was for the bride and
sometimes the groom to negotiate some obstacle as they left the church — guests would impede them with
ropes of flowers, for example, or with sticks that had to be jumped over.
After that the bride is faced with the feast. The most important item is the wedding cake, whose richness
symbolizes fertility, just as it has done since Roman times. Today, the first slice is cut by the bride to ensure
a fruitful marriage.
(from "Reader's Digest")
Exercise 17
Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give your reasons.
1. The husband should be more intelligent than the wife.
2. Spouses should be alike.
3. Money often keeps people together.
4. Marriage should be compulsory for everybody.
5. The best wife is a housewife.
6. The marriage contract is incompatible with romantic love.
> Use:
For agreement:
I couldn't agree more ...
That's just what I was thinking...
You know, that's exactly what
I think...
I agree entirely...
That's a good point ...
For disagreement:
Yes, that's quite true, but...
I'm not sure I quite agree ...
Perhaps, but don't you think
that ...
Well, you have a point there,
but...
I see what you mean, but,..
For more categorical and informal disagreement:
I can't agree with you there.
You can't be serious!
Come off it!
Don't be so silly!
Exercise 18
Bring pictures of your close or distant relatives. Show them to the class. Tell the class about a memorable
event in the life of your relatives.
Exercise 19
Make up a list of positive and negative sides of family life. Compare your lists with those of your
classmates. Comment on the results.
Positive
Negative