Japanese sake wedding traditions

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Sake, the Japanese rice-based alcoholic drink, plays a role in a number of Japanese traditions. The traditional Japanese wedding is no exception. Although modern weddings do not always adhere to the traditional cultural practices, many do include the sake wedding traditions. The two sake traditions most closely associated with the wedding celebration are the Yui-no and the San-San-Kudo.

1. Yui-no

   • The Yui-no is an engagement ritual especially popular with those who have met through an "omiai." The "omiai" is somewhat like an arranged marriage between adults -- with either partner free to not pursue the relationship. Couples who meet more conventionally in modern times can opt to have a Yui-no as well. During the Yui-no, the parents of the bride and the groom meet and the families exchange gifts. One gift is a sake cask made from willow tree wood. Giving this cask represents a wish for a peaceful and obedient partnership.

   Meaning of San-San-Kudo

   • The San-San-Kudo is the sake ceremony that takes place during the wedding in a traditional Shinto ceremony. In modern Western-style weddings or Buddhist ceremonies, the San-San-Kudo may take place at the reception and not at the ceremony. The title of the San-San-Kudo means "Three, three, deliver nine." The reason for the ceremony is to make a formal gesture tying two families together. Traditionally, drinking sake together represents forming a strong bond.

   The San-San-Kudo Set

   • The San-San-Kudo set for serving sake is unique to the celebration. The San-San-Kudo set consists of a sake serving pot and three flat cups, each one slightly larger than the last. Before and after the ceremony, the cups remain stacked upon each other in ascending order from largest at the bottom to smallest at the top.

   The San-San-Kudo Ritual

   • During the ritual, the groom takes three sips of sake from the top cup. His bride does the same, followed by the groom's father, the groom's mother, the bride's father and the bride's mother. In traditional ceremonies, the matchmaker takes three sips after the parents, but some couples omit the matchmaker if none was involved. However, even if the couple met through means other than an "omiai," there may be a matchmaker -- such as, the mutual friend who introduced them. The groom, the bride, their parents and the matchmaker repeat this process with the middle and then the bottom cup, taking three sips each time.

Source: www.ehow.com

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