Philippine marriages are very complex and may take up to five time! The major piece of a Filipino bridal is the spiritual ceremony that takes place at the temple and the classic greeting. This is where a lot of the fun happens https://www.jpmorganchase.com/impact/people/women-on-the-move–including a wide range of program segments and dancing.
A major part of the ceremony is the veil and cord ceremony ( the yugal ). This is when the godparents hot asian women, or ninang and ninong, loosely wrap the bride and groom with a ceremonial veil and cord that is woven together in a figure eight shape. It symbolizes the couple’s unity and fidelity. It is a beautiful and special moment to witness and honor the couple’s family.
This is also the time when the couple exchanges vows and rings and are traditionally married. It’s also when the groom presents the arras, thirteen coins that represent his promise to provide for his new wife and future family.
The arras is a common tradition that is still observed by some families especially for couples from the Filipino- chinese community. The arras is not as strict as an arranged marriage, but it does serve as a form of commitment between the bride and groom to marry someone within their community and family lineage.
After the vows and ring exchange, a special ceremonial rice is poured over the couple. This is to give the couple luck in their marriage and is believed to keep them healthy. Another popular tradition is the release of doves or butterflies, which is a visual representation of peace and love.