Marriage is an ancient religious and legal practice celebrated around the world. However, wedding customs vary from country to country.

The Wedding Dress: In many countries, it is customary for the bride to wear a white dress as a symbol of purity. The tradition of wearing a special white dress only for the wedding ceremony started around 150 years ago. Before that, most women could not afford to buy a dress that they would only wear once. Now, bridal dresses can be bought in a variety of styles. In some Asian countries and in the Middle East, colors of joy and happiness like red or orange other than white are worn by the bride or used as part of the wedding ceremony.

The Wedding Rings: In many cultures, couples exchange rings, usually made of gold or silver and worn on the third finger of the left or right hand, during the marriage ceremony. The circular shape of the ring is symbolic of the couple's eternal union. In Brazil, it is traditional to have the rings engraved with the bride's name on the groom's ring, and vice versa.

Flowers: Flowers play an important role in most weddings. Roses are said to be the flowers of love, and because they usually bloom in June, this has become the most popular month for weddings in many countries. After the wedding ceremony, in many countries the bride throws her bouquet into a crowd of well-wishers - usually her single female friends. The person who catches this bouquet will be the next one to marry.

Gifts: In Chinese culture, wedding guests give gifts of money to the newly-weds in small red envelopes. Money is also an appropriate gift at Korean and Japanese weddings. In many Western countries, for example in the U.K, wedding guests give the bride and groom household items that they may need for their new home. In Russia, rather than receiving gifts, the bride and groom provide gifts to their guests instead.

With the continued internationalization of the modern world, wedding customs that originated in one part of the world are crossing national boundaries and have been incorporated into marriage ceremonies in other countries.

(Adapted from Active Skills for Reading 3)

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