In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of life, including weddings. LGBTQIA weddings have become increasingly popular as couples from different cultures and backgrounds come together to celebrate their love and commitment to each other. These weddings not only showcase the love shared between two people but also highlight the diversity of our world's cultural heritage. In this article, we will explore ten emotional LGBTQIA wedding customs from around the world to honor and celebrate these couples.
Since time immemorial, weddings have marked how love prevails and is suitable for the unity of the two people. Nevertheless, conventions found at weddings have repeatedly been confined to a heterosexual marriage. LGBTQIA weddings are on the rise with demands for inclusivity by recognizing different traditions.
The other way diversity has found its way into the various LGBTQIA weddings has been the inclusion of cultural traditions drawn from all over the world. In that respect, these customs are adjusted and changed according to the same couple's desires and tastes, granting them a personalized and touching wedding celebration. But whether when exchanging vows or rather putting on attires and rituals, the LGBTQIA has managed to show their culture through their relationships.
LGBTQIA's Wedding Traditions across Cultures
1. Gay, lesbian, and transgender marriage ideologies in the West
Western nations have seen a wide range of traditions that LGBTQIA couples use to celebrate their love. For instance, breaking the glass that presents a Jewish custom symbolizes breaking down boundaries and creating a life together. The act of the couple wearing rings, a practice in many Western wedding ceremonies, is the same symbol as a sign indicating the couple's unity and commitment to one another.
2. LGBTQIA Wedding Customs of Asian Nations
Asian countries have a strong cultural history, and LGBTQIA couples have adopted traditional wedding practices to celebrate their legacy. For example, in Japan, the ceremony known as San-san-kudo practice is performed by the couple drinking three times three sips from three cups filled with sake. In India, same-sex couples have adjusted the classical saptapadi, which is the ritual of the couple promising to one another as they walk around a sacred flame seven times.
3. Wedding Customs for the LGBTQIA in Africa
African nations are globally identified due to their lively lifestyle and diversity; through all these, LGBTQIA couples get some ideas from their wedding traditions. In West African culture, a celebration is held at the culmination of the union known as umabo, and the process involves the exchange of gifts from one family to another. The country of Ghana embraces colorful fabric called the kente material as part of the LGBTQIA wedding clothes to describe both couples culturally.
4. South American Nations and LGBTQIA Marriage Customs
South America has numerous cultures and traditions; thus, LGBTQIA couples have managed to include these in their marriage rituals. For instance, the 'jumping the broom' tradition borrowed from African American weddings represents the couple's leap into a new life in Brazil. Same-sex unions have adopted the ritualistic dance dubbed the tango in Argentina to show their love for one another.
Modern LGBTQIA Wedding Traditions
With the growing recognition and acceptance of LGBTQIA weddings, more and more couples of the same sex adopt new traditions that are practiced around the world. Incorporating such contemporary practices helps translate LGBTQIA peculiarities about challenges faced, thus contributing to inclusion during weddings.
Love and Inclusivity: A Review on LGBTQIA Weddings
Same-sex weddings are a testimony to love and a celebration of the human spirit's strength. Such weddings not only auspicate any marriage between two lovers but are also a great place to stand and fight for equality and inclusivity. They are opening up new frontiers where they are embracing traditions from all over the world while at the same time coming up with their own, helping them understand the meaning of a wedding.
With the development of society, it is crucial to acknowledge the love and devotion of LGBTQIA couples as well. Thus, if people incorporate the elements of diversity and inclusivity into wedding traditions, they can make their planet the one in which all love, regardless of peculiarity, is embraced.
Presented by SHAVA, this article is part of our commitment to embracing the diversity within the transgender community. SHAVA stands in solidarity with transgender people of color, advocating for acceptance and allyship that recognize and celebrate the richness of their diverse experiences.
