Here I am again, talking about wedding customs :) I forgot to add this section in my previous entries. Anyway, as we all know, cake cutting is normally an event on it's own. Bride and grooms would buy a different outfit just for the cake cutting event which is a mere 5 minutes event! So, what is the big hoohaa about cake cutting? Why do we Muslims follow this foreign tradition just because the Westerns are doing it? Let us decipher the true meaning of cake cutting from the Westerns point of view.
(100% Copied from the Wedding Customs & Non Islamic Traditions book)
1) The idea that it is the first joint action on the part of the newly weds.
2) Sharing richness with friends and family. The wedding cake is traditionally shared amongst guests so that blessing and happiness can be shared 10.
3) Cutting the cake, wrote one correspondent, was the couple 'takig the plunge' into their new life. It suggested that the cutting severed the couples links with the past and prepared them for their future together.
4) A psychologist who researched the social behaviour and significance of cake cutting suggested that the cutting of the cake meant the bride losing her virginity; the way the groom puts his hand on the bride's, so it's not just her, it's him too.
It is the cutting however which is given the most striking new significance if the cake is identified with the bride. Plunging the knife into the centre of the cake breaks through the 'virginal white' outer shell. It is something the couple do together.
Some might not take this symbolic interpretation seriously. However, if there are amongst the guests that take it seriously, it could only be an embarrassment of doing such a thing publicly. As a Muslim, we should give this a thought for concern. Insha'Allah.
3 comments:
Ahh interesting. I've heard about round birthday cakes representing the moon for pagans who worship the moon.
I don't know, I think cakes are just cakes. I think the merenjis tradition is more controversial as it is originally a Hindu practice.
I find it rather amusing though how it's interpreted! Never thought that's other meaning to cakes. Although, I find it a waste to have cakes during weddings. Personally I don't know what happened to my wedding cake. Only got to taste duing the 'suap' bit. LOL!
Btw, under my labels there's a topic on islamis weddings. Quite interesting the things we follow blindly.
There are many traditions that have become commonly-practiced features of what can be referred to as “the wedding protocol.” Many are symbolic. Sharing the meaning behind what is done can enrich the experience of family and friends. Most weddings will have a wedding cake. Lots of times, these cakes are creatively decorated and folks love to initially make a big deal about how pretty they look, and later how great they taste. I appreciate the explanation of the meaning you shared regarding the bride and groom's first slice into their wedding cake.
Post a Comment