Indigenous Native American tribes have a very spiritual and rich traditional culture. There is a number of customs and rituals used in various situations. If to talk about the traditional Native American wedding, a few rituals are the most common and favored by the locals. Of course, different tribes that lived in different conditions and on different territories had their own wedding traditions and ceremonies, but these two wedding rituals – the wedding vessel ritual and the wedding blanket ritual – occur in many indigenous Native American communities even today.
What is a wedding vessel ceremony?
The parents of the bride and groom prepare a special vessel for this ritual. Originally, it was a clay vase or some kind of a vessel with 2 spouts. During the ceremony, the couple drinks from this vessel, each from a separate spout. This Native American wedding ceremony indicates that these two people are now a single family, they became one, but at the same time, each of them remains a separate person, an individual that has its own personality. They should not lose their personality in marriage.
This wedding ritual is one of the smartest things we can say about the marriage, if you ask me. Because marriage is a union of two different people, they learn to exist together, rely on each other, help and support each other, but they mustn’t turn into one person. Don’t lose your individuality in marriage.
What is a wedding blanket ceremony?
During this ritual, the bride and groom are wrapped in two separate blue blankets. As the ceremony goes on, they get a blessing, and then they take their blankets off and use a single white blanket that is wrapped around the two of them as a couple. The meaning behind this ritual is that they are now a joined, a single family and will have a happy, hopefully, unshadowed life together.
After the wedding, the couple might hang this blanket in their home on display to remember their wedding day and as a reminder of their wedding vows to each other.
This is an adorable wedding ritual, which you might want to incorporate in your wedding even if you’re not a Native American. It can be a spectacular wedding ceremony.
