During the wedding ceremony I witnessed, the bride wore a pink hanbok, while the groom and his mother wore a blue hanbok. After the bride and groom said their vows, they bowed and sipped wine from a gourd handed off by the mother of the bride. The ceremony went by quickly—it went on for only thirty minutes!
In addition to the wooden wedding ducks, an actual chicken and rooster were tied to the wedding table. After the vows were said, the two birds were released, and the guests (including my friend Emily) had to chase them and capture them. After ruthless chasing and running, my friend caught the chicken! She is a chicken chaser! A part of me was hoping that they would throw the chicken to the audience, but instead they threw it off the stage. That sight was good enough for me!
This tradition is similar to how brides in Western weddings throw a bouquet of flowers to women. The crowing of the rooster marks a new day, and a fresh start, and scares away evil spirits. After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom will have a new life together. The chicken represents fertility so that the couple will have many children.
The traditional Korean wedding ceremony dates back hundreds of years and represents traditional Korean society. Marriage represents the joining of two families instead of the joining of two individuals. The ceremony is centered on traditional Confucian values and has elaborate pre and post-ceremony events.
Modern Korean marriages have kept some traditional values but are usually celebrated in a more Western way today.
