Wedding Traditions of the Philippines

Filipino Pre-Wedding Traditions
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Before the Wedding can take place, the bride and groom must complete a few tasks:
  • The groom must ask his mate's parents for her hand in marriage
  • The groom must show himself loyal to the bride-to-be's family
  • They must do a traditional wedding announcement
  • Egg offerings to Saint Claire must take place
  • Confession

     

    The first and most important pre-wedding event is the asking for her hand in marriage. This is called pamanhikan. Before the groom proposes, he must call a meeting together with his parents and the bride-to-be's parents. In this meeting they will talk about all of the wedding arrangements, and it will hopefully be approved by the bride's parents.

    Once the marriage is approved by the bride-to-be's parents, the groom is set to prove himself to the family. The groom might prove that he is loyal by doing errands, such as cleaning, or driving to the market.

     

    Unlike American weddings, where the wedding announcement is done over the phone, or through the mail, the couple that is to wed visits the family members or their friends in person to discuss the special day and possibly hand over an invitation.

    Many filipino couples go to church to offer eggs to the patron saint, and to ask the nuns for a prayer (some couples might not bring eggs to offer, they may also bring fruit).This prayer would be to ask that their wedding day be full of beautiful sunshine.

    The confession before marriage is a big step in the pre-wedding process. In confessing all of their sins commited while single, the couple is preparing themselves for a start at a new 'fresh' life.