The world unites on the imperatives of love and marriage. Though we are all the same starting from our fingers to toes, we have our essential differences. Like all colors are born out of the bare-bone combination of red, green and blue, our civilizations too operate on some common concepts. However, it is the nuances that make us a curious subject of study. Speaking of weddings, in most cultures, the celebration is preceded by an event of proposal where the man pops the question to the lady, and on acceptance, henceforth are called fiancées till they are married. Now the proposal tradition is different in different cultures, and quite interestingly so. While some of them are the perfect examples of “oh-so-romantic”, others are confusing.
Asia: Flash mob is their style. A fascinating count of men bring it on their to-be-wives through flash mobs, which essentially means in public places and in a very public manner. That kind of a proposal has a celebratory fervor to it.
India: Indians like to do it the formal way. Theirs is known to be very family-oriented culture and so the proposal is made through families. In a case of arranged marriages (in which couples meet through families), the families take over the job of proposing, not to the bride, but to her family. Upon agreement, the children meet and take it from there.
China: Though the people of China are content with the Western style of proposing, a more indigenous way of doing it is to meet the family of their ladylove. Once the parents approve of the boy their daughter has taken as a lover, he goes on to make the proposal to the lady. Thus, affirmation from both ends is sought before the wedding takes place.
Ghana: The traditions of Ghana and India are quite overlapping, only with some essential dissimilarities in the style. The parents of the groom drop by the family home of the girl to pay a visit. There the proposal is presented and the parents’ consent is sought. Should they give a “yes”, the announcement for the wedding is done right after.
Europe: In Europe, the wedding proposal tradition coincides with most cultures of the West. The men propose on their knees.
