In a shrinking world, wedding customs still vary
Submitted on December 30, 2003 - 1:00am.
Ruxandra Giura - Fall 2003
When Araba and Ebo Dawson-Andoh got married in 1978, neither the groom nor the bride was at the traditional Ghanaian wedding in Cape Coast.
A wedding is not just a union between two people, but a union of their families, said Ebo Dawson-Andoh, 52, a chemistry professor now living in Morgantown, W.Va. Dawson-Andoh and his wife, a university librarian, came to the United States in 1995.
“When you marry a person, you marry the family,” he said. “The family aspect supercedes the individuals.”
While it undoubtedly seems strange to miss your own wedding, customs Americans take for granted differ wildly from some in other countries.
A wedding is not just a union between two people, but a union of their families, said Ebo Dawson-Andoh, 52, a chemistry professor now living in Morgantown, W.Va. Dawson-Andoh and his wife, a university librarian, came to the United States in 1995.
“When you marry a person, you marry the family,” he said. “The family aspect supercedes the individuals.”
While it undoubtedly seems strange to miss your own wedding, customs Americans take for granted differ wildly from some in other countries.
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