英语沙龙：吻新娘

Kissing The Bride

Western brides have been kissed as part of the wedding ceremony since the days of the Roman empire．Among engaged Roman couples，the kiss was a legal bond，the public certification that the union had taken place symbolically；if one of the contracting parties died before the formal ceremony，the survivor² could keep the wedding gifts if，and only if，the two had kissed．“The symbolic¹ value of this kiss，”Nicolas Perella notes，“depends upon the deeply rooted idea of the kiss as a vehicle for the transference of power or ’souls’ ．”The kiss as a binding³ symbol survives in the modern wedding ceremony．According to the church and the state，a couple is one when the officiant pronounces them so，but that is never enough for the guests：The community sees the ceremony as completed －－that is，as formally“sealed”－－only when the bride and groom⁴ kiss．

The wedding kiss also symbolizes⁵ the change of state of the bride．When he lifts her veil to touch her lips，the husband announces to the congregation that he defines and accepts her new identity．Just as the kiss of t he Prince awakens⁶ Sleeping Beauty，so the kiss of her own Prince Charming fractures the bride's slumber⁷ of maidenhood⁸ and initiates⁹ her into adult life．The custom of having the guests kiss the bride may be seen as an elaboration of this initiation¹⁰ motif¹¹．The serial¹² pecking ritual that often follows the ceremony －－in which everybody from Uncle Joe to the newspaper boy gets a shot at the bride －－should be seen not as a harmless sexual game，and much less as the distribution of bridal favors，but as a communal¹³ welcoming rite¹⁴．The guests' kissing fortifies¹⁵ and endorses¹⁶ the husband's．

吻新娘

自罗马帝国时代以来，吻新娘一直是西方结婚仪式的组成部分。在订了婚的罗马情侣当中，接吻是法律上的一种契约，象征着他们的结合有了公开的证明；倘若立下婚约的一方在正式婚礼举行之前死去，那么活着的一方可以保留结婚礼物，只要双方已经接过吻，而且也只有在已经接过吻的情况下才可以这样做。“这种接吻的象征价值，”尼古拉·佩雷拉指出，“在于对接吻的一种根深蒂固的观念，即接吻是传递权力或‘灵魂’的一种方法。”接吻作为男女结合的象征，一直流传到现代的结婚仪式上。根据教会和国家法规，一对未婚男女一俟司仪牧师宣布他们愿意结合便算成婚，但这对客人们来说还远远不够；只有新娘和新郎接过了吻，社区的人才认为婚礼完成———这就是说已经正式“盖印”。

婚礼上的接吻还象征新娘身份的变化。当新郎揭开她的面纱去吻她嘴唇的时候，丈夫是在向大家宣布，他已确认并且接受了她新的身份。就像那王子的亲吻唤醒睡美人一样，她可爱的王子的亲吻把新娘从少女时期的酣睡中唤醒，并把她引进成年人的生活。让客人们吻新娘的习俗可以被看成是这种引进主旨的完美阐释。常常在婚礼结束以后，客人们———从大叔大伯到报童———依次都可匆匆轻吻一下新娘。这一仪式不应该被看成是一种无恶意的性游戏，更不应该被看成是新娘爱意的分送，而应该被看成是大家举行的一种欢迎仪式。客人们的吻强化并认可了丈夫的吻。 

1 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

2 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

3 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

4 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

5 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 awakens   

v.（使）醒( awaken的第三人称单数 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• The scene awakens reminiscences of my youth. 这景象唤起我年轻时的往事。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The child awakens early in the morning. 这个小孩早晨醒得早。 来自辞典例句

7 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

8 maidenhood   

n. 处女性, 处女时代

参考例句：

9 initiates   

v.开始( initiate的第三人称单数 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员

参考例句：

• The booklet initiates us into the problems of living abroad. 这本小册子使我们对国外的生活情况有了初步了解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everybody initiates and receives messages in some form or other. 每个人都以各种不同的方式发出并接收信息。 来自辞典例句

10 initiation   

n.开始

参考例句：

• her initiation into the world of marketing 她的初次涉足营销界
• It was my initiation into the world of high fashion. 这是我初次涉足高级时装界。

11 motif   

n.(图案的)基本花纹，(衣服的)花边；主题

参考例句：

• Alienation is a central motif in her novels.疏离感是她小说的一个重要的主题。
• The jacket has a rose motif on the collar.这件夹克衫领子上有一朵玫瑰花的图案。

12 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

13 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

14 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

15 fortifies   

筑防御工事于( fortify的第三人称单数 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品）

参考例句：

16 endorses   

v.赞同( endorse的第三人称单数 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• There isn't one country in the Middle East that now endorses the Eisenhower Doctrine. 但至今没有一个中东国家认可它。 来自辞典例句
• Whether any of this truly endorses Dr Patel's hypothesis is moot. 这些视频能否真正证明帕特的假设成立还是个未知数。 来自互联网