Haruki's way

長かったガリシアの旅行記も今回が最終回です。
今回の旅のメインの目的は、友人の結婚式に出席すること。この結婚式はラ・コルーニャの近くの村フェロル(Ferrol)で行われました。新婦のお父さんがその村の出身で、新郎新婦両方ともラ・コルーニャで育っているため、馴染みの場所なわけです。新婦のお父さんが生まれた頃とほとんど様子が変わらない村で、数百年前に建てられた教会で結婚式を挙げるというのは、ある意味すごーくスペイン風。

新郎はスペイン陸軍所属なので、結婚式当日は正装の軍服。新婦の父も同じく軍隊所属（細かくはちょっと違うらしい）なので、正装の軍服。やけに軍人の多い式でした。

ちなみに、軍人同士のスペイン語は私にはヒジョーに分かりにくかったです！発音ははっきりしないし早くしゃべるし、俗語や独特の言い回しが多くて。。。

日本との違いをいろいろ書くと・・・

• 教会の違い

日本でよくあるチャペルの式とは違い、やっぱり数百年の歴史のある教会での式は重みがありました。それがお金持ちの特権ではなくて、誰でも気軽にできることというのが良いですね。村を通りかかった人ものぞける気楽さも良いです。皆に祝福されている感じがします。あと、神父の説教の迫力も違いました。日本のような違和感を感じなかったです。

• 披露宴での食事

食事はガリシア地方の特産品である魚介類がメインで、その地方ならではの色を出しているのが新鮮でした。日本の結婚式では、あまり「その土地らしい食事」というものに出会ったことがなかったなー、と実感。郷土愛が強いのかな。日本の披露宴の方が、演出やらインテリアやらに凝っている気がするけれど、こういう和やかな披露宴も良いなーと思いました。

エビは日本では見たことがない種類でしたが、本当に美味しかった！！

• 披露宴の長さ

さすが食事時間の遅いスペイン、披露宴の食事の開始が９時、終わったのは１時半頃でした。そして、その後にはダンスやおしゃべりが続き、最終的に終わったのは朝５時。日本の結婚式場のように時間でせかされることがないのは良いですが、さすがに５時はしんどい。。。

• タバコ

スペインは他のヨーロッパ諸国に比べ、喫煙人口が非常に高いです。喫煙／禁煙席が別れていないことはしょっちゅうですし、政府の「禁煙場所を設けよう」に反対して、「うちのバルではタバコは吸えます」という張り紙を出している所もたくさんあります。というわけで、スペイン人と一緒にいると、タバコにやられることがほとんど。。。

今回の結婚式では、新郎新婦ももちろんタバコを吸うし、軍人どもも当たり前、吸わない人の方が少ないのです。さらに驚くことに、新婦が皆の席に籠を持って回っていると思えば、中身はタバコ！（日本だったらキャンディでしょう！）新婦の父は葉巻を配り、目も喉もやられて辛かったー！！個人的には、花嫁さんにはタバコをすぱすぱ吸ってほしくないなぁ。。。

• キスコール

日本では、よく結婚式の２次会であるキスコール。こちらでは、両親や親族がいてもお構いなく、皆キスコールをするんですね。（ちなみにスペイン語では”Que se besen!”)さらに、新郎新婦が一度キスをすると「もう一回！」コールも。

面白かったのが、新婦が「もう一回」コールの時に指揮者のように手を振ってコールを促していたこと。日本だと「恥ずかしがる新郎新婦」という構図だと思うけど、こっちでは何と積極的な！ストレートで、何だか新鮮でした。
９月にはフランスで開かれる結婚式に出席する予定なので、またまた比較をしてみたいと思います。

ガリシアの旅、終わり！！

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It’s already nearly 2 weeks since I went to my friend’s wedding in A Coruña, Galicia. Let me share with you my experience of the Spanish wedding.

The wedding was held at an old church in the village where the bridegroom’s parents (or father/mother) had grown up.
The church was probably some hundred years old and was superb.

Let me compare the wedding in Spain and the weddings in Japan.

Weddings at Church

In Japan, many people, even non-Christians want to get married at a church, because it’s “fashionable”.
If that’s what they want, I won’t object. A Japanese traditional wedding may be too serious or orderly. But when I heard people had to pay more if they wanted a western priest at the wedding, I just couldn’t help wondering what the wedding was for…

Anyway, my friend’s wedding at the church definitely looked more “authentic” and I was impressed with the priest’s sermon. Later, the bridegroom confessed to us that it had been so emotional that he had felt like crying several times.

Anyone can join

In Japan, wedding is celebrated by those who are invited and they send invitation cards to only people who can definitely come.
In my friend’s wedding, however, lots of people who were not invited could go to church freely to see and to celebrate. The dinner was for guests only, but I liked the atmosphere of the church, where you could share the joy and happiness together with everyone.

Feast

As is often the case with weddings in Galicia, we had lots of seafood for dinner. In some rural areas in Japan, they also serve regional or traditional food, but not much in Tokyo, where things are so stylish.
Maybe in each province in Spain and in Japanese rural areas, people have more attachment to their homeland.

In temrs of food and table settings, Japanese weddings are more elaborated with crystal glasses, nice silver tableware and lots of flowers, as if nothing were left imperfect. But I liked the Spanish wedding a lot, too, where people are not too much seeking for perfection but are enjoying nice and friendly atmosphere.

Hours

Honestly, I was afraid that the Spanish wedding would be too long, as it’s their custom to have dinner at 10, 11pm, sometimes midnight. Well, we started the dinner at 9pm, and then, finished it at around 1:30am. Then talking and dancing and… we left there at 3am, but it was still continuing. They say usually it lasts till 5 or 6 am. Be prepared!

In Japan, everything is finished till 9pm, and some people go to the 2nd run which ends by midnight or 1am. For my wedding, I would prefer finishing everything by 2, 3am. Otherwise I won’t be able to stay awake!

Tobacco

In Spain, there are so many smokers, and smoking is a part of their culture. As it’s one of the countries in Europe, I expected they would have non-smoking seats at bars and restaurants. No, they don’t…

Besides, as the means to protest against the law about separating smoking/non-smoking seats, some bars and restaurants even put a notice that says, “In our restaurant/bar, it is NOT prohibited to smoke”. Therefore, being with Spanish people sometimes means being in a thick smoke place. Unfortunately, the wedding wasn’t exceptional.

In the wedding, both bride and bridegroom smoked, their parents, brothers and sisters, too. Actually, there were less non-smokers than smokers. What’s more, a small gift the bride gave to female guests was a box of tobaccos! (It would be candies in Japan!)

The bride’s father was distributing cigars to male guests, so I was literally coughing and crying of the smoke. There are some people who smoke in Japan, too, but they usually go to a smoking room so that other people will not be disturbed. Personally, I’d prefer a bride in a pretty white dress not smoking at the wedding…

Kissing

In Japan, we have a “kiss call” in the 2nd party, not in the 1st, because it may still be inappropriate doing that in front of your parents and relatives. Here in Spain, you don’t care about it whoever may be with you.
(It was “¡Que se besen!” in Spanish.) And after they kissed, there was another call, “Again, again!”

What is interesting was that the bride (not bridegroom) took lead when they said “Again, again!”. I was so used to seeing “shy bride and bridegroom” that it was so unusual. Well, it’s once in a lifetime. If you want it, you should do it without hesitation! 🙂

In September, there’s another wedding in France. Can’t wait!