Thursday, June 19, 2008

Mayan Weddings in Cancun

Cancun is reinventing itself into a more upscale vacation destination, thanks in part to a USD $2.5 billion investment into local infrastructure and tourism development. One of the region’s key new attractions is the Mayan wedding ceremony. The area of Cancun and Puerto Morelos is a popular destination for weddings, hosting nearly 5000 weddings each year. There are domestic and international specialized wedding planners in the area that take care of everything from legal requirements to the planning of flights for the guests. Cancun can provide everything visitors need: bilingual judges, priests from all main religions, a huge variety of musical groups, catering services, florists, photographers, couture designers and venues that can host any number of guests from just 2 to 6000. Mayan Weddings

Mayan weddings are led by a local shaman and are held in the native Mayan language. The service follows the actual traditions used by the ancient Mayan. The bride and groom are presented to the seven directions--up to the superior cosmic energy (masculine), down to the Mother Earth (feminine), to the four winds (north, south, east, west) using the Mayan order and names, to the guardians of the location where the ceremony is held, and inside to the center of their own hearts, the temple of love.Cancun Couple

An altar is made with flowers at four points with an arch and offerings on top. Four candles are lit on the arch. Four candles will also be lit on the four corners of the table and one candle stands in the table's center. The candles represent the four cardinal points (north, south, east and west) and the four gods that sustain the Mayan cosmology. The central flame is dedicated to man and god (Mother Earth and cosmos). The priest has the privilege of lighting this final flame, but can decide to let somebody else do it.

The couple will give each other symbolic gifts. The groom will give corn and cacao seeds. In return, the bride will give tortillas and powder of cacao. Symbolically, a woman will turn the raw material given by her future husband into food. Mayan music with pre-Hispanic instruments is performed before and during the ceremony.
Participants and guests can wear their own clothes, but they should dress in white or cream colors. Ties and traditional western wedding clothing are not suitable for the wedding couple, just simple dress in a simple style. Shoes will not be worn by the wedding couple during the ceremony and are optional for guests who want to fully receive the ceremony's energy. Being barefoot lets you have close contact with Mother Earth.

MORE:
Cancun Official Site

Cancun Hotel Reservations
Riviera Maya Hotels
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Riviera Maya Guidebook

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