The concept is cool, but what is with all the singing?

I went to my first Dutch wedding last week and, I am happy to report, a grand time was had by all. But, there were a few things I found a little strange.

The first thing that struck me about this wedding and, indeed it is something that can be seen at lots of important Dutch social gatherings is the habit of breaking into song whenever possible.

While I admit that a few graduations and a wedding are hardly a statistically sound sample, at every one I have attended, I have seen grown men and women, gathering together to sing what can only be described as a tribute to the person or people at the centre of the event.

Usually, these ditties are loosely based on a popular song, whose lyrics have been altered with varying degrees of success. And, while they still make me cringe a little, I can’t deny that it would probably be rather nice to be on the receiving end of one. I mean, who doesn’t secretly want a song written about them. Granted, most people probably don’t want a Britney Spears song but, something by the Beatles wouldn't go amiss.

The second thing that struck me about the wedding is a little more serious but, bear with me.

As I listened intently (my Dutch is not yet good enough to do anything else while translating furiously in my head) to the person tending to the proceedings, I couldn’t help but notice that there was, once again, a dichotomy at play - a dichotomy that results from the irrepressibly practical nature of the people.

At its basest form, marriage today is an enormously practical thing to do. It is not a requirement for co-habitation, but it helps facilitate taxes, makes travelling easier and generally makes it pretty simple to prove that the two people involved are together.

But, at the same time, because it is not required, the concept of it changes completely. One can argue that the union of marriage no longer has the moral imperatives it once had in most of the Western world. But, I would argue that the Dutch have a much more fully developed sense of this change than much of the rest of the world. Carnal knowledge of a woman, for example can be found after a very brief bit of strategic window shopping.

As proof of this thesis, I would point out that, for most people the Stadshuis, is the venue of choice, as opposed to a church. And, thus, more practical matters are at the centre of the union than perhaps the approval of religious leaders and neighbours alike.

However, some may argue, there is also the registered partnership to consider, this is a legally binding contract in the Netherlands, that provides many of the same logistical and legal conveniences that a marriage does.

So, to take that extra step, to get married, in front of your closest friends and family becomes a much more powerful evocation of love perhaps than a marriage where there are no other choices easily available.

And, I can see why someone would want to sing a song about that.