# Padrino de anillos, arras, pastel (boda)



## Chapman

Hola a todos,

En México la tradición en las bodas es tener a varios "padrinos", personas cercanas a la pareja quienes les ayudan económicamente para diferentes cosas en la ceremonia o la recepción. Pueden ser de la familia o amigos. Es un privilegio ser padrino porque significa una responsabilidad y una cercanía especial a la pareja, es más que solamente "compartir los gastos".

No tenemos esta costumbre en Australia, ni tampoco por lo que entiendo en EEUU o Gran Bretaña, y no sé qué palabra utilizar para "padrino", ya que "godfather" tiene otro significado por completo, y tampoco suenan bien "sponsor" o "patron". 

¿Alguien más ha logrado captar el significado de esta costumbre en una palabra, o en pocas palabras en inglés?

Leí el post sobre "padrino de boda", pero parece que la persona que hizo la pregunta ahí estaba buscando traducción distinta a lo que yo necesito, ya que se quedó satisfecha con otra explicación.

Tal vez debemos quedarnos con la palabra "padrino" sin traducirlo? (Igual para palabras como enchiladas o chilaquiles)
Eg. I have asked my best friend and her husband to be the "padrinos" of the cake; they will help us in the wedding by buying the wedding cake.

Gracias por su ayuda!


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## chileno

De acuerdo a Merriam-Webster estaría bien usar "godfather", en este caso "wedding godfather".

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/godfather


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## turi

Lo primero que se me ocurre es "best men/maid".


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## chileno

turissa said:


> Lo primero que se me ocurre es "best men/maid".



Correcto. Eso sería "Padrino del novio/Padrino de la novia"

Pero de los anillos/torta/ etc...?


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## charlottesometimes

Me temo que éso es una tradición exclusivamente mejicana, y no tiene traducción específica, ya que no existe en UK ni en USA. Y tampoco en España, por cierto. "Best man" es lo que entendemos por padrino de boda (en general) y luego está el tema de las damas de honor, "bridesmaid", que en España tampoco existe.


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## turi

chileno said:


> Correcto. Eso sería "Padrino del novio/Padrino de la novia"
> 
> Pero de los anillos/torta/ etc...?



No sé... quizá lo mejor es esperar la respuesta de un nativo mexicano.

Saludos, t.


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## speedier

Perhaps you could try "patron" or wedding patron?


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## k-in-sc

What's wrong with leaving it untranslated? That emphasizes the Mexican-ness of it and avoids any unwanted connotations of existing words in English. Or maybe say "_padrino _(patron)," to avoid association with the _padrino_ of the Godfather movies.


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## Moritzchen

I think the best way to translate it is as Sponsors (of the wedding, the gold coins, the cake) as they all help with the expenses of the wedding.


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## k-in-sc

Yes, that's what they are, but "sponsors" sounds so commercial ...


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## Moritzchen

It sure does. So pehaps speedier's "patron" would work best.


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## k-in-sc

Rather than saying "X is the cake sponsor" maybe it would sound better to say "X is sponsoring the cake." But still ... 
What about the indirect approach: We would like to thank X for the cake, Y for the gold coins," etc.


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## Chapman

Thanks for all your replies, I appreciate it! I don't really like "sponsor" or "sponsoring" because, particularly as an Australian, "sponsoring" has the connotations of regularly giving for the upkeep of a child in a third world country through an NGO. So the idea of saying "We are sponsoring the cake" sounds quite absurd really.

I like k-in-sc's suggestion of leaving it untranslated, or putting "patron" in brackets as a rough translation of the term. I continue to feel that it's not a translatable word because it envelopes a concept that is foreign to almost all other countries, at least that I know of, and that any similar words do not convey the meaning of a padrino in a Mexican wedding.

I'm surprised that no-one from Mexico has contributed to date!!


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## Janis Joplin

* Padrinos *

   If the    _novios_ are from a wealthy family, they will select an  affluent couple close to them to be the godparents of their wedding.  This couple will be their spiritual, emotional and financial sponsors  often assisting in the planning of the wedding with the couple, their  parents and their baptism godparents.
   The    _padrinos_ serve as the maid/matron of honor and best man, and  often purchase the couple's wedding rings. Family and friends, who are  honored to be godparents, share the expenses of almost every facet of  the wedding. There may be a godmother of the invitations, a godfather of  the rum or the beer, godparents of the bouquet,    _padrino_ of the music,    _madrina_ of the cake. Other godparents supply the wineglasses  for the toasts, the wedding rosary, the prayer book, embroidered pillows  on which they kneel, and the baskets of    _recuerdos_ (mementos) that are presented to each of the guests  to remember the day.


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## k-in-sc

Thanks, Janis! Have you ever seen the terms translated?
And Chapman, how were you planning to use your translation, assuming you ever get one? In some sort of printed program or something?


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## Janis Joplin

No, I haven´t.  It's difficult to translate something so "cultural".

I personally wouldn't translate that word, I would explain the tradition in some additional paper in the invitation.


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## JeSuisSnob

I haven't seen the [Mexican] padrinos translated neither. And I'm thinking as Janis: perhaps the best way to explain it is by means of an additional paper.

I'll ask to a friend, and if he tells me something, I'll be back.


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## Chapman

My husband and I have been asked on several occasions to be "padrinos" of some part of a wedding, and recently were asked to be "padrinos" of the wedding rings. We'd like to explain to people in Australia what this is. It's not for an invitation or anything (thankfully) - it's not as formal as that. If we say "godparents", they will automatically think of the term as it's used in Australia - as Janis said, baptismal godparents (and we didn't know either person when they were born)!


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## k-in-sc

Oh, well, in that case just send them the link to this thread 
Seriously, it's not that hard to explain. We thought you needed a single term. ...


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## Chapman

Well, it would be nice if there was one!!


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## ramaya

I would do a literal translation, for instance:

padrino de pastel=cake godfather 

padrino de anillo=ring godfather

and so on...

Then I would tell them about the Mexican tradition so they understand the meaning of the terms.


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## Chaska Ñawi

charlottesometimes said:


> Me temo que éso es una tradición exclusivamente mejicana, y no tiene traducción específica, ya que no existe en UK ni en USA. Y tampoco en España, por cierto. "Best man" es lo que entendemos por padrino de boda (en general) y luego está el tema de las damas de honor, "bridesmaid", que en España tampoco existe.



Se ve en muchos países en este lado del charco:  Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, para mencionar algunas.

When talk about padrinos and madrinas in the context of weddings, I use the original word, as others have suggested.  Then I add an explanation (e.g., Gonzalo is providing the wedding cake).  It's easier than trying to substitute "godfather" for a situation where the role is actually very different.

(In Bolivia it isn't unheard of to try to trick people into this role by inviting them to the banquet, making a big deal of seating them at the head table, and then during the speeches thanking them publicly and profusely for their generosity in sponsoring some big-ticket item like a bed and bedding.  By that point it's hard to repudiate one's generosity. )

Hope this helps.


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## Bilma

Cabe mencionar que este asunto de los padrinos y madrinas de X no es una tradición en TODAS las bodas en México. En muchos casos la pareja solventa los gastos con la ayuda de los padres únicamente.


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## Chapman

Claro, y no todas las parejas que siguen la tradición piden padrinos para todas las cosas, sino escogen las que son más especiales y significativos para ellos, o hacen una mezcla entre pagarlos ellos mismos (o sus padres) y tener padrinos para algunas otras cosas.


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## RaulCavazos

I would translate it as "godfather"... 

I'm 100% mexican, in my wedding I payed for the rings, cake, bible, etc... we invited some brothers and sisters as "padrinos" but only to support us in an spiritual way but never as sponsors.

In a mexican wedding, there are two main godfathers (usually a married couple like close friends or uncles), one of them named by the groom and the other by the bride. They sign the wedding act in the church but they previously have to attend with the couple to a brief talk with the father (the priest ).  

The "padrinos de lazo" must be a married couple with an steady marriage. The "padrino de biblia" could be a single sister or friend, usually a lady.

There is not a rule to be or not a sponsor in a wedding symbols (rings, bible, etc), it depends on the family culture (not allways the economic position of the family).

In some lower economic class, it is common to invite "padrino de pastel/vino/cena/musica" and although it sounds weird, a friend of mine was invited as "madrina de negligé" !!!!... (obviously she declined the invitation). That kind of invitations are definitely "the cake/wine/dinner sponsors" but sounds better to say "padrino"...  So, if you don't want to offend somebody, it is better to say "padrino (godfather)".

Whenever you be invited as godfather of something related to the wedding ceremony, it is better to ask if they want you to pay or just to walk up with them to the altar. In this case, the groom buys the rings, bible, etc. and the "godfathers" give them to the couple in the altar.

If you are being invited as godfather of something related to the wedding party, housing, honey moon , etc... undoubtedly they are asking you you to be a sponsor.


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## turi

JeSuisSnob said:


> I haven't seen the [Mexican] padrinos translated neither. And I'm thinking as Janis: perhaps the best way to explain it is by means of an additional paper.
> 
> I'll ask  a friend, and if he tells me something, I'll be back.



No luck then??


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## Manuel G. Rey

No hay una costumbre similar en España, aunque asistir a una boda cuesta un pastón, en forma de regalo, que cada vez es más en forma de ingreso en la cuenta corriente abierta por los novios a ese fin.
Si hubiese de poner nombre a esos 'padrinos' los llamaría más bien 'paga-nos'.


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## chileno

This time, instead of leaving a link, I am quoting a part of Merriam-Webster dictionary's entry for godfather.

*2* *:* one having a relation to someone or something analogous to that of a male sponsor to his godchild: as *a* *:* one that founds, supports, or inspires <made him the godfather of a whole generation of rebels  — _Times Literary Supplement_>


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## JeSuisSnob

turissa said:


> No luck then??


Nope, Turissa. Unfortunately I didn't have luck with that. 

Cheers.


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## ramaya

chileno said:


> This time, instead of leaving a link, I am quoting a part of Merriam-Webster dictionary's entry for godfather.
> 
> *2* *:* one having a relation to someone or something analogous to that of a male sponsor to his godchild: as *a* *:* one that founds, supports, or inspires <made him the godfather of a whole generation of rebels  — _Times Literary Supplement_>



I like this definition, we have the "godfather" movie, donde el padrino no necesariamente es padrino de un niño.


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## k-in-sc

So, have we exhausted all the possibilities? I vote for "We've been asked to be the _padrinos_ (godparents/sponsors) of the rings for so-and-so's wedding. That means ... " 
By using multiple terms, you avoid taking on the baggage of any one term. 
That's how I would handle it, anyway. 
Good luck, and let us know!


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## Chapman

Thanks, everyone! I will use it like you said and see if anyone makes any strange remarks.


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