How Do Couples Tie The Knot In Different Countries?
Marriage is a universal celebration representing a special unity between two people. However, the ways couples honor their commitment vary across the globe. From playful and joyous pre-wedding rituals to deeply spiritual ceremonies, each tradition reflects the culture, history, and values of the people who practice it. Here are 20 fascinating wedding traditions from around the world.
1. Japan - Sake Sharing
In Japan, the bride and groom sip sake from three different cups symbolizing the past, present, and future. This simple act binds their families together.
2. Germany - Log Cutting
In Germany, newlyweds must use a two-handed saw to cut a large log in half in front of all their wedding guests. It represents the first challenge they must face as a married couple.
3. Ireland - Handfasting
One of the most ancient wedding traditions in Ireland, handfasting entails tying the couple's hands together with a ribbon, cloth, or cord. The binding symbolizes the couple's union.
4. Turkey - Money Dance
In Turkey, after the couple is officially married, guests line up to pin money onto their clothing as they dance. The ceremony demonstrates the strong sense of community in Turkish culture.
5. Mexico - Lasso Ceremony
In Mexico, the lasso ceremony, or "El Lazo," is a symbolic moment in traditional weddings where the officiant drapes a large rosary or silk cord around the couple's shoulders. It takes the shape of a figure-eight, which also represents infinity.
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6. Greece - Crowning Ceremony
In Greece, during the wedding ritual, the priest places crowns joined by a white ribbon on the bride and groom's heads. The crowns traditionally represent the honor and glory bestowed upon them as king and queen of their household.
Photography Maghradze PH on Pexels
7. South Korea - The Goose Custom
In South Korean weddings, it's customary for the groom to present his future in-laws with a goos, which represents fidelity and lifelong commitment. Today, the geese are typically carved from wood, but originally, it was live ones.
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8. Jewish Weddings - Breaking the Glass
At Jewish weddings, it's customary to break a glass wrapped in cloth, and to say "Mazel tov," which means congratulations. The glass symbolizes the fragility of life and the need to cherish the joyful moments.
9. Morocco - Henna
In Morocco, the henna ceremony, held a night or two before the wedding, gathers the women from both sides of the family to celebrate the bride, whose feet and hands are adorned with henna designs. This symbolizes blessings, protection, and fertility.
10. China - Tea Ceremony
In China, during the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom kneel before their parents and elders to serve them tea sweetened with dates or lotus seeds, symbolizing happiness and fertility. In return, the elders offer words of wisdom, gifts, and blessings.
11. Philippines - The Veil Ceremony
In the Philippines, a delicate veil is draped over the bride's and groom's shoulders, representing their union. Sometimes, a cord or rope is also placed around the couple in a figure-eight pattern, representing everlasting commitment.
12. Italy - Ribbon Ceremony
In Italy, a white ribbon is stretched across a bride's door, which she cuts when leaving for her marriage ceremony. This signifies the end of her single life.
13. Peru - The Cake Pull
In Peru, the "cake pull" is a tradition where single female guests pull ribbons from the base of the wedding cake. The woman who pulls the ribbon attached to a ring will be the next to marry.
14. Sweden - Kissing Ritual
In Sweden, there's a playful tradition at weddings that when the groom leaves the room, male guests race to steal a kiss from the bride, and when the bride leaves, female guests kiss the groom. The lighthearted tradition is meant to be a joyful and interactive show of love.
15. France - La Coupe de Mariage
In France, the "coupe de marriage" is a two-handled goblet that they toast each other with and both partners sip from. The cup is typically a family heirloom passed down through generations, representing the couple's eternal bond.
16. Indonesia – The Showering Ritual
In Indonesia, there's a pre-wedding shower ritual known as Siraman. The bride and groom are spiritually and physically cleansed by their families with flower-scented water, meant to cleanse them of past impurities.
17. Thailand – The Water Pouring Ceremony
"Rod Nam Sang" is a Thai wedding ceremony where guests pour scented water over the couple's hands while offering their blessings. The water represents the flow of positive energy into the couple's life.
18. India - Haldi Ceremony
In India, the Haldi ceremony is a pre-wedding ritual where a paste made from turmeric and other spices is applied to the bride and groom. This is meant to purify and bless them, and give them a radiant glow.
19. Scotland - Blackening
One of the more bizarre but outrageously fun wedding traditions is Scotland's "blackening," where the bride and groom are covered in messy substances like soot, treacle, flour, and eggs, and paraded through the streets. The ceremony is meant to ward off evil spirits and prepare the couple for the challenges of married life.
20. Iran - Sofreh Aghd
In Iran, the couple sits in front of a table of meaningful items such as nuts and fruits, symbolizing fertility and abundance, honey, symbolizing the sweetness of marriage, and candles, symbolizing life's brightness. This is where the couple takes their vows, often dipping their fingers in the honey and feeding it to each other.
