The 10 Fascinating Marriage Rituals Around The World
When thinking about wedding traditions, we think of the white dress, the cake, the guests, bride’s maids and more... but is everyone around the world doing the same? where do these traditions come from? Here we will discover the most bizarre wedding traditions around the world.
10 It’s All Fun And Games…
Have you ever been to a wedding that it’s a little bit crazy? Lots of crazy games and dances maybe a cake smashing between the bride and groom or funky games? Maybe not so many. Most brides want order during the ceremony and be the center of attention when her entry song begins. But in India, things are a little different. Imagine two teams ready to do anything to win, sounds messy, that’s for sure. So here are the rules of engagement. Right before the ceremony begins, the groom takes his shoes off. This is like the bell in any game indicating the beginning of the match… as soon as the groom takes his shoes off, the brides side of the family will then rush to steal the shoes while the grooms family works together to protect them. Purpose? I guess to make it more entertaining and perhaps settle any scores with a rugby style game of couple of hundred people on each team?
9 Do As The Romans Do!
In the US, when thinking about getting married, you may begin by picking a date you and your spouse to be want to celebrate the special day, with your favorite people, music and food. Most of the weddings we go to are during late spring and the summer. But it may not be exactly the perfect weather that inspired our ancestors and modern friends choose this time of the year to celebrate love. It may all have to do with the ancient romans. The romans have a long list of traditions dictated by their gods. For such special occasions like a wedding, the romans paid homage to the Goddess Juno. Juno is known as the goddess of nations with especial focus of watching over all aspects of womanhood hence the Goddess of love, marriage and childbirth. So next time you are invited or chose to get married in June, thank the ancient romans for setting the parameters to celebrate the occasion, and according to them there will be lots of love and children if married in June.
8 Old Wives Tales
There are always the old wife tale stories about childrearing, family, kids, medicine, food... well, for everything. So it should be of no surprise to you that there is a wife’s tale for weddings and marriage as well. In this case, the story goes that if the younger sister marries before the older ones does, the older sister should be barefooted during the wedding reception. Not to shame the older maiden but this is so she does not risk her chances of ever catching a husband.
7 The Oldest Dating “Site”
Now days we meet and stay connected to lots of people online. We have group chats with family, friends and coworkers, we share bits and pieces of our lives with so many people near and far away… there are ways to make new friends and meet new people online than never before. You may be so busy with work and life that you may not have time to go and meet a potential life partner like in the “good old days” well, putting your profile for others to see may not be as new an idea as you may think… In India dating can be done by the parents or with the parent’s approval, hiring a match maker or simply on TV. Yes, TV in India is used for more than simple and fun entertainment. India has a dating TV channel where singles have their profiles and pictures aired all day and other singles would call to set times to meet with the ones they are attracted to. So, no need to go to a reality TV show to find love, just post on India’s Shagun tv channel and wait for the call. No, really, for you, it may be easier to just click and hit like on a website.
6 No Bathroom Breaks For You!
So there are several things that most of us like to do before a wedding. That includes getting a dress to fit the celebration, get a present for the couple, get ready, and go, to the bathroom before you leave right. In many countries like in the pacific island of Borneo marriage celebrations include the bride, the groom and family members as well as friends, music and lots more. But after the celebration and the honeymoon begins, things differ a lot for one tribe in Borneo, for newlyweds things get a little dicey. The couple, once the wedding celebration ends and the “honeymoon” begins, the newlyweds cannot leave the house.. so far not an issue, they just got married, no need to leave right.. well there is more, for good luck, they cannot leave the house even to go to the bathroom! Luckily for us who have the bathroom inside the house... no need to leave at all!
5 Mixing It Up A Little For Good Luck
When mixing things up for a wedding, you may think of adding some carnival like crazy hour just as the clock hits midnight, like in many Latin weddings. Or perhaps have a themed wedding like star wars, or even a medieval themed celebration for your big day.. you name it, there are many ways to just have fun and mix things up a little. But other countries may have a different idea of how to mix things up. Denmark and The heroic Spartans truly did have it a twist more that you think. In order to confuse demos and evil spirits Danish grooms would actually wear the big white dress, (okay, at that time is was not big and white) while the bride would be smoking it up with what would traditionally be the grooms outfit. But knowing the Spartans, they would not stop there. They knew how to take it a step further. The brides not only dressed up as the grooms but also had to shave their heads… I wonder how those traditions would be taken by the rest of the western world!
4 Protecting Your Investment
When planning a wedding, there are so many things to focus on. Make sure you have a good photographer, great music, of course the dress and above all your family and friends. There is fighting chance that where people sit during the ceremony may not have even crossed your mind. In a Christian wedding, when entering a church or temple, have you noticed that there is a side for the bride’s family as well as the groom’s one? There is a magnificent reason and is not to see who has more friends and family. It was common for suitors to try to steal a woman for marriage. So in order to protect her from being taken by others. A groom would stand to the bride’s right. The reason is not because he is right and she is not, but because the groom needed to have his strong hand, most often the right being the dominant one to fight anyone who was willing to fight him to steal her before he got a chance to marry her!
3 All Gone Down The Toilet
There are so many things that we do to our friend before during and after a wedding reception. We may go to a couples shower or have a celebration with friends before the big day. But none can top the French tradition in the nasty category. After the reception, most people leave and actually go to bed letting the newlyweds start their lives together as husband and wife. but no! why would they just let the tired new couple be? If you are attending a wedding in France how would you make sure the happy couple have good luck in the future and the endurance to close the deal? The answer is simple, you wish them good luck with the Délicieux Toilette La Soupe: but it sounds like a delicious soup, in the toilet?! Goodness, the lucky couple must ingest the gatherings of all leftover food, alcohol and enough gross things, the grosser, the better! The wedding party mixes them all nicely into a soup in a toilet bowl, the life-size kind. If they want the luck to bath them and fuel a fantastic night ahead, they must drink and I guess eat all the mixings in the bowl. Thank goodness things have changed and they may just simply mix all the alcohol or even sweeter, just have them eat the bowl filled with chocolate! Still brown and from a toilet though.
2 Beating Him Good Luck
As we have seen with many countries, traditions don’t have to make sense to us. They are just part of what makes us unique. In this case, uniqueness is the key ingredient in this bizarre tradition. In Korea their wedding celebrations don’t just end in a goodbye and thank you for coming. It does not involve the French toilet soup either, but it does involve some slappings coming from the groom’s friends. I can almost say with certainty that most grooms are looking forward to retiring after the wedding ceremony and reception. But before a Korean man can go and enjoy his new future with his bride, the wedding party will grab him, remove his shoes and socks. But it does not end there, then they will tie a rope around his feet and start hitting the bottom of his feet with a yellow corvine. That is a kind of fish! It’s not like they are abusing the poor guy, just testing his strength and knowledge with a series of questions followed by the slapping of the fish. The purpose for such is to make sure he does not disappoint... well, its to make him stronger before the first night. Since the fish can get a little sticky and smelly for some, Koreans can also choose a cane or simply a stick.
1 Kissing While Away
When you go to a wedding there are plenty of opportunities to make sure the newlyweds kiss, one way is by clinging the glasses every possible opportunity the guests get, or after the toast or cutting the cake. But what about making the guest do the kissing instead? This is one wedding tradition you want to be invited to. In Sweden weddings can get a little sweeter and slimier and this is how it goes. During the reception, every time either the bride or the groom leaves the room to go to the bathroom... the guests begin the kissing frenzy… until either one returns! I toId you it was sloppy!
