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For most, a wedding day is one of the most important days of their life. However, different cultures have their own unique ways of preparing for and celebrating the happy couple’s nuptials. Read on to find out a few weird and wonderful wedding traditions from around the world.
What happens in Germany?
For the happy couple in Germany, the engagement and wedding process comes with many traditions, some start before the big day has even announced. For example, before a future bride-to-be is even engaged, she saves away pennies, which will then be used to purchase her wedding shoes. This tradition is said to help the happy couple get off on the right foot.
German couples make a big event of sending their invites out too. They send out a Hochzeitslader, a gentleman dressed in formal, fancy wear complete with ribbons and flowers, to hand-deliver their invitations. Guests accept the invitations by pinning a ribbon from the Hochzeitslader’s outfit onto his hat, before inviting him into their home for a drink. Depending on the guest list, this can take quite some time!
German couples are required to get married in their town registry office. Then, in the days following, a church ceremony can be held, although this isn’t required. Generally, few guests will attend the civil ceremony and the bride and groom will dress relatively simply.
At a German church ceremony, it’s traditional for a Polterabend to take place a few days after the civil ceremony. Believing that negative spirits are attracted to brides, Polterabend takes place to scare them aware. On the night before the church ceremony, the bride and groom gather with their friends and family where they smash china and porcelain. The noise made is said to scare away the spirits, while illustrating that their marriage will never break. Glass is never broken, as this is believed to be bad luck.
Another tradition is for German newlyweds to saw logs. A log is set up on a sawhorse and the bride and groom must work together to saw through it, illustrating their teamwork. Instead of confetti, wedding guests throw grains of rice over the bride and groom, with legend being that each grain of rice that lands in the bride’s hair symbolises a future child!
Throughout the wedding reception, the bride’s veil is held up and the bride and groom dance underneath it. When the music stops, single women will tear pieces off the veil. The lady left with the biggest piece is said to be the next to marry. Alternatively, instead of ripping the veil, guests simply throw money into it while it is held up.
What happens in Spain?
In Spain they don’t include bridesmaids, groomsmen, a maid of honour or best man, and the mother of the groom walks her son down the aisle. Likewise, there are no speeches and wedding rings are worn on the ring finger of the right hand.
Did you know that at one time, the wedding dress and veil was actually made from black lace! However, modern times have seen more brides wearing a white lace dress and mantilla, a type of lace headdress. The mantilla is traditionally given by the mother of the bride, who will have it embroidered especially. The mantilla is worn with a peineta — a high comb.
Spanish weddings tend to begin in the early evening and continue into the early hours. Often, the groom will present his bride with 13 gold coins, each blessed by a priest. This act is said to bring the couple good fortune and symbolise the groom’s commitment to support his bride.
Similar to in the US, flowers play a big part in Spanish weddings. Many choose the orange blossom to symbolise purity. The bride will give a small flower corsage to her girlfriends. If a lady is single, she must wear her corsage upside down and if she loses it during the night, it’s believed that she will be next to be married!
What happens in China?
As China is so vast, traditions can vary from region to region, yet each has their own special meaning.
One example of a tradition is one carried out for Tujia brides. They must cry for an hour a day every day for a month in the run-up to their wedding. After the first ten days, the bride’s mother joins her in crying daily before being joined by her grandmother. As the other women join in, it’s seen as an expression of their joy.
If a bride is part of the Yugar culture, they are shot by their grooms with a bow and arrow (thankfully, the arrows are free from their arrowheads!). After shooting their bride three times, the arrows are broken, showing that the couple will always love each other.
A ‘good luck woman’ helps the bride get ready on her special day by helping her do her hair. This woman is considered lucky if she has living parents, a spouse and children, and it is hoped she will pass on some of this good fortune to the bride.
Another Spanish tradition is for the groom to collect the bride from her home, where he is greeted by the bride’s friends, who block his entry into the home (it’s all in good spirits). The groom is required to prove his love for his future wife through answering a series of questions about her or even by offering money in red envelopes to buy his way into the house.
What is traditional dress? Brides who live in northern China traditionally wear a red dress or Qi Pao, embroidered with gold and silver detailing. In southern China, brides wear a two-piece outfit — a Qun Gua, Kwa or Cheongsam — featuring a gold phoenix or dragon detailing.
On the wedding night, the bride is given a half-cooked dumpling. This is a signifier of family prosperity, as the word raw is linked to child birth.
What happens in India?
In India, wedding traditions differ depending on the region. It’s not uncommon for Indian weddings to take place over several days — different to the couple’s one special day in other countries.
Ahead of the big day, the bride partakes in a Mehendi ceremony. This is where family and friends gather to apply the beautifully intricate henna. Tradition says that the deepness of the colour of the henna determines the bond between husband and wife and how well the bride will get along with her mother-in-law. Hidden within the henna are the names of the happy couple and it’s often painted on the palms, hands, forearms and legs.
What does the bride wear? This again depends on where the bride was born. In some regions, the women will wear a saree (long drape) for her wedding and in others she wears a lehenga (a long skirt). It’s common for the bride to be dressed in red or another bright colour and her clothing is stitched with an outstanding design.
A memorable part of an Indian wedding is the walk around the fire. The marriage becomes official when the bride and groom walk around the fire four times as verses are chanted, and the couple is tied together. The husband and wife then race back to their seats, as the one who sits first is said to be the most dominant.
Will you add any cultural traditions into your big day?
This article was written by QUIZ, retailers of occasion wear and going out tops.
Sources
https://www.thelocal.de/20160613/10-things-you-need-to-know-before-attending-a-german-wedding
https://pairedlife.com/relationships/German-Wedding-Customs
https://www.donquijote.org/spanish-culture/traditions/spanish-weddings/
https://www.countryhouseweddings.co.uk/2017/06/spanish-wedding-traditions/
