There are all kinds of unique wedding traditions across the world, some of them rather strange. We compiled a list of the eight oddest we have come across.
Banging on the wedding night in France
This may not be the kind of banging you would expect on the wedding night. Family and friends gather outside the house of newlyweds to bang on pots and pans. The couple then also serves their guests drinks and snacks. This age-old French tradition is known as Charivari.
Fat arms in Mauritania
In Mauritania, brides work towards becoming chubbier in preparation for their weddings, as it is believed to be a good luck charm in their tradition.
The groom is beat with fish in Korea
South Koreans believe that in order to make the groom ready for the first night of the marriage, his feet should be beaten by dead fish and bamboo sticks.
Scotland’s “Blackening Ritual”
This age-old tradition involves family and friends showering the couple with all sorts of disgusting things and then tie them to a tree. This is done to help the bride and groom prepare them for anything life throws their way.
Crying for a month before the wedding
Chinese brides have to cry every day for an hour for the entire month leading up to their wedding. For the Tujia people in China, crying ushers in a good wedding or life event.
Stealing brides
In some small villages in Germany, grooms aren’t guaranteed that their brides will make it to the altar on time, or at all. Kidnapping the bride is an old custom, beloved by pranksters, and carried out by friends of the betrothed-to-be. The locals might provide clues for the groom as to where his bride is, provided they are invited to the wedding. If they do not receive an invite, however, custom demands that the brideless groom pick up the bar tab – for the entire pub.
Carrying coins in shoes
In Sweden, brides are decked out from head to toe in tradition. They often wear crowns made of myrtle flowers, which symbolise virginity, marital fidelity, and good luck on their heads. In their shoes, they tuck one coin each – a silver coin in the left shoe from their father, and gold one in the right from their mom. The coins symbolise hope for the couple’s marital prosperity.
Pin the cash on the bride
Weddings in Cuba are nonreligious civil ceremonies. Even so, they are often extravagant affairs, earmarked by interesting customs such as the “money dance”.
Meant to help fill the newlywed’s coffers, this tradition is also tons of fun for guests. After the formal ceremony’s pomp and circumstance is over, male wedding guests who wish to dance with the bride must first pin money to her dress.
Picture: Pixabay
Diversity unites us. We are no longer confined to people from our own creed, culture or nationality. Perhaps once upon a time, it was frowned upon to marry…
Whether you want animals as a backdrop for your wedding photos or using them for your grand entrance, live creatures aren’t for your wedding decoration. It may seem ‘stunning’ or produce that extra ‘wow’ factor, but at the end of the day, it’s cruel and not fair on the animals.
Recently, a bride thought it would be a great idea to use goldfish in her centerpieces. She thought it would be a lovely idea to have a pair of goldfish in a bowl on each table, which symbolised her nuptials. The bride expected guests to take the goldfish home, as a ‘sort of’ wedding favour.
Sounds foolproof right? Wrong.
The maid of honour tried her best to discourage the bride from this idea, but sadly, she would not budge. As hard as it may seem, not everyone wants to go home with an unexpected new pet. As the wedding reception commenced, she was left with having to keep an eye on the fish centerpieces. A few goldfish checked out a little early, but the newly married couple had ‘spares in the back’.
By the end of the night, as the maid of honour predicted, guests left without their special ‘wedding favours’. The maid of honour was saddled with 100 goldfish. She rushed to the pet shop to get a bigger tank but many had died by the time she got home.
In the end, only one out of the 100 goldfish survived. The fish named Sun lived for five years, a duration longer than her friendship with the bride and even longer than the marriage.
The use of animals as wedding props doesn’t end there. Elephants have been used in wedding ceremonies for decades. These majestic creatures are kept captive, and live in fear of being forced into submission by abuse. The elephants are used to make an entrance or exit by the couple, for the wedding photoshoot and sometimes just as decoration.
Taking them out of their natural habitat and subjecting them to the needs and desires of your wedding day is not okay.
Picture: Pixabay
Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki stepped off the court and walked down the aisle in a ceremony worthy of high praise. The blushing bride shared the first look at…
Counselling is an imperative part of getting married. Couples can get swept away in the planning of a wedding, losing sight of the reasons why they are getting married. Speaking to a counsellor is essential for a couple as it will assist in mediating and fine-tuning the individual needs of each person’s expectations of marriage.
Helen Searra, Cape Town-based life coach, says it is imperative to start off such a huge commitment on a positive note.
“By getting a professional involved, it will allow both parties to be heard, without interruption, so that clear communication can be made. It offers a safe environment for couples to access their emotions and concerns thereby addressing issues that may otherwise lay dormant for years,” said Searra.
Her other advice is: Marriage is about being real and counseling allows you to get real with each other, without losing your identity while you are in the “contracting” stage of your relationship.
“When we meet our life partner we not only bring 2 people into the contract, we bring our families, friends, childhoods, different belief systems, cultures and life experiences. Investing in emotional support in building the best foundations for your relationship from the beginning is vitally important.”
With the help of a counsellor, there is no worry to small or obstacle too big for a couple to overcome before getting married.
Helen Searra is a Cape Town-based life coach. She has been practicing for 10 years in her field. She offers individual counseling sessions and couples counseling both in person or remotely over Skype. She offers package deals of either 4, 6 or 8 sessions. To enquire for a rates card, contact Helen on [email protected]
Image: Pexels
Wearing heels for the entire duration of your wedding may seem a little daunting, especially for women who are not used to being in heels for hours on…
Corey Newman often watched his girlfriend, Marlowe Epstein, do the Washington Post crossword puzzle, so he worked with the Post’s crossword creator to write a puzzle with answers related to Epstein. The clue for 51 across was “Words with a certain ring to them,” and the answer was “Will You Marry Me.” The puzzle was published in the paper, and an unsuspecting Epstein completed it with the help of Newman. Slide 3: Coffee Cup Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons asks customers to “roll up the rims” of the cups to see if they won a prize. So Jeff Chapman snuck a tiny note that read “Will you marry me?” under the rim of his cup and gave it to girlfriend Jaimie Baisley to unroll.