The single most common occasion in the world is wedding. People get married everywhere, whether they belong to a developed or an underdeveloped place or nation. But, tying the knot is not so easy as you might assume. If someone agrees to marry, he or she has to follow their customs which can get quite difficult sometimes. Different countries hold different and unique rituals along with it. So, here in this article, let us get to know about some of the traditions related to marriage. We’ll know about marriages or marriages rituals in ten countries today.
1. First of all, let’s talk about rituals of Italy.
Usually the wedding festivities start from the early morning.The ideal wedding day set by the Italians is Sunday. The bride’s attire would be a white gown and her face would be hidden under a veil to protect her from evil spirits. The groom also keeps a piece of iron with him for to prevent evils.
The couple make an entrance to the chapel on foot. After their marriage is over, they have to break a vase in order to determine the number of years they would stay together, happily.
The guests are presented five sugar almonds as symbols of health,wealth,fertility,happiness and longevity.They are offered these almonds for showing gratitude as they have taken out their time and come to bless the newlyweds.
2. Weddings in China
Chinese people depend on the fortune tellers for making wedding plans. They fix the date given by the astrologers. A ‘Tea Ceremony’ is usually held there in the rural areas. But, the modern generation does it by mixing with the western culture. The each other.
A Chinese bride wears qipao, which is a red silk dress combined with gold jewelry. On the wedding day, the bridesmaids demand money from the groom for entering in the house. Traditionally, the guests were served shark fin soup, bird’s nest soup and whole fish.
3. Weddings in Russia
Its hard to get the bride in Russia, because the groom has to do a lot of work for getting the permission to see her. The custom of wedding says that , prior to the wedding, when the groom comes to the bride’s house, family and friends of the girl refuse to his proposal and place a condition before him, which is, he has to give money, gifts to them. He also has to do funny tasks like dancing and answering to tricky questions. Only after completing these assigned tasks, he is allowed to meet his to-be-bride.
4. Weddings in Florida
There is a ‘sand ceremony’ held in Florida. Both the newlyweds have to pour sand from different in a single bottle together. This is done to symbolize their unity. The couple pour sands into one unity vase depicting the fact that they can’t be separated or put back. Some couples prefer to keep a small amount of sand in their respective container showing that even though they are one now, still they two individuals. The pouring or blending of sand not only makes the couple together but it also brings together their families and friends.
5. Weddings in Fiji
The wedding in Fiji has its own uniqueness. The to-be-groom has to bring a whale’s tooth, known as Tabua, in order to impress the father-in law. So, if we take it literally, he has to go underwater to get the tooth from this giant mammal on earth, otherwise he won’t be allowed to marry. The groom is also supposed to prepare food and send it to bride’s family in a traditional ritual called warming.
The bride is also tattooed on her body just before the wedding. She would wear a necklace made of ivory. Later the groom will remove this symbolizing her new married status.
6. Weddings in Japan
Japan considers the number three as very lucky and holy. In weddings, the Japanese couples have to take three sips of rice wine from three cups which equals to nine which increases their happiness three-times. Guests are also given the chance to take sip of the wine in the name of family and friendship.
Traditionally the marriages are followed as Shinto Style where only the the close relatives and friends should take part int the marriage ceremony.
Another interesting fact is that when you get an invitation to a wedding, you are supposed to bring cash as a gift for the couple. The amount depends on the relationship with the couple, status of the invitees and the region where wedding is being held. Sometimes, the gift amount is printed on the wedding card.
7. Weddings in Peru
The single female guests in Peru gather together to take part in their tradition of pulling ribbon from the wedding cake. Girls take out the ribbons from the cake and lastly a fake wedding ring comes out and one who gets this is assumed to get married the next.
The Catholic Church and the State sanction only two forms of marriages – Heterosexual and monogamous. However, men having more than one family or household is not seen so seriously there, in fact it’s expected and much tolerated in the society.
8. Weddings in Ireland
After the Irish weddings are over, the couple dances on the floor. The sacred tradition is that the bride’s feet must stay on the floor while dancing because if her feet doesn’t stay the evil spirits will get hold of her and nobody will be able to save her. They believe that the evil fairies like beautiful things and since the bride must be looking her best that day, they will try to snatch her away.
9. Weddings in Germany
German tradition holds that the guests may bring any kind of gift for the couple except glass.They can bring any type of porcelain and break them as the noise will prevent the evils from affecting the newlyweds. After that, the couple are supposed to clean up the mess together which means that they have to work together to maintain their marriage life.
10. Weddings in Congo
The marriage ceremony is too strange in Congo because the couple needs to remain silent throughout the whole wedding and any kind of sound is considered inauspicious. They do it because they need it realize that marriage is a serious matter and they must be silent for understanding the values. They are not even supposed (read allowed) to smile during the entire event of wedding. A little bit weird right?
Besides what mentioned here about some of marriages across the world, there are tons of more rituals, customs and some weird traditions involved in a marriage. Nevertheless, we say weird but they mean a lot to the families and communities. We wish all the success of all the marriages happening around the world.
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