European Wedding Tradition

Different traditions are followed in Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Some of the age old unique Western European wedding traditions are the concept of engagement ring. Usually a diamond engagement ring marks the wedding ceremony and is considered to be a girl's best friend. In Italy however the concept of gold engagement ring became quite famous and popular. The concept of first wedding cake was also initiated in Italy and traditionally the cake or bread was broken over the girl's head to secure fertility.

In traditional European weddings the concept of choosing a Best Man begun in Germany. It was believed that in olden times the groom was sometimes required to kidnap her bride and for that he would require a strong man who would help him to kidnap her bride and confront any relative who wanted to take her back. Even today the Best Man is chosen by the groom who would accompany him for his wedding venue.

In England however the nursery rhyme concept about something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue plays a vital role in traditional weddings. The old item of grandmother like a scarf or a old piece of jewelry was presented to the bride as a symbol of continuity. Something new signifies hope for the future and so the couple is gifted with a piece of new clothing or the wedding band. Something borrowed items are usually taken from a happily married couple from the girl's side as a symbol of ever lasting life. Finally something blue signifies purity and both the bride and the groom are required to wear a blue band around the bottom of their wedding attire.

The white wedding gown is mandatory for European wedding; it is a symbol of joy and prosperity. In traditional Western European wedding it is a custom to type shoes at the back of the bride's and groom's car as a symbol of good fortune. It is also mandatory for every groom to wear a flower from his bride's boutique for the wedding ceremony. The couples exchange rings, takes the oath in the church and pledge to each other. Finally after the wedding the groom carries her newly wed bride across the threshold of their house. It is considered to be a bad omen if the girl is allowed to cross it over individually.

In Eastern European countries the wedding traditions are quite unique and interesting. Every tradition followed symbolizes fertility, prosperity and happiness. In Czechoslovakia for instance the bride's friend usually plants a tree in her yard just the day before wedding and decorate with ribbons and brightly painted egg shells.

The belief is that the bride would live successfully and happily as long as the tree. Traditionally just after wedding an infant is placed on top of the bed of the couple as a symbol of fertility. In Eastern European wedding traditions the newly weds break plates and more pieces the plates broke into it is believed more successful their wedding would be.

In Hungary the new bride is made to wear an elaborate wedding hairdresser made out of woven strands of wheat at the day of the wedding as a symbol of fertility. Traditionally the new bride is offered an egg which she smashes to the ground to insecure the health of their future children. The new bride also presents her husband with a gift of seven scarves symbolizing a happy marriage.

In traditional Poland wedding the parents offer the newly wed couples with rye bread sprinkled with salt and a glass of wine. Rye bread symbolizing abundant food, salt as the difficulties of life which they should overcome and wine as a symbol of happiness and prosperity.

In Bulgaria it is believed that the couples should enter the church with their right foot first. The groom's mother feed the couples with honey cakes to secure everlasting happiness.

In Croatia the guests circle the young couple in the church three times to signify the Holy Trinity and throws apples in the air as a symbol of fertility for the young couple.

Apart from these traditional customs songs, dance, music, marks the celebration of weddings.

French Wedding Traditions

French has many unique traditional customs to follow to make your wedding day special and memorable. These age old traditions add the true essence in your life. In French traditional wedding it is believed to present a bridal chest to the bride as she departs from her parental house. This bridal chest would carry her necessary required clothes symbolizing hope and good wish for her married life.

In many French towns the groom heads for his bride's house on the day of the wedding and accompanies her to the church. Children usually run along them throwing white ribbons that the bride cuts as she walks along to the ceremony.

It is a tradition in France for every bride to flaunt an orange blossom at the day of the wedding symbolizing virginity. Very fragrant colorful flowers are collected and placed in bouquets as it is believed that the sweet fragrance will ward off evil spirits.

In French traditional weddings couples are made to stand beneath a silk canopy known as carre. It is believed that this will protect them from bad luck. In French traditional weddings laurel leaves are scattered at the exit of the church as the couple leaves the church after their wedding ceremony.

At the reception party the couple toasts a cup symbolizing everlasting happiness. This two handed toasting cup is known as Coupe De Marriage and is passed down through each generations.

As a very old tradition of French wedding, guests used to bring small cakes to the reception and pile them in the middle of a table, one on top of the other. The bride and groom would have to kiss over the top of them, to symbolize a long life together.

On the wedding night friends of each side gather and bang pots and pans on their windows symbolizing long time joy and happiness. The friends are invited over for a drinks party.

Wedding day is very special day in one's life and by following the traditions one can pay their tribute to their roots and make their wedding unique and special.

Filipino Wedding Traditions

Filipinos have many age old traditions which they follow in their wedding ceremonies. In Philippines Brides shouldn't try on her wedding dress before the wedding day. Knives and other sharp and pointed objects are said to be a dreadful choice for wedding gifts for this will lead to a broken marriage. Presenting arinola (chamber pot) as a wedding gift is believed to bring good luck to newlyweds. Rain drops are considered to be very lucky on the wedding day as it signifies prosperity and happiness. It is also a tradition to throw rice confetti to the newly weds as a sign of prosperity.

The groom should turn up before the bride at the church to shun bad luck.

Breaking something during the reception party brings good luck and fortune to the newlyweds. If the bride wants to dominate over her husband for the rest of their life it is believed in Filipino weddings that she should step on the groom's feet while walking towards the altar. A Filipino bride should not flaunt any pearl jewelry as this is considered to be a bad omen

An unmarried woman who wants to marry soon must follow the footsteps of the newlyweds is believed to be married off soon.

Dropping the wedding ring, the veil during the ceremony brings unhappiness for the couple. After the couple has agreed upon to get marry, the first task is the pamanhikan, where the groom and his parents visit the bride's family to ask for her hand in marriage. The groom or the suitor renders service to his future wife's family and run errands around her house to help her family and to gain their approval. Filipino bride dress up in a bright festive color dress or even a black color dress for the big day. The grooms usually flaunt a traditional barong made out of silk transparent fabrics. Now even men go for black tuxedos.

Most Filipino weddings have special "sponsors" who play as witnesses to the marriage. The main sponsors could be godparents, counselors, a favorite uncle and aunt, even a parent. Two candles are lit symbolizing the joining of the two families and to invoke the light of Christ in their married life. White veils are placed over the bride's head and the groom's shoulders, a symbol of two people clothed as one. In Filipino traditional wedding the bride and the groom drape over their shoulders the yugal (a decorative silk cord) in a figure-eight shape--to symbolize everlasting fidelity The groom offers the bride 13 coins, blessed by the priest, as a sign of his dedication to his wife's happiness and the welfare of their future children.

Greek Wedding Traditions

Each culture portrays different and unique wedding traditions. Greek wedding traditions are unique and very special. In Greece the bride's mother start collecting wedding things from sheets to towels and other household items. These gifts are presented on her wedding day to help her to settle her new family.

Every suitor in Greek has to ask for her beloved's hand for marriage from her parents. Greek tradition allows couples to get married on specific days unlike other countries where couples are free to get married whenever they wish to. These special days are on most of the country's Christian observances such as Lent and Christmas holidays.

In Greek traditional wedding ceremonies couples are blessed twice by the priest with their wedding rings. As the engagement gets official the priest will bless the couples and the couples will flaunt their wedding ring on their left hand. On the wedding day the priest once again blesses the couple and the ring and the ring is transferred to the right hand.

As a symbol of unity during the wedding ceremony the couples are adorned with crowns that are connected with silver color ribbons. Candied almonds are mandatory at every Greek traditional wedding. These candied almonds are served to the guests immediately after the wedding ceremony.

There are two significant dances which are performed at every Greek traditional wedding. The first known as Isaiah is performed by the newlyweds immediately after their wedding. The other dance known as kaslamantiano is performed forming a circle by all guests along with the newlyweds.

Beside this traditional Greek music is played in every Greek wedding. The food served is royal and boasts of traditional native Greek delicacies. The guests sometimes pins money to the bride's gown as a gift for their wedding.

German Wedding Traditions

Wedding traditions in Germany is unique and varies in custom from region to region. In Germany, when a baby girl is born, several trees are planted in her honor. And when her wedding arrives, those trees are cut to arrange for her dowry.

A unique German pre wedding custom is to make a wedding newspaper by the friends and the family of the bride and the groom, which is filled with colorful pictures, articles and stories of the bride and the groom. These wedding newspapers are sold at the reception to assist for the honeymoon expenditure.

n Germany, a traditional wedding day could last for three days. At first the wedding couple has a civil ceremony at the city center with family and close friends. The big wedding party takes the next night where all the friends and relatives of the bride and the groom are invited.

It is an old German custom that it is a good luck for guests to bring old dishes to break. The newly wed couple then sweep the broken pieces together which signifies that nothing would be broken in their house further.

The German religious wedding ceremony takes place in the third day. The wedding takes place in the chapel and as the newly wed couple leaves the chapel; they throw coins at the children watching them.

A wedding reception follows the religious ceremony. There the best man steals the bride and takes her to a pub where they drink champagne. Finally the groom has to find his bride and pay for the drinks. As the couple is about to leave for honeymoon, the friends block all the ways of exit. The groom has to pay a toll for exit.

Hindu Wedding Traditions

The Hindu culture celebrates marriage as a pure and pristine rite enabling two individuals start their journey of life together. It puts emphasis on the values of happiness, harmony and growth and could be traced back from the Vedic times.

Months before the wedding ceremony, an engagement is held which is called 'mangni'. The couple is blessed here with gifts, jewelry and clothes. Another important ritual is the 'mehendi' which is a paste made from the leaves of henna plant. It is the traditional art of adorning the hands and the feet of the bride with mehendi and the name of the groom is also hidden in the design.

On the day of marriage, the couple exchanges garlands as a gesture of acceptance of one another and a pledge to respect one another as partners which is known as 'jaimala'. This is followed by 'kanyadaan', where the father of the bride places her hand in the groom's hand requesting him to accept her as an equal partner.

Another ritual is the 'havan' in which the couple invokes Agni, the god of Fire, to witness their commitment to each other. Crushed sandalwood, herbs, sugar rice and oil are offered to the ceremonial fire. The 'gath bandhan' takes place where scarves of the bride and groom are tied together symbolizing their eternal bond. This signifies their pledge before God to love each other and remain loyal. The couple then takes four 'mangal pheras' or walk around the ceremonial fire, representing four goals in life: 'Dharma', religious and moral duties; 'Artha', prosperity; 'Kama', earthly pleasures; 'Moksha', spiritual salvation.

The couple also takes seven steps together to begin their journey, called the 'saptapardi'. Then the ritual of 'sindoor' takes place where the groom applies a small dot of vermilion, a red powder to the bride's forehead and welcomes her as his partner for life. This signifies the completion of the marriage. The parents of the bride and the groom then give their blessings, 'ashirwad' to the newly wed couple as they touch the feet of their parents.

Indian Wedding Traditions

Indian wedding occupies a vast area as it comprises the wedding traditions of a number of communities. First of all, Indian wedding traditions are applicable to both Muslim and Hindu wedding traditions. Again, among the Hindus, there are several castes such as Punjabi, Guajarati, Bengali, and Marathi who have diverse wedding traditions.

Sweets, eggs and money are inextricably linked with the wedding themes of India as they respectively symbolize a sweet life, fertility and prosperity. Hindu wedding ceremony has the ritual of warding off the evil spirit from the new journey of life of the newly wed. After the wedding vows are exchanged, the family members of the bride and the groom showers flower petals to the newly wed.

An Indian groom often wears a turban on his head. Traditional Indian brides wear pink or red sari or lehenga on the day of wedding. They adore themselves with as much jewelry as possible. The custom of putting mehendi on hands and feet of the bride is also common to almost all the communities.

On the wedding reception, special wedding gifts are given to the couple by all the near and dear friends and relatives.

Irish Wedding Traditions

Irish wedding takes place in church and follow a very traditional pattern. The wedding couple walks to the church together before exchanging their wedding vows. As they walk down the main street to the chapel, the onlookers would throw rice to bless the marriage and also larger items such as pots and pans. An Irish bride's wedding ring is called Claddagh ring which is a heart held by two hands with the heart topped by a crown. The hands represent faith, the crown signifies honor and the heart signifies love.

The traditional Irish bride often wears a blue wedding dress rather than a white wedding dress. This is because blue symbolized purity in ancient times. It was only after 1499 that a white dress symbolized virginity and purity.

English lavender, which is an ancient symbol of love, devotion, loyalty and good luck, is often mixed with the bride's wedding flowers to ensure a happy and long lasting union.

Another Irish ritual for the bride is to braid her hair for her wedding day. Braided hair is an ancient symbol of feminine power and good luck. Another symbol of luck is to be married on the St. Patrick's Day, which is considered to be the luckiest wedding anniversary date in Ireland.

The Irish translation for honeymoon means the month of honey. Thus it was an Irish custom to spend a month together secluded from the family members.

Travour.com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of Ireland and around the world.

Italian Wedding Traditions

In Italy, engagement is held before the marriage and diamond engagement rings are mostly popular. The engagement is attended by the relatives of the bride and the groom.

It is customary for the Italian couple to walk to the wedding chapel together. The people around often place obstacles in the bride's path to see how she would react to domestic situations. Another popular custom is to tie a ribbon in front of the wedding chapel to symbolize the bond between the couple getting married. The actual marriage ceremony is regulated by a priest or a civil authority.

Italian folklore suggests that in order to ward off any evil spirit, the groom might carry a piece of iron in his pocket. The bride also wears a veil to cover her face from evil spirits.

In the wedding reception, the traditional Italian custom of 'buste' is common, i.e. the bride will carry a satin bag (la borsa) in which guests put envelops of money to defer the expenses of the customarily lavish Italian weddings. Sometimes the bag is guarded by the bride's grandmother. The bride also allows the male guests to put money into that bag in exchange for a dance with her. At the end of the reception, the bride and the groom usually break a glass and the number of pieces of the shattered glass symbolize the years the happy couples will share together.

The guests in the Italian weddings are usually treated with traditional gourmet Italian food. Sweet liquor and strong drinks are usually served. The guests may be served as many as 14 different courses with other beverages. After dinner, the customary multi-layered Italian wedding cake is served with espresso and coffee.

Jain Wedding Traditions

The Jain marriage is of utmost significance and is celebrated with lot of pomp and show. A Jain Pundit usually marks the ceremony, although in some cases, normal Brahmins are permitted to do the honors. Jain marital practices and rituals are described in the book Jain Vivaha Vidhi. For Jains marriage is a once in a lifetime occasion that has to be celebrated grandly.

Pre wedding rituals of Jains include the declaration ceremony wherein the couple's parents decide to marry them off. After this a formal gathering of relatives take place at the bride's house where prayers are offered to the God for couple's welfare.

The engagement ceremony is conducted at the groom's house where the groom flaunts in traditional Jain headgear; the couples seek the blessings of the elders and offer their prayers to the almighty for a happy married life ahead. The priest chants mantras and bless the couples.

After this engagement ceremony a day is fixed wherein heavenly goddesses are invoked by holy prayers and called upon to take up impermanent residence in the bride's home. This ensures the happiness and fertility of the couple.

Similar to this a puja is also offered at the groom's house wherein seven goddesses are called upon to take up temporary residence at the groom's house. This ritual is conducted to make sure the happiness, fertility and maintenance of family traditions for the couple.

Jain marriages are held at mandaps; a structure and an altar made for the sacred fire. At the day of the wedding the groom leaves for the bride's house on a horseback along with his relatives. Reaching the destination the bride's family welcomes the groom and his relatives and then the bride and the groom exchange garlands.

The groom first enters the mandap and sits on the left-hand chair. The bride then arrives often accompanied by her maternal uncle and sits on the other chair. A series of prayers and mantras are chanted by the priest for the protection and blessings of the gods. The parents of the bride give away their daughter officially to their son in laws hand. They bless the couple. The couples circle the fire four times and follow other necessary rituals. With the priest words and a series of mantras the wedding concludes. Jains unlike Hinduism does not believe in the concept of dowry and negotiation.

As in all marriages a reception party is held wherein all the guests are invited upon. The new bride arrives at her in laws place following this reception party. The Jains give away alms in Jain temples as a thanksgiving to God and pray for the newlyweds' couple's welfare.

Jewish Wedding Tradition

Traditional Jewish weddings begin with the couples signing the marriage contract called the Ketubah. Herein the couples pledge to each other legally for a long term support and commitment both financially and emotionally. This agreement also states the expectations and the duties of a married life. After this ceremony the groom lowers his bride's veil after looking at her and ensuring that he is about to marry the girl of his choice. For the marriage ceremony the rabbi or the priest, groom. Groomsmen and male guests wear a traditional white colored cap. In the Jewish tradition the wedding ring is just a simple band with no elaborations, no stones and nothing engraved.

In the day of the wedding both the parents of the bride and the groom escort them down the aisle. They march together forming a big procession of friends and relatives. The marriage ceremony is held under a specially built canopy which symbolizes God's attendance, safe haven and fortification.

After exchanging the wedding vows seven marriage blessings are read out to the couples by the rabbi or the priest. The couples exchange the wedding rings and circle together around the canopy. The couples are then offered a glass of wine to signify the fragility of human happiness, a characteristic of the Jewish history. It is also a traditional custom to leave alone the newlyweds immediately after the ceremony and give them an opportunity to thank each other.

Jewish traditional wedding celebrations are joyous celebrations with lot of traditional dance, music and songs. A lively entertaining Israeli dance called Hora is staged at the wedding reception. Here the groom and the bride are recognized to be the 'king and the queen of the night'.

Japanese Wedding Traditions

The main religion in Japan is Shinto which ideally means "the way of Kami or Gods". The religious traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies are performed in a Shinto shrine. Shinto wedding ceremonies are very personal attended by only family members and friends.

The bride flaunts a traditional white wedding kimono dress known as shiro- maku. Shiro means white and maku means pure. The bride's hair is made up in traditional Japanese hairstyle and adorns beautiful ornaments and accessories.

The groom gets decked up in a traditional montsuki kimono with a short overcoat flaunting the family crest along with pleated hakama pants.

Traditional Japanese weddings are conducted by a Shinto priest who first commences the ceremony wherein the couple is called for purification of mind body and soul. After purification ceremony the couples exchange marriage vows and share the wedding cake.

In all Japanese traditional weddings it is mandatory for every couple to drink nine cups of sake symbolizing the unification of the couple. Families and friends also drink sake to mark the bonding of the newlyweds and the two families as well. Traditional Japanese music consisting of flutes is performed by musicians at the wedding ceremonies.

After the marriage ceremony the couples join all the guests and friends at the large reception party for a grand treat. The bride changes into a red kimono and later flaunts western styled evening gowns.

Travour.com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of Japanese and around the world.

Korean Wedding Tradition

In ancient times Korean weddings were performed in the bride's yard or house. The groom arrived on a horseback to the bride's house and after successful completion of the marriage took his wife on a palanquin (cart) to his parents' house to live. The bride and groom flaunt court hanbok costumes for the wedding ceremony.

The bride's attire for the wedding includes a chogori (short jacket with long sleeves) with 2 long ribbons which are tied to form the otkorum. A chima, a full length, high waisted wrap around skirt is worn. Boat shaped shoes make of silk, are worn with white cotton socks. It also flaunts bright symbols and flowers.

The groom's attire for the wedding includes a jacket (chigori) and trousers (paji) and an overcoat (turumagi). The jacket has baggy sleeves; the trousers are sizeable and tied with straps at the ankles. A vest and a black hat can also be worn over the shirt.

Professional matchmakers harmonize the ideal candidates for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding! Both the family believes in consulting with fortune tellers for predictions about the couple's future life together.

Some of the customs of Korean wedding includes the use of hand lanterns. Hand lanterns are used for illuminating the way from the groom's home to the bride's home on the night before the wedding. Traditionally, the groom's family has to carry a wedding chest filled with gifts for the bride's family.

Wedding ducks are used as a symbol for a long and happy marriage. Today, many couples likes to have a small, intimate, traditional ceremony wearing traditional Korean attire followed by a formal 'Westernized' ceremony with tuxedo attire and white wedding gown.

Family surnames are considered to be a very powerful lineage in Korea. Women do not change their ancestral surnames after marriage.

Mexican Wedding Traditions

In Mexico the traditional marriage ceremonies are sponsored by couple's Godparents. Godparents are the benefactor for the couples. The mentors accompany the bride and the groom throughout their wedding their engagement and wedding. The Godparents or the padrinos gift the couple with a rosary and a Bible during their wedding ceremony.

To symbolize the bonding of the couple a white ribbon or rosary called a 'lasso' is wrapped around the necks of the couple as they exchange marriage vows. It is mandatory for every Korean groom to offer his bride a wedding present of thirteen gold coins to signify his long term commitment to support his new wife. These thirteen coins are later blessed by the priest during the marriage ceremony.

It is custom in Mexico to toss red beads at the newlyweds as they leave the church to bring good luck and prosperity in their married life.

A traditional Mexican reception is held wherein all the guests are invited upon for a grand feast and unlimited fun. All the guests join hands and form a heart shape around the couple as they begin their first dance. Salsa, merengue and the flamenco guitar music may add a Latin flare to the reception. This symbolizes happiness, love and warmth in their new wedded life.

The Mexican wedding cake is cut by the newlyweds and distributed among the guests. A paper mache container is suspended from the ceiling at Mexican traditional wedding celebrations. This usually shapes like an animal or can be of a heart shape. This container is stuffed with candies, chocolates and toffees. On breaking open the container the items are shared by the newlyweds and guests.

Muslim Wedding Traditions

Among the Muslims, the mangni or engagement ceremony takes place before marriage. The exchange of rings takes place and the outfit for the bride is provided by the groom's family. Two days before the wedding, the 'manjha' ceremony takes place where the bride is anointed with turmeric paste, sandalwood and chameli oil provided by the groom's family. Only unmarried women apply this to the bride. Henna is also put on the bride's hand and feet. After this ceremony the bride is not allowed to leave her house before the wedding takes place. The bride's clothes on the wedding day are also provided by the groom's family.

On the wedding day, a procession of friends and relatives follow the groom who rides on a horse or a car. The arrival of the groom is accompanied with beating of drums and playing of musical instruments. On the arrival, the groom and the bride's brother exchange a glass of sharbat. (Sweetened drink)

The men and women are seated in separate rooms or have a curtain to separate them. But this is not the case for all Muslim ceremonies. A compulsory amount of money is given by the groom's family to the bride's family known as 'meher' and the amount is decided by the elders of both the families. Before reading out a selected piece from the Koran, the priest will ask the bride if she is happy with the marriage and agrees her groom.

The groom is also asked the same. The marriage is then registered known as 'nikaahnama', first signed by the groom and then by two other witnesses. The groom is then taken to the women's section where he gives money and gifts to the sisters of the bride and takes the blessings of the elders. Then dinner is served separately to men and women.

After the first meal, the bride and the groom sit together and a long scarf is used to cover their heads as the priest reads out prayers. Then the holy Koran is kept between them and they are allowed to see each other through reflection by mirrors. The dried dates and sweet dishes are served to the guests. The groom spends a night separately at the bride's house with a younger brother and in the morning he is given clothes, gifts and money by the bride's parents. That afternoon the groom's relatives come to accompany the bridal couple to their home.

The farewell is given by the bride's father giving her hand to the groom asking him to protect her always.