Wedding Traditions Around The World Part 1

Wedding ceremony is a ceremony where two persons pledge to one another to unify in marital bond. It brings along celebration, ceremony and some age old traditions that are required to perform at the day of the wedding. These traditions are more pure, auspicious and beautiful than the act of marriage. Wedding traditions differ from country to country. Each country or tribe and religion performs specific wedding rituals. Marriage is the most solemn and sacred pledge that we take in our lifetime. The wedding pledge is to be true, faithful and sacred to your spouse. There are few joys in life as deep, as pure and as long lasting that the joy that springs from the well of true love and lasting marriage.

There are many beautiful sweet ways to tie your knot and to follow the charming traditions is quite special and unique.

Different wedding traditions have different rules and customs which are mandatory to perform to make your wedding day successful and complete. The traditions performed add the beautiful and unique essence in your wedding day.

The very ring that couples exchange itself is a symbol of everlasting love and bondage.

The wedding cake or the wedding day food is a symbol of fertility. Wedding day or wedding ceremony marks the day with lot of music, song, dance and most importantly special delicious food.

The bride and the groom get decked up beautifully for their wedding day and flaunt special dresses and outfits meant for that particular day.

Today's couples often look to the past, in order to bring a traditional touch to their wedding celebrations. By showcasing wedding rituals and practices seen throughout the world, Travour.com hope to bring you encouragement and important information, so that you can celebrate your special day, in your own special traditional way.

Here are some Wedding Traditions performed around the world

American Wedding Traditions

An American wedding is a happy, joyous occasion involving a number of people. American wedding tradition is a happy time and celebration time as two newly weds unites together into a sacred bondage of love and life. Traditional American Wedding is about Bridal shower, Bridal Party, The veil, kissing the bride, the groom's cake and the honeymoon.

Initially Bridal Shower proposed to brace the friendships between the bride and her female friends. In the 1890s it evolved into an event for friends to present the bride-to-be with small gifts. The gifts were placed in a parasol, which was released above the brides head, allowing the gifts to "shower" down on her.

Again Bridal Party tradition commenced from the Anglo-Saxon custom of a groom using "Brides knights" to make certain that the bride head for the ceremony and then back to her husband's home without being attacked and the dowry stolen. Now bridal party is all about celebration and enjoyment.

Even today it is mandatory for every American bride to be to wear a Veil. Traditionally it meant that the broom didn't see the bride until the wedding ceremony. It was thought that if the broom had seen the bride before the ceremony was over and didn't like her, he might refuse to get married. So the veil was not lifted until after the ceremony and this is functional even today in modern American wedding.

Traditional American weddings are organized in a place of worship like in a church, where family and friends assemble. Here comes the best man, flower girls, exchanging vows and rings, and the wedding music. The wedding ceremony is conducted by the priest. He formally asks the invitees whether they have any objection for this marriage and getting the positive response from the invitees the priest asks the couple to exchange wedding rings and then the couple is marked as husband and wife. Traditionally the newlyweds kiss to seal their union; this is the concept of Kissing the bride.

The groom's Cake is cut post wedding a piece of the cake is distributed amongst each guest as a memento of the wedding. The belief goes that if a woman slept with a piece of the groom's cake under her pillow, she would dream about the man she would marry. Honeymoon meant the newly married couples to drinks a fermented wine made from mead and honey for a month (moon) following their wedding. Now its all about going for a month long vacation and spending time with each other.

As the couple leaves the church, they are showered with rice or wheat which is recognized as the symbols of fertility. Then the couple organizes a reception party where all family members and friends of two families dine, enjoy and makes merry. Another American Wedding tradition is to collect money in a wedding wheel for honeymoon from the guests. The guests form two lines, and they pay a dollar or more to dance with the newlyweds.

An American wedding does not follow any rigid customs; it is more of wedding of personal preference. It is mandatory to have a wedding certificate and everything else is up to the couples. The usual attire since ancient times is a white pretty gown for brides and black or blue suit for grooms, this tradition is followed religiously in America.

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

African Wedding Traditions

Africa is a home for diverse culture and customs. Marriages are very special occasions in Africa and are marked with elaborate ceremony and occasion. Young African girls are taught from very early age the necessity of having a family and the duties of a married woman. African Weddings are meant to be very colorful and lively.

One important tradition of African Wedding is to understand the importance of 'Family'. Here marriage unifies two families or two tribes into one particular family unit. Different parts of Africa follow different traditions. Some unique traditions of African Wedding can be seen in Ankole Wedding tradition, Pygmie wedding tradition, Nile Wedding tradition, Congo wedding tradition, and Zambian wedding traditions.

In Sudan and other parts of river Nile it is a ritual for a groom to pay his bride's family a herd of cattle or sheep for the loss of their daughter's labor in support of their family. In Somalia the girl gets engaged to a boy at a very early age and usually any man can marry up to four times if he is financially secure.

Bright festive color, songs, dance, music are common in any African wedding. Traditionally it is believed in Africa that a girl should be married off at a very early age as soon as she attains physical adulthood.

In many African countries girls are taught since childhood the secret code and language required to communicate with other married woman without revealing the fact in front of their husbands.

In Kenya it is a norm that after the "real" wedding the bride is shown in public, with a so-called, kupamba. This ceremony always takes place in the evening. It marks the passage for a young bride to enter in to a married woman's world.

In Egypt young girls are married off at an early age. Wedding ceremonies Are organized in front of a witness and brideprice is settled down. When everything is agreed upon the first chapter of Koran is read out.

On the day the wedding has been fixed for, the groom usually goes with some friends to the bride's home and pay some of the brideprice they have agreed on. The real wedding takes place in front of two witnesses who must be Muslims. The groom accepts the bride and promise to take care of her give her protection. A couple of days after the ceremony the groom welcome his bride to his home and all their friends and relatives are invited too to come and congratulate and bestow them with their blessings.

The old tribal traditions are fading and the tribes are more likely to live after the Western rules of society and are influenced by western culture and wedding style.

Now generally Africans follow western style wedding ceremonies and organize for a reception party where all family members and friends dance, sing, enjoy and makes merry.

Baltic Wedding Tradition

Geographically the countries which have access to Baltic sea are known as Baltic countries like Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Lithunasia, and Germany. Traditional Wedding traditions differ from one another. Some of the interesting Baltic wedding traditions are as follows.

Traditionally at most weddings around the world, it is a custom to determine the next bride but in Estonia it is mandatory to agree on the next groom as well. The groom is spin around blindfolded and gets surrounded by all single men, then he places his top hat on his chosen person and the lucky fellow is agreed upon to be married off.

Traditionally it is mandatory for every Latvian bride to wear her white wedding dress, and veil, until midnight. At the reception celebration the wedding veil is removed and passes it down to one of the younger sisters, who will presumably, marry next. Once it is done the bride flaunts a married woman's cap. It is also a custom to kidnap the Latvian bride at her wedding reception, and the groom has to pay a ransom by means of drinks or song to rescue her.

At Russian Wedding the traditional custom is that a close relative or friend will make a wedding toast to the bride and groom. The invitees present at the reception party throws their champagne glasses on the floor, it is considered to be a good omen if the glasses break off hitting the ground. The other custom marks that the bride and the groom are made to stand on a special carpet as they recite their marriage vows. Whoever reaches the carpet first will be regarded as the head of the household.

The traditional custom of Finland is that, the would be bride walks down with a pillowcase to receive her wedding gifts. An older married man accompanies her holding an umbrella or parasol to cover her. This symbolizes protection and shelter for the new bride.

In Finland traditional wedding the bride flaunts a traditional golden crown along with her wedding gown. The new bride is blindfolded and all the women dance around her. She is required to place the crown on any girl's head and the chosen girl is agreed upon to be married off next.

At some weddings, the bride's mother-in-law or god mother places a china plate on top of her as the newlyweds begin their wedding dance, As the plate falls, the broken pieces predict the number of children the couple can anticipate to have.

In Sweden the bride's parent follow a traditional custom of placing silver and gold coins on her shoes as she leaves for the church to take her marriage vows. The mother of the bride places a gold coin on her right shoe and the father of the bride places a silver coin on her left shoe.

As the new Swedish couple exchanges their marriage vows the new bride is required to wear three bands on her wedding finger, first one symbolizing her engagement ring, the second wedding ring and the third for motherhood.

Bengali Wedding Traditions

Bengalis are the sweetest people on earth. They love to celebrate any occasion elaborately and they never seem to be in hurry. Bengali Wedding traditions involve many pre- ritual occasion and post ritual occasion which makes their marriage ceremony last almost for a week. The love to cherish every moment and makes every moment unique.

Some pre marriage traditions of Bengali weddings are as follows

Ashirwad (Engagement)

This marks the confirmation of the marriage. It is conducted a couple of days before the marriage at the bride or groom's residence. The purohit (priest) brings an idol of Lord Narayan and the couple is offers their prayers.

The bride/groom must touch the feet of the elders at the end of the ceremony to take their blessings (ashirwad). The bride is presented with a sari, a ring and other ornaments

The groom is presented with a ring, gold buttons and watch at the ashirwad ceremony. They invite the Goddess Ganga to the wedding and bring back a pitcher of water from the pond to individually bathe the bride and the groom. At the wedding day the member of the individual family offers their prayer to the ancestors of the house which is known as Vridhi. The bride/ groom pray for their ancestors blessing.

Turmeric and oil is applied at the bride and groom's body by the elders of the family. After bathing, the bride and groom should wear a new set of clothes that have been presented to them by their in-laws. The worn clothes are later given away to a napti (barber). The bride must wear conch shells bangles dipped in turmeric water immediately after her bath.

Dressing up the bride is a ritual in itself. The bride adorns herself in all her bridal finery. She is covered with a veil and flaunts a mukut. The bride ge6ts decked up applying sandalwood paste design on her face.

The bride must sit with the gaach kouto and kaajal laata for the ceremonies that follow. The mandap or the place of the wedding is organized by bride's family. Two banana trees are planted at the mandap and a large alpana (design) is made with rice paste. The mandap is decorated for the wedding with flowers and lights.

The groom and his family members and friends appear at the bride's house to the ringing of bells, blowing of conch shells and ululation. The baran dala is generally held by the mother of the bride or any elder female relative of the bride's and the plate is first touched to the groom's forehead, then to ground, and back again to his forehead in a gesture of part blessing, part-reverence. Both, the mother of the bride and of the groom do not grace this ceremony with their presence. It is believed that this will protect the couple from the 'evil eye'.

The priest conducts the marriage ceremony and a male member of the bride's family is required to give away the bride to the groom. This particular occasion is called sampradhan. The priest chants mantras and the bride and the groom exchange garlands. The groom adorns the forehead of his bride with vermilion and the wedding ceremony is concluded.

Whole night of the wedding day songs, dance and music follow. The next morning the girl departs from her parental house and arrives at her in- laws place. That particular evening the bride and the groom are separated and do not see each other as they consider this to be a bad omen. The next day the reception ceremony is held at the groom's place where both the family members come and dine. The last of the wedding ceremonies is phool sajja this occasion sees the bride in a new sari and the groom in a new dhoti and kurta. Their nuptial bedroom is beautifully adorned with flowers.

Brazilian Wedding Traditions

Traditional Wedding celebrations in Brazil are among the grand and most expressive celebrations of the world. It marks for loud music, songs, samba dances, colorful dresses, delicious foods, legends, beliefs and most importantly traditions. The blend of Indigenous, Negro, and Caucasian races forms the Brazilian Nation, creating a passionate diversity in wedding traditions. The wedding tradition of Brazil portrays that a bride must be late by 10 minutes and should not reach before the groom. Pagoda a form of samba dance is often organized at Brazilian weddings. It involves a lot of music and beats.

The other custom is to write the name of Brazil cities on the dinner table other than numbering it. Another interesting custom of Brazil is that the groom has to tame an unbridled donkey to prove his worth as a responsible husband. This custom is known as Bumba- Meu- Boi. If he successfully manages to complete his task he his declared suitable to marry the daughter of the man who owned the donkey. This custom is followed only in some parts of Brazil.

Capirinha a famous Brazilian drink made of Cacasa are served at traditional Brazilian weddings. Groomsmen at Brazil usually carry or pinned with small Brazilian flags instead of flowers. Delicious Brazilian cookies named casadinhos are must in Brazilian weddings. It brings the true essence of wedding favor in Brazilian weddings.

The groom should carry his newly wed bride in his arms and enter the hotel or house room with his right foot first

In Brazil it is mandatory to sign a marriage license once you are married off. It is a custom in Brazil to give and receive gifts from parents at the time of wedding.

A prayer in Portuguese are said at the time of traditional Brazilian weddings. Brazilian song by Vinicius de Morais or the national anthem is sung to commemorate the auspicious occasion of marriage at Brazil. In traditional Brazilian weddings the groom cannot see the bride or her wedding gown before the wedding ceremony. He is allowed to see her as she arrives to attend the marriage ceremony. Otherwise it is considered to be a bad omen.

In Brazil the bride's maid and groomsmen are picked or chosen and are matched at the time of the ceremony. Usually three couples represent from each side.

In Brazil it is considered to be a bad omen if one drops their marriage ring or band at the time of the ceremony. If this happens it is believed that the marriage will not last long.

British Wedding Traditions

British weddings are very lovely and memorable due to their prolonged traditions which have come into being since very ancient times. The rituals of British wedding had been reformed at the time of the English Reformation when the church laws had to undergo a thorough change. After 1549, marriages were allowed to be held inside the church.

In the Church of England, the father of the bride gives his daughter to the groom in front of the priest. The priest then asks the crowd in the church as to whether they have any objections to the marriage. If there are any objections, the disapprovals are allowed to be voiced. The bride and the groom are also given a chance to re think. Then the couple promises to love, honor, protect and be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives.

The ceremony proceeds with the groom putting the wedding ring on the bride's wedding finger, which is the third finger of the left hand. The priest hen announces the marriage in the eyes of god. After this the groom is allowed to kiss the bride. As the groom makes the promise and gives the ring to the bride, he has to say -

'I give you this ring
as a sign of our marriage.
With my body I honor you,
all that I am I give you,
and all that I have I share with you,
within the love of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.'

The bride receives the ring and the minister declares them as husband and wife. If a couple decides to get married in a registry office they can do so. The ritual then becomes short and simple. The couple stands in front of a presiding registrar and then signs the register. There has to be at least two witnesses present.

Caribbean Wedding Traditions

The Caribbean wedding traditions are really interesting and exciting due to the fact that many Caribbean islands follow the wedding traditions of the Americans while the others create a peculiar blend of the African and European cultures which is typically Caribbean and could be found nowhere in the world.

The customs actually vary from island to island. But a common custom enables the bride and the groom to dress in their finest clothes. Then the bride and the groom head towards the church either from the bride's place or from the groom's place. Then the church bells ring in order to announce the wedding to the island. Usually the villagers line the street to view the bride and the groom walking to the church and it is compulsory for every onlooker to comment on the bride and the groom's clothes.

The guests are usually invited by the word of mouth, only in some exceptional honored cases, invitations are hand written. The bride's father or both the parents escort her to the aisle with her face covered by a veil. At the end of the ceremony, the groom lifts the veil and kisses his new bride, which is an amalgamation of catholic and African traditions.

The wedding reception goes on for the entire night with traditional steel drum island music, lots of sweets, wild dancing and many toasts to the health and happiness of the newly wed couple. The wedding gifts include traditional hand made quilts and home made furniture.

The food reflects the typical uniqueness of the islands including curried goat, spicy chicken jerky and fried plantains. An island wedding cake is unique in the world which is a traditional 'black cake' the recipe of which is handed down by the mother to the daughter for many generations.

Celtic Wedding Traditions

The Celts have their own peculiar wedding traditions. Celtic wedding traditions tend to follow the dictates of the church. The Celts follow a simple and natural ceremony called Handfasting. Handfasting is the act of the prospective bride and groom facing each other and joining right hand to right hand, left to left and being bound by a ceremonial rope. This "tying of the knot" signified the oneness and the unity of the couple. Handfasting ceremonies are organized to bless the union. The resident gods and goddesses of nearby rivers, lakes or holy wells are called upon to further sanctify the union.

Witnesses and guests are sometimes provided with small pebbles to cast into the water while wishing for the new couple. The resulting ripples from the pebbles, radiating out, were seen as completion and of the sending of good tides to the couple.

The use of veil to cover the bride is also an old tradition. Before she is veiled, the bride is of this world, in her maiden state. But as she is veiled she becomes an otherworldly creature, a goddess in her own right and she takes on the feminine powers to which she is entitled. As she is unveiled by her groom, she returns to this world, but she is changed, as one life falls away and another begins.

The Celtic wedding traditions, although simple but meaningful is the first step to a hopefully happy life.

Chinese Wedding Traditions

In Chinese customs, red is the central color of wedding. It is used in different ways as it signifies love, joy and prosperity. The bride's wedding gown is often red, the wedding invitations, gift boxes and envelopes are red and the bride and the groom's homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.

Before the wedding, the Chinese bride goes into seclusion along with her friends for a symbolic mourning for leaving her parental home. Before the wedding, the married couples from the groom's family visits the bride's place with gifts in red baskets and boxes. One of those baskets contains 'uang Susu' or milk honey. Three days before the wedding, the women from the bride's family bring return gifts to the groom's family.

It is mandatory for the couples to get married in the half hour of their wedding day rather than at the top of the hour, which denotes that the couples would begin their lives together on an upswing as the hands of the clock are moving up and not down.

On the wedding day, the groom arrives at the bride's place on his way to the chapel. The groom has to give gifts in cash wrapped in red tissue to the bride's friends for letting her go. The bride and the groom then leave for the chapel together.

The wedding ceremony is attended only by the couples' immediate relatives. Just after the wedding ceremony, the bride serves tea to her in laws as a formal tradition. The couple will then go to a professional studio to get wedding pictures. Then the elaborate reception will follow.

In the reception, a welcome speech is followed by a cake cutting ceremony. A Chinese wedding cake is with many layers, each signifying a ladder to success for the newly wed. So couples cut the cake from bottom.

Christian Wedding Traditions

Christian weddings are the most popular weddings known in the entire world. Usually Christians usually marry in a very traditional way and they do not prefer to experiment with their wedding traditions. Christian weddings are held in church. The bride usually wears the traditional white gown and the groom wears a black suit. The bride covers her head with a white veil and a crown or a bunch of white flowers. She also holds a flower bouquet in her hand.

The wedding ceremony involves the exchange of wedding bands and marriage vows taken by the couple. The wedding rings are blessed by the priest to instill to the couple, everlasting love and faith.

The ceremony comes to an end with the priest giving his final blessings to the couple. At the end the gathering in the church showers their blessings to the newly wed couple. Another formality involves the couple signing in front of the register.

The wedding ceremony is followed by the wedding reception. Usually snacks and meals are served at the wedding reception. Again the cake cutting ceremony takes place where the bride and the groom jointly cut the cake.

Dutch Wedding Tradition

Traditionally courtship and engagement varied from the origins of the couples. People in the north of Holland allowed their girls and her suitor a lot more freedom and liberty. Privacy is respected at north Holland. Parents at north Holland allows the suitor to spend some private moments or a night with their daughters so that the couple accepts each other whole heartedly and get to know each other better. In South Holland the scenario is different altogether. Here parents are very strict and do not allow such private intimate moments. The suitor in this case bribes the servant of the house in allowing them to see their beloved or leave a flower boutique at his beloved's doorstep to show his affection and love.

In Holland if the girl accepts a suitor's proposal traditionally it is believed that she will be required to smooth her hair and dress, and arrange her bonnet to make herself look pretty in front of him. If the girl refuses to marry him then she would stand by the fireplace and grab the poker which will signify that the suitor is not welcome.

Once the suitor is accepted in the family traditionally he is allowed to take her bride to be on Wednesdays and Sundays on a religious celebrations and festivals. Once the couple is formally engaged the parents of both side invite their relatives for a small dinner party and sign a contract before the notary.

The friends of the bride shower their gifts upon her. The day before the wedding a small party is set up at the bride's house and here the wedding banquet and wedding attire is fixed upon. The bride's house is painted green and would be scattered along the path to welcome the bride and the groom to the place of the venue.

The bride would traditionally receive a trousseau from her parents, while her future father-in-law would traditionally give her a 'chatelaine.' A chatelaine was a chain or rope, usually made of silver or leather, equipped with various articles that would of help to the bride-to-be, such as pair of scissors, a pincushion and a needle case, a small knife, and a mirror. The girl's would be husband often gave her a written declaration of love, such as a poem.

Traditionally young couples wrote their marriage banns on their own after taking consent from their parents.

On the wedding the bridesmaid welcomes the guests and makes necessary arrangements for them so that they are comfortable. They also decorate the groom's pipe an important family heirloom with garlands and ribbons.

The groom's cloth is usually passed down from generation to generation. The bride is required to flaunt a traditional wedding dress along with gloves, veil and fans.

Traditionally, the marriage ceremony was organized in public. It commences with a reading from the scriptures, followed by the singing of psalms. The bridal party enters the church, followed by the bride, the groom, and their parents. The pastor is the last person to enter. Marriage vows would be read, an oath would be taken, and after the singing of psalms, money would is usually be collected for the poor.

After the wedding everyone proceeds to the bride's house for a grand feast. Guests are thanked for their presence and their gifts. Usually a silver bowl filled with brandy and raisins are passed down to the guests.

After the wedding, the bride and groom are required to plant lilies-of-the-valley around their house to symbolize 'the return of happiness.' This custom meant that the couple's love is renewed with each blooming season.