Whilst you are changing out of your luxury streetwear into your wedding finery why not indulge yourself in the weirdest wedding traditions to calm your nerves?
Kissing Tradition (Sweden)
During Swedish weddings, if the groom leaves the room all of the male guests that attended the wedding are allowed to kiss the bride. It doesn’t stop there either, if the bride leaves her chair all the female guests at the wedding are allowed to kiss the groom. Whilst this tradition may seem strange to those who are unfamiliar it is bound to create lasting memories and get people talking!
Stealing The Grooms Shoes (India)
In Indian weddings female relatives of the bride attempt to steal the groom’s shoes, if successful they are expected to hide the shoes; Setting the stage for a playful bargaining session between the bride and groom for the safe return of the shoes. This tradition adds extra fun to a day that can be stressful for both bride and groom.
Plate Smashing (Greece)
In Greek weddings, guests often purposely break dishes to ward off evil spirits. It is also believed that this practice provides good luck to both bride and groom. Once the wedding guests have run out of plates to smash the bride and groom start work on clearing up the broken pieces, which symbolizes the couple’s ability to handle life’s challenges. From an outsider’s perspective, this tradition could symbolize that the couple will always try their best to resolve any problems in their marriage and live happier lives.
Grooms Feet Beating (South Korea)
After South Korean wedding ceremonies there is a rather unique tradition that takes place called ‘balenbai’ or ‘grooms feet beating’ in English. Family and friends of the groom remove his shoes and socks and tie his legs together, then they proceed to playfully beat the soles of their feet with various objects at their disposal including sticks, rods or even dried fish!
The Bride And Groom Use Chainsaws During The Ceremony (Germany)
Dressed up in full wedding attire in front of all of their guests the bride and groom proceed to see a log in two, the log represents the first challenge the couple will have to face during their marriage, symbolizing the strength of the couple as they tackle challenges in their marriage in the future. Sometimes wedded couples use conventional saws, but couples are also known to break out the chainsaws!
Families Drink In Sync (Japan)
In Japan, the families of both bride and groom often take part in a historic tradition called san-san-kudo where the families drink in sync. To begin the bride and groom take 3 sips of their drink each, drinking from three flat sake cups; the parents of the bride and groom then take 3 sips each of their cups, this tradition is viewed as bonding the families together.
The Newlyweds Secretly Leave The Wedding Reception (Venezuela)
In Venezuela, it is tradition for the bride and groom to vanish from the wedding ceremony when it is time for them to retire for the night; when they leave they don’t go around saying their goodbyes, instead they try to leave undetected. It is believed that this wedding tradition brings good luck to both bride and groom.
Guests Are Given Special Stones To Hold (Australia)
At Australian weddings, guests are given stones to hold during the wedding ceremony. Once the wedding ceremony is over the guests then place these stones in a decorative bowl that the bride and groom show on display, this tradition pays respect to the the guests that attended the wedding.
Single Ladies Seek Love In The Cake (Peru)
In traditional Peruvian weddings, the cake has ribbons hanging out of the side. Each ribbon is attached to a charm within the cake. Each single lady takes turns to pull ribbons out of the cake, one of the ribbons is attached to a replica wedding ring and the woman who pulls out the replica wedding ring is then thought of as the next one to get married.
The Bride Practices A Crying Ritual (China)
This tradition dates back over two thousand years and began when the mother of a Zhao princess was overcome with emotion whilst her daughter was being married. Since then it has been a requirement in some parts of China for the bride to start practicing crying an hour a day in the month leading up to the wedding. After 10 days the bride is then joined by her mother who then does the same every day until the wedding. Ten days after the mother of the bride starts crying every day the grandmother of the bride joins in too!
Conclusion
Wedding ceremonies around the world are shaped by the individual customs and traditions of each country so it is only natural that some may seem strange to outsiders, but perfectly natural to those attending the wedding.
A beautiful ode to the journey of love! This blog encapsulates the essence of weddings with grace and brevity. The anecdotes and insights shared make it a delightful read for anyone swept up in the romance of wedding planning.