Weddings are those once in a lifetime events that have many traditions surrounding them, here are some that you might not know of:
The blackening of the bride is a Scottish tradition that involves coating the couple in layers of trash like rotten food, feathers and soot in order to test the strength of their love. If they can go through this, they can go through everything, but originally this tradition meant to ward off evil forces.
In some parts of India it is believed that women born in a certain astrological month are cursed and can't be married to a man. It can be dangerous to their partners longevity. To get rid of the curse they have to marry a banana tree and after that destroy it.
In Congo it's rude to laugh or even smile at your wedding. It is perceived as if you were not taking it seriously. On top of that, you aren't allowed to smile on the invitations.
The Russian newlyweds have to take a bite of a special bread before the end of the ceremony and the one to get a bigger bite becomes the head of the future house. The rest of the bread is shared among all the other guests.
In Niger, if a man is interested in a woman he has to sneak upon her in her home and tickle her ear. If he succeeds in that, they will be wed, but only during a full moon and the place is cleansed by a goat sacrifice.
Jumping the broom is a Ghanaian wedding tradition that involves sweeping the floor with a ceremonial broom and after that jumping over it. The sweeping symbolizes getting rid of past mishaps and wrongs.
In Korea, there is a tradition that a groom has to give a wedding goose to his mother-in-law. The person sculpting the geese has to be blessed with either being wealthy, having a good marriage or having lots of sons.
In Chinese weddings, you will usually find a woman in a sedan chair accompanying the bride that is known as the good lucky woman. To be a lucky one woman must have a good marriage or her family has to be healthy and get chosen by the family of the newlyweds.
German weddings have guests smashing plates to wish the couple good luck. Then they are tasked to clean up and the more shards of broken dishes they get, the luckier they are believed to be.
In Greece, there is a tradition to pretend to spit on the bride to ward off evil spirits. They also spit three times to give them good luck.
What about the countries YOU come from? Do you have some interesting wedding traditions? Feel free to comment under the Facebook or Instagram post!
Author: Filip Grosicki
