AWedding Customs from Around World.doc FInal

Miscellaneous
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Catherine"Kentridge"
A"SAMPLE"OF"WEDDING"CUSTOMS"
FROM"AROUND"THE"WORLD"
From
Custom
Wedding 416
Ceremonies
Wedding
Ceremonies
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From Custom Wedding Ceremonies
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A SAMPLE OF WEDDING CUSTOMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Sometimes it’s fun to look at how other cultures and religions celebrate weddings and then
incorporate some of those ideas into your own wedding. Doing so certainly makes for a
unique and memorable ceremony.
The traditions range from the food you eat during or immediately after the ceremony to
the colour and style of the clothes you wear to the gifts you or your guests give to one
another. Most customs are connected to wealth, happiness, and fertility. And of course,
many of the ceremonial flourishes symbolize unity, such as the unity candle, sipping wine
from the same cup, being tied to each other with ribbons, and hand fasting. And there are
all sorts of ingenious, imaginative, decorative, and sometimes noisy ways, to bring good
fortune to the bridal couple and to ward off evil spirits.
Here are some examples:
Feeling energetic? Then why not Jump the Broom? That’s how African Americans marked the
occasion when they were not legally allowed to marry. They simply jumped into matrimony. The broom
symbolizes the start of homemaking for the newlywed couple.
An African tradition is to decorate jewelry, headpieces, and even clothing, with cowrie shells to
bless your marriage with fertility.
In South Africa, ceremonies may include the 12 symbols of vital importance to African life. These
are: wine, wheat, pepper, salt, bitter herbs, water, a pot and spoon, honey, a spear, a shield, and a
copy of the Bible or Koran.
Armenia: Brides traditionally wear red silk gowns and cardboard head-dresses shaped into wings
covered with feathers.
In some countries, trees and plants are fertility symbols.
In Bermuda, Islanders decorate their wedding cakes with a tiny sapling. The newlyweds then plant
the tree in their garden at home, where they can watch it grow along with their marriage.
TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
From Custom Wedding Ceremonies
In Norway, two small fir trees are planted on either side of the door to the couple's house to
ensure they are blessed with a child. There is a similar tradition in Holland.
And in England, some guests give the couple a young rose bush to plant, its growth symbolizing
the growth of the marriage, its blossoms the happiness, and the thorns the challenges of
married life.
Czech Republic: Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice, confetti
or flower petals.
China: Chinese brides traditionally wear red, the colour of joy. The gowns are embroidered
with phoenixes, chrysanthemums and peonies, symbols of wealth and good fortune. Red is also
usually the colour theme for the wedding, from candles, to gift boxes to the money envelopes
presented to the couple. After the ceremony, the bride and groom drink wine and honey from
glasses that are tied together with red string.
Egypt: Here’s one you may want to know about, so you can avoid it! Egyptian women pinch the
bride on her wedding day for good luck. But anyone would love the other tradition—the bride's
family does all the cooking for a week after the wedding, so the newlyweds don’t have to get
down to domestic chores right away.
England: Some English traditions and superstitions are rather unusual. Here’s one that is
definitely not for anyone who’s scared of spiders: The English believe that a spider found in
the wedding dress brings good luck. You may prefer to ensure good luck by doing as royal
brides do – sewing a good luck charm, such as a horseshoe, into the hem of your wedding dress.
Wednesday is believed to be the best day to marry; Monday is for wealth and Tuesday for
health. Strangely enough, Saturday is considered the unluckiest day to marry, but is also the
most popular day for weddings! They also believe that a rainy wedding day means a happy
marriage – but that may just be to cheer the bride and groom and to make the best of the
rainy weather in England!
Fiji: To prove that he is worthy of his bride, the groom ceremoniously presents her father
with a tabua, a whale's tooth, as a symbol of status and wealth.
In some countries, the bride throws her bouquet over her shoulder after the ceremony. The
lucky person who catches it will be the next to get married. But in Finland, they have a
variation on this. Brides wear golden crowns. After the wedding, the single guests form a circle
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TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
From Custom Wedding Ceremonies
and dance around the bride, who is blindfolded. They wait for her to place her crown on one of
their heads, because tradition holds that whomever she crowns will be the next to wed.
France: During the ceremony, the wedding couple drinks from the coupe de marriage (wedding
cup). In many French families, this special cup is an heirloom passed from generation to
generation.
Germany: Here’s a fun and fine example of gender equality: At the ceremony, when the couple
kneels, the groom may put his knee on the bride's hem as a sign that he plans to "keep her in
line." The bride, in turn, may step on his foot as she rises, as a sign that she is reasserting
herself!
Greece: Brides and grooms wear crowns. The crowns generally are white or gold, or made of longlasting flowers such as orange blossoms, or of "twigs of love and vine" wrapped in silver and gold
paper. During the ceremony, the crowns are attached by ribbons to symbolize the ties between a
husband and wife. To ensure a sweet life, the bride may carry a lump of sugar in her glove. At
the altar, Greek couples sip wine three times to symbolize the Trinity. In both Greece and
Germany, the bride and groom may greet one another with candles decorated with flowers and
ribbons. The candles symbolize love and delight and the way in which the couple will bring light to
each other’s lives.
Holland: The bride and groom sit on thrones beneath a canopy of fragrant evergreens. Each
guest comes up to offer good wishes. Dutch wedding meals traditionally include a sweetmeat
called "bridal sugar" and a spiced wine called "bride's tears."
India: The day before the wedding, the bride ‘s hands and feet are stained with henna in
beautiful paisley or medallion patterns. And on the day itself, you can’t take a chance on evil
spirits spoiling the lives and happiness of the bride and groom. So at the close of the wedding
ceremony, the groom's brother sprinkles flower petals on the bridal couple to ward off evil
spirits. And as the couple is circled three times, a coconut may be held over their heads as an
extra precaution.
Iran: During the ceremony, a happily married woman holds a transparent veil over the heads of
the couple. After the vows, she removes the veil and crumbles sugar cones over their heads for
good luck.
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TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
From Custom Wedding Ceremonies
Ireland: Irish brides wear a Claddagh, a special wedding ring. It is decorated with a heart held
by two hands topped by a crown. These symbolize faith, honour, and love. And traditional Irish
brides wear blue rather than white—blue is an ancient symbol of purity. The bride’s bouquet has
sprigs of English lavender intertwined in it. The lavender is a symbol of love, loyalty, devotion
and luck. And the luckiest day to be married is St. Patrick’s Day. The bride and groom are
presented with a lucky horseshoe to hang in their home.
Israel: The tradition of the bride wearing “something blue” originated in Israel in ancient times.
The blue ribbon symbolized faithfulness.
Italy: Ribbons symbolize the tying together of two lives, so a ribbon is tied across the front of
the church door, or wherever the ceremony is taking place, to symbolize the wedding bond. The
groom carries a piece of iron in his pocket to ward off evil spirits. Guests toss confetti (sugared
almonds) at the newlyweds. The sugared almonds may also be used for decoration at each place
setting. The candies symbolize both the sweet (sugar) and bitter that life may offer.
Japan: Purple is the colour of love. Brides often wear silk kimonos embroidered with purple
flowers.
Korea: Ducks or geese, which mate for life, are a part of the wedding procession, representing
faithfulness. And forget traditional western white for the bride. Korean brides wear bright
hues of red and yellow to take their vows.
Malaysia: The groom sends costumed children to his bride’s home. They bring her trays of food
and paper currency in origami shapes of flowers and cranes. Traditionally, each wedding guest is
given a beautifully decorated hard-boiled egg, a symbol of fertility.
Norway: The traditional Norwegian folk costume, which is often worn at weddings by wedding
party and guests alike, is the bunad. This costume consists of a white blouse, coloured wool skirt
or trousers, and vest. Everything is elaborately embroidered. Sterling silver jewelry and a gold
and silver crown adorned with small silver spoon-shaped bangles complete the costume for the
bride and groom. The sound of the clinking spoons wards off evil spirits.
Philippines: Coins, Veil and the Lasso are traditions associated with Hispanic and Filipino
weddings. The coin bearer may be a member of the bridal party attendants or another person
whom the couple wishes to honour. After the exchange of rings, the coin bearer gives the coins
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TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
From Custom Wedding Ceremonies
to the groom. He presents the coins to his bride. The bride then gives them to her Maid of
Honour. This ritual marks the groom’s acceptance of his responsibility to provide for his bride.
The Filipino custom is for the bride and her wedding party to dress in the same colour. This is
to confuse any evil spirits that may be lurking, so they cannot pick out the bride and steal her
away before the ceremony.
The Veil and the Lasso are incorporated into a special wedding prayer. Designated members of
the wedding party are in charge of "lassoing" the bride and groom. This binding of the couple
takes place while they kneel for the wedding prayer, during the ceremony. A white satin cord
circle is subsequently draped around their heads and shoulders.
Once the couple has been "lassoed," a Veil is placed over their shoulders. The Veil symbolically
unites the couple, who remain kneeling for the prayer. When the kneeling prayer is over, the
attendants remove the Lasso and the Veil.
Russia: You’ve got to be wealthy if you want to incorporate this Russian tradition into your
wedding. Contrary to most western wedding customs, instead of the guests bringing gifts to the
new bride and groom, at a Russian wedding the newlyweds provide a gift to each guest, as an
expression of gratitude. The bride and groom are given bread and salt, symbolizing health,
prosperity and long life.
Scotland: The bride wears a white gown and the groom is resplendent in a kilt, black velvet
jacket with silver buttons, a sporran, a dirk, and diced hose (knee-high chequered socks). After
the vows, he pins a strip of tartan to the bride’s gown to show that she is now a member of his
clan.
Spain: The groom presents 13 coins to the bride, as a symbol of his ability to support and care
for her. This custom is called the giving of monedas or arras. During the ceremony, the bride
may carry the coins in a special purse, or a young girl carries them on a pillow or in a
handkerchief.
Sweden: You need to wear closed shoes or, at the very least, stockings, not bare feet, if you
want to incorporate this custom. The mother of a Swedish bride gives her a gold coin to put in
her right shoe, and the father gives her a silver coin for her left shoe These coins ensure she
will never be poor.
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TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
From Custom Wedding Ceremonies
Turkey: Brides traditionally wear a beautifully embroidered silk dress and a cape.
Ukraine: After the ceremony, the bride or the groom’s mother cuts a special round cake or
loaf called a Koraval, and offers the newlyweds and each guest a slice of cake and a little salt
to symbolize that the bride and groom will never be hungry. The Koraval is decorated with
symbols representing the eternal union of the bride and groom.
Bread and salt are also a tradition in Jewish weddings, to symbolize that the bride and groom
will never go hungry.
Venezuela: While it is a Spanish custom for the groom to give his bride 13 coins, in Venezuela,
it is the families of the bride and groom who exchange 13 coins to symbolize prosperity and
good fortune.
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