5 strange marriage customs around the world

When you think about it, many wedding customs can seem unusual compared to regular everyday life. I mean when else do you think about wearing some old, new, borrowed or blue? But as strange as customs like that can seem, there are some really strange marriage customs around the world that top that by far. Here are five you won't believe.

 

1. India: Marrying a Tree

For instance, can you imagine a bride marrying a banana tree before she can marry the groom? You heard me right. Marrying a tree! For certain Indian brides, if you follow this marriage custom in India, you’ll realize eternal joy with your soul mate. 

 

Blackening the bride.

2. Scotland: Blackening of the bride (and groom)

This ones a Scottish wedding tradition that also involves a tree. Some just celebrate it by blackening the bride, but many these days have included the groom as friends and relatives “show affection” by dumping nasty, smelly things on them. This is done days or weeks before the actual wedding and can include things that would make me gag. We’re talking about spoiled food, curdled milk, even dead fish. Think of cleaning out all those fuzzy unrecognizable leftover experiments from your refrigerator pouring them into a bucket to turn into a slimy gruel, along with buckets of flour, dirt or whatever goo they feel like dumping over the bride (or couple) while paraded through the streets. It’s thought to ward off spirits and bring good luck. But that’s not all. Remember, the tree? Well the bride is taken out for a night of drinking and then tied to a tree. The idea behind this is that if the bride can handle this, she is ready to face any humiliation or problems marriage brings her way.

3. Germany: Piles of broken porcelain

How often do wives wish their husbands would help around the house more. In Germany, they have a tradition to help get the couple working together as they clean up piles of porcelain dishes their guests smash on the ground to ward off any evil spirits. The moral: if they work together, the couple can handle any challenge together.

 

Piles of broken porcelain dishes to clean up.

4. France: Chocolate, champagne and the toilet

This wedding-related custom takes place following the reception. The bride and groom get to eat chocolate and champagne! Doesn’t sound so bad, right? Except they have to drink and eat from a toilet bowl. Why? To give them strength for their wedding night.

5. Indonesia: Honeymoon - 3 days housebound with no toilet

This marriage custom relates to the honeymoon and makes a good strange marriage custom to end today’s blog. An Indonesian honeymoon custom keeps the newlyweds housebound for three days and nights. While that part isn’t so bad, the strange part is they cannot use the toilet all that time. They are allowed minimal food and drink and actually have someone watching over them! Why oh why would they do this? They believe it will provide a happy marriage full of healthy babies!

The thing that’s interesting with these strange marriage customs around the world are the superstitions attached to them. But really, the reasons many of our wedding traditions exist are superstitions. After all, wearing a wedding veil originated to hide the bride from evil spirits.

Photo credits: Mind Midst, pxhere.com

10 wedding traditions and superstitions for good luck

Threads of superstitions entwine many wedding traditions in America. Think about it. Why else do we say, the groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding, or why wear something old, something new, something borrowed,and something blue? Many wedding traditions are tied to good luck or avoiding bad luck. For instance, rain on your wedding day is thought to bring good luck.

Tony Curtis carries new bride Janet Leigh over the threshhold, 4 June 1951.

Why carry the bride over threshold?

Carrying the bride over the threshold is thought to bring luck to the newlywed's union, but it didn't start out that way. This tradition started in ancient Rome where the bride had to show she didn't want to leave her father's home, and so she was dragged across the threshold into the groom's home. This practice combined with the ancient belief that evil spirits hovered at the threshold to the new home waiting to curse the couple, started the practice of carrying the bride over the threshold. Why? So the spirits couldn't enter the bride body through the soles of her feet. It was a way to turn a "curse" into a "blessing" or bad luck into good. (Though it does leave one wondering whey they didn't worry about the spirits entering the groom).

Spider on your wedding dress? Don't freak out. It's good luck.

9 more wedding traditions for luck

1. Other superstitions thought to bring luck included the bride placing a cube of sugar in her glove on her wedding day to sweeten the union. (I wonder if eating sugar on your wedding day could work? I mean just eat some wedding cake, right?)
2. And if you see a spider on your wedding dress, celebrate! That's supposed to mean good luck! (Uh, yeah, good luck with that. If I see a spider it's never good. I'd rather go with the superstition that a lady bug brings good luck).
3. According to English tradition and lore, when it comes to luck the best day of the week to get married is Wednesday and the worst day is Saturday. (Maybe that explains the high divorce rate these days! Saturday is now the most popular day to tie the knot).
4. And on the gross side of traditions, the ancient Romans studied pig entrails to decide the luckiest time to marry.
   
5. Throwing oats, grains, dried corn, (for Czech newlyweds it was peas), and eventually why we throw rice or birdseed, was meant to shower the couple with good fortune, prosperity, and fertility.
6. Egyptian brides are pinched for good luck.
7. Middle Eastern brides paint their hands and feet with henna (a beautiful tradition) thought to protect from the evil eye.
8. A Swedish wedding tradition includes coins in shoes. The bride slips a silver coin from her father in one shoe and a gold coin from her mother in the other. This is to ensure she will never have to do without.
9. In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the home of the newly married couple as a symbol of luck and fertility.

Many of these wedding traditions are now practiced in America but most people have no clue why. Now you do. Do you have a wedding tradition you'd like to know more about? If so let me know.

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Photo credits: yehyehgrace , pexels, wikimedia