Introducing the bizarre wedding practices and rituals across the globe.
Marriages are made in heaven but performed on earth. While marriage ceremonies are full of fun and festivity there are various surprising customs and marriage rituals followed across the globe. Here is a list of the most bizarre and strange wedding rituals you would ever come across the globe.
Blackening the Bride in Scotland:
The Wedding Day is considered as the most memorable day in any one's life. Brides spend a lot of time to look beautiful on their big day. Not so much in Scotland though, where a strange tradition means friends throw foul smelling trash including spoiled food, eggs, dead fish, milk and feathers after tying the bride to a tree. The belief behind the strange tradition is that a person who can go through such humiliation before marriage can virtually go through the tough grind of post marital life. That's some humiliating preparation they have in Scotland.
Unique Bridal Dance in Ireland:
A strange wedding dance tradition in Irish weddings mean the dancing bride cannot lift her feet off the dance floor. The Irish believe that evil fairies will sweep the bride off like all other beautiful things if she lifts her feet of the dancing floor. If however the bride is touching the ground, she is safe and hence the popular custom
Smiling Not Allowed in Congo:
Wedding ceremony is considered to be a serious business affair in Congo. The bride and the groom are not allowed to smile throughout their wedding ceremony. Friends and relatives usually hire comedians to make them laugh and spoil their efforts to keep a stiff upper lip.
French Charivari:
Charivari is a popular custom followed in French marriages from the early 19th century. The friends and relatives of the newlywed couple gather outside their homes and continue to make loud unbearable noises to spoil the couple's intimate moments. Friends use pots, kettles, loud singing and virtually anything they can get their hands on to make brash noises to disturb the newlyweds. The newlyweds are then forced to come out and share some food and drinks with their friends and enjoy some banter before everyone retires for the night.
Fat is Beautiful in Mauritania:
A strange custom in Mauritania links the size of the bride to the groom's social status. The healthier and fat the bride is, the better the more fortunate is she considered. In order to prepare for the d-day girls are sent to fat farmers where they are force fed to attain a massive size before their weddings. While the government has banned force feeding, the ritual is still prevalent in the remote interiors.
No Washroom for Newly Married in Malaysia:
Weddings in Malaysia especially those of the Tidong community do not allow the newlywed couple to use the washroom for three days and three nights after the wedding. The belief behind the custom is that using washroom can bring bad luck for the couple, their children and future life together. Family members keep a the groom tie a rope around his ankles after the weddings ceremony and beat his feet with fish. Sometimes dried yellow corvina is also used to beat the soles of the groom in the ritual. The belief behind this custom is that such a beating makes the groom ready for the first night of marriage.
Polterabendor Smashing of Dishes:
Polterabend is a ritual followed in German weddings where cacophonous sounds are made by the guests and the couple by breaking cookery and glasses.watch on the couple so that they do not sneak inside the bathroom. The couple are starved and given little water for those three days to avoid any significant bowel movement.
Dancing with the Bride in Polish Weddings:
In Polish weddings, guests can dance with the bride only after placing money in the lap of the bride's father. The bride's By breaking the dishes, the custom suggests that the couples are preparing themselves for any post marital obstacles and issues they may encounter in the 1 future.
Groom Breaking Glass at Jewish Wedding:
The end of the Jewish wedding ceremony is marked by the breaking of a wine glass by the groom who steps over it with his right foot. A thin glass wrapped in a napkin will be kept apart for this. As the groom breaks the glass, the guests father usually sits or stands with an apron in his lap collecting money from guests who take turns to dance with the bride. The groom then throws his wallet in the apron signifying superior contribution and whisks away the bride on the marital journey.
Balaka Beating in South Korea:
Balaka beating custom is followed in South Korean weddings. The friends of shout "Mazel tov!” (“Congratulations”). Though the origin of this custom is not known, there are various stories about this tradition. Some say that despite all joy, Jews still mourn on the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, while some others say that joy must always be tempered.
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