Wedding Traditions All Around The World

Every culture around the world has a history and set of values that guide society in the present. Traditions are the foundation in which a culture celebrates its life. The symbolism of these traditions may vary across cultures, but the thoughts and feelings behind them are much the same. 

Weddings are one of the ways that a culture can manifest and represent within history. By participating in ceremonies, rituals, and dances, couples are bound together in spirit and law. Celebrating the union of a couple, and cheering them on as they begin their new way of life is a fulfilling and enriching experience.

United States of America

In the United States, the bride wears a garter on her leg that the groom removes in front of everyone. He uses his mouth and no hands. He then tosses the garter into the crowd of unmarried men.

The man who catches the garter is the next in line to get married. For the females, the bride tosses her bouquet into the crowd of unmarried females. The female who catches the flowers is the next woman to marry.

Germany

Baumstamm sӓgen is the German tradition for newlyweds. This tradition involves a two-person saw and a log, decorated to incorporate the theme from the wedding.

The couple must saw through the wood together, symbolically proving to each other how hard they’re both willing to work for a happy life.

Canada

Canadians remember their popular tradition in the form of a rhyme. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Brides have gifted these items in the form of jewelry or shoes, from her family and close friends. She wears these items during the ceremony as they have individual symbolic meanings.

Something old brings the blessing of continuity; something new represents the new experiences the couple will endure; something borrowed symbolizes the happiness of those around them, and something blue represents purity and fidelity.

India

Brides in India spend hours with their female relatives getting decorated with mehndi. Mehndi is a form of body art created with henna. The bride’s relatives apply the mehndi, and the time spent together is valuable for bonding before the bride goes to live with her husband.

Henna has medicinal uses and is mixed with essential oils, which can provide calming properties to the bride during the stressful time of wedding planning.