Ever heard of weird, unusual wedding traditions right from marrying a tree to chopping off the bride’s hair, from not using the washroom for 3 days to loads more, Booxoul here has a field day mulling over all the unusual wedding traditions around the world
Weddings which are a celebration showing the communion of love between 2 people are a day of primal importance for the couple getting hitched as well as their friends and family alike. This being a universal thing, different castes around the world follow different traditions and rituals to seal this day in their unique and special manner. While many of these traditions are conventional and formal, there are several which are funny, queer, and even mockery. Having been around for hundreds of years to even more, Booxoul today is here with a list of some of the most unusual wedding traditions around the world, celebrated to bring luck, love or good fortune to couples around the world.
Presenting some of the most unusual wedding traditions around the world:
Barter (Congo, SA):
Imagine if the bride is sold in exchange for livestock! Congolese nuptials have a ritual where the families of the bride and the groom negotiate the “price” for the bride, in exchange for livestock. Hmm, a pretty “serious” nuptial agreement if you ask me. Imagine being “transacted” off like some piece of …um …huh!
The Human Rug, France:
A rather odd one, in French Polynesia they have a custom where at the end of the wedding all the bride’s relatives lie face down on the ground in a single line, whilst the couple walks over them as if on a rug. Uff, painful one, eh!
Burying Bourbon, USA:
In some Us states, the couple buries a bottle of bourbon upside down at the place the wedding would be held exactly a month before their wedding day. This is done in superstition to keep rains away on D-day. On the day of the wedding, the duo then dig out the same, whilst splitting and sharing its contents with their family and friends amidst the celebrations. Wow!
Shoe Steal, India:
Oh yes, My country has one of the most fun traditions attached to weddings ever. Before the groom gets onto the puja for the pheras and the Vedi, he always removes his shoes keeping them in a corner. These are presumably “stolen” by the bride’s family and also wait for this, have to be “protected” by the groom’s side. If the Bride’s side is successful they can demand a ransom from the groom. Pre-nuptial extortion, hehe!
Smashing Dishes, Germany:
Ok, this one is a favourite. Here, all of the couple’s friends get together, smashing porcelain ware to the ground. The couple then has to clean it up together as a symbol of always working against all odds together after marriage too. Hah, tidiness at its savage, trolling best!
The ‘fatter, the better, Mauritius:
Ok, I am sure you know that all around the world brides to be go on super diets, trying to lose excess weight. Well, not so in the case of Mauritius where brides are actually sent to fat camps where they are force-fed so as to gain weight. The chubbier the wife, the better as it denotes better wealth too. Wohooo, eat away then my sweet lady!
Rat’s tail, China:
An extreme one, involves the bride chopping off all her hair just leaving a rat’s tail hairdo. They apparently consider cutting it all off as a sign of cleanliness and beauty. Hmm, can’t do without lovely hair though, can we?
Bride Blackening, Scotland:
Here, the friends and family of the bride tie her up and cover her in every possible gross thing they can find including food items such as flour, minced meat, fish, ughhh etc. they then send her for a night out with her friends. It is said that if she can handle this she can handle any of the humiliations she could face while and after being wed. Hmm, yuck!
Bathroom Ban, Malaysia:
A tradition where the bride and the groom must neither leave their home nor use the bathroom for three straight days after the ceremony. Being given small amounts of food and drinks to survive in this period, this one is followed pretty religiously with bad luck being touted to be in store should you unfollow it. Hmm, that sounds like a lot of “pressure”.
Money Dance, Cuba:
Every man who dances with the bride must pin some money to her dress to help finance the couple for the wedding as well as the honeymoon expenditures. Some cool money investment planning huh!
Toilet breathe, France:
Possibly one of the grossest ones, on the day of the wedding the guests have to fill a toilet bowl with leftovers of foods, mixing them with alcohol and anything they please. This is then served to the couple and they are expected to finish the same obligatorily, as a symbol of strength for the so-called” heavily taxing” wedding night which lies ahead. Umm, thank you but no thanks yeah!
Related: Upcoming Wedding Season Ideas, Planning and Inspiration
So, hope you enjoyed reading these unusual wedding traditions as much as we enjoyed getting them for you. Stay tuned with us at Booxoul, India’s best lifestyle and review blog for the latest and the best in the field of entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, wedding, food, fashion, finance, tech and gadgets as well as all things bookish.
Till then keep reading and voila do I hear someone’s wedding bells toll? Time for some fun you peeps!!
Enjoy Amigos!
An internationally accredited book blogger, voracious reader and the founder of Booxoul, one of India’s leading book and lifestyle blogs, Neelam is a person with a penchant for bringing out the best in people. A website designer, a renowned book blogger and a leading creative influencer on Instagram, here is a lady who is candid, closer to life and sensitive to the softest of emotions…
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I witness weddings In India, weddings are often extravagant and multi-day affairs, with intricate mehndi (henna) designs on the bride’s hands and feet, vibrant clothing, and a ceremonial fire called the “sacred fire” as a central element in Hindu weddings.