Marriage Traditions Around the World

Couples these days tend to look for new ideas for their weddings, something to make them stand out. At one point, simply writing your own vows was enough, but now guests have become immune to the novelty and it is time to look for new marriage ideas. One of the best ways to add interest to a wedding is to incorporate marriage traditions from other parts of the world. Here are a few to get you started.

Marriage is celebrated in Holland and Switzerland by planting a pine tree outside of the house where the newlyweds plan to live. The pine tree is a sign of luck and fertility in these countries and is considered to be a very good way to start a marriage off properly.

The tree as a symbol in weddings has been used all over the world. In the Czech Republic, a tree is secretly planted in the back yard of the bride and dressed up in wedding day glamour. Supposedly, the bride will live as long as the tree is alive. Yet another tree tradition includes placing a baby cedar tree atop the wedding cake in Bermuda. After the marriage has been finalized, the tree is planted and it will grow with the love of the couple.

In Italy, guests pay big money for little bits of the groom's cut up tie. The money that comes from the pieces of his tie is then put toward the honeymoon expenses. Other methods of paying for the honeymoon include paid dances with the bride in Poland and Cuba and tossing coins in several other countries.

Symbolic methods of showing the union between two people abound all over the world. In African marriage tradition, for example, the couple is literally tied together (tying the knot) at the wrists, while American Indians symbolize the joining together of male and female by eating a dish of cornmeal together, where white cornmeal symbolizes male and the yellow is female.

The French drink from a special dual handled cup to portray this union, while Moravian custom calls for the bride and groom to light a single candle together. In other cultures, a veil is spread over the heads of both bride and groom symbolizing their togetherness.

Wedding attire is very different in different countries. In the Western world and many European countries, a white wedding dress is a marriage tradition, symbolizing purity. However, in Asian countries, such as China, red is considered to be a lucky color and the bride and groom are often dressed in this color, considered to bless their marriage. Native Americans use various colors in their wedding dresses to mean various elements, such as the sky, water and earth.

It can be fascinating for both guests and the couple whose marriage it is to incorporate traditions from around the world. If you each research your ethnic background, you could also add in traditions from your original countries, adding even more meaning to the wedding ceremony for all involved.