Wedding Traditions and Wedding Superstitions Around the World

Following wedding traditions and superstitions can connect a bride and groom to their culture. In addition to the typical wedding traditions of something old, something new, and wearing a white gown, each country and culture around the world has their own traditions, and even a few superstitions. Here are a few of the unique wedding traditions and superstitions celebrated around the world.

1. A French wedding custom is to have a glass of wine from two different vineyards and to pour the wine into a third glass and drink from it.

2. In China the wedding date is picked by an astrologer based on the birth dates of the wedding couple.

3. Chinese brides buy as many dresses as they can afford and change throughout the wedding to show the families prosperity.

4. At dawn the Chinese groom is forced to negotiate his way into the house with the bridesmaids giving him a hard time. He must present offerings deemed worthy of him to enter.

5. Chinese wedding guests may invade the wedding couple's rooms for three days making noise and taunting them until they are finally evicted by the couple.

6. In Mexico, the groom traditionally wears a guayabera, which is a light, short-sleeved shirt as a Latin symbol of masculine elegance. Some grooms wear a matador outfit.

7. The Mexican groom gives his bride 13 gold coins, called arras, representing Christ and his apostles.

8. In a Mexican wedding, the priest makes a large figure eight around the couple's hands with a lasso, rosary, or band of flowers to symbolize eternal unity.

9. Before an Indian wedding, the brides sisters hide the grooms shoes and return them for money.

10. When the Indian groom brings home his bride, his sister block the entrance and he must pay them too.

11. In India and a few other cultures, a beautiful pattern is applied to the brides hands, feet, and sometimes other parts of the body. The groom initials may be hidden in the patter which he must find or give a gift. This is an ice breaker in arranged marriages and promotes familiarity and bonding.

12. In Irish weddings, a magic handkerchief is used that can be transformed into a christening bonnet and back into a handkerchief with the addition or removal of a few stitches. This is passed from wedding to christening to wedding.

13. Make-up bells are chimed to keep evil spirits away from an Irish wedding and to restore harmony if a couple is fighting. The bell is now given as a wedding gift.

14. Irish brides carried real a horseshoes for good luck. It is more common now to use porcelain or cloth horseshoes.

15. Someone must throw an old shoe over the Irish bride's head for good luck.

16. Weddings in Italy were held on Sunday Morning as it was bad luck to get married or leave for the honeymoon on Friday or Tuesday.

17. Makeup is not won in Italy as the white gown and white veil that symbolize virginity are the main adornments.
18. Italian grooms carry a piece or iron to ward off evil spirits.

19. Italian couples shatter a glass or vase as hard as they can hopefully to pulverize it. The number of pieces they break it into represents the years they will stay happily married.

20. In many African Countries the bride spent a period of time in a 'fattening room' where she was well fed and coached on being a good wife. The goal was for her gain wait before the wedding. Fat women are much more desirable in Africa.