Wedding Customs and Traditions

The joining of two lives in marriage is practiced around the globe and, while the style of clothing, the language spoken and the religious elements may vary, some wedding customs and traditions are widespread and embraced by many countries and cultures. Common traditions around the world include special clothing for the happy couple, good and bad luck superstitions, a gathering of friends and family, exchanging tokens of matrimony and symbolic gestures to show the world their commitment. Singing, dancing and rich foods are also common worldwide. Just take some time to explore all the similar wedding customs and traditions from all over, and you'll be surprised at how much these traditions share.

North America
In Canada, elements of French traditions remain in wedding customs. In Quebec, the custom of the wedding parade occurs when the bride, groom, friends and relations proceed to the church in cars. They honk horns and shout out the good news to pedestrians. After the ceremony and during the reception, the couple's unmarried siblings put on funny socks and perform a dance, and wedding guests throw money at them for the bride and groom.

In Mexico, it is customary for a bride and groom to exchange symbolic tokens. The groom can present thirteen gold coins to show that he will support his wife, while someone drapes a white ribbon around both their necks during the ceremony to show they are joined together. Guests and family form a circle around the couple when they enjoy their first dance as a married pair.

South America
Since so many countries make up South America, the wedding traditions are as diverse as the cultures. In Argentina, the mother of the groom and the father of the bride accompany the couple as they walk down the aisle together. Wedding rings are not exchanged at the ceremony; the couple exchanges rings during the engagement. In Chile, the wedding rings are also exchanged at the engagement, but they are placed on the right hands. After the wedding ceremony, the rings are worn on the left hands. Brazil is home to an intense cultural diversity that shows up in its wedding traditions. Part of the wedding ceremony in Brazil includes signing the marriage license. At the reception, the guests are given traditional cookies, known as "casadinhos" or "marry well" cookies.

Oceania
British-influenced weddings are generally the norm in Australia, with a white wedding dress, wedding cake, exchanging of rings and a fancy reception for friends and family. Many couples receive a Bible as a wedding gift, intended to become a family heirloom. Polynesians celebrate many weddings Western-style, but they incorporate unique island traditions. For example, in Tonga, a wedding can last for three days. Also, a special cloak is created and decorated with feathers. The husband and wife will wear the wedding cloak, or ta'ovala, on the first Sunday after their marriage. In Fiji, the groom prepares the lavish wedding feast, and everyone enjoys traditional music, dancing and kava, a drink made of crushed kava plant.

Africa
Each region of Africa has unique wedding customs. Some rural areas of Africa hold extensive wedding ceremonies and feasts. Other rural communities allow for multiple wives. In Sudan, a groom must pay the bride's family in sheep and cattle as a dowry. In Somalia, a man can marry multiple wives as long as he can support them. In South Africa, the bride's and groom's parents carry some embers from their own hearth to the couple's new home to start a new fire. Whether native or modern, elements of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and native traditions are frequently incorporated into African weddings.

Europe
Perhaps the most familiar traditions around the world-the white dress, the wedding cake, toasts and bouquets-come from England and France, due to the colonizing efforts of these nations. However, other European nations practice their own wedding traditions that give the special event a cultural flair. In Hungary, a bride will give the groom a wedding gift of handkerchiefs, while he gives her a bag of coins. In Scandinavia, a kransekage, or stacked rings of an almond pastry, serves as a wedding cake. Irish weddings feature a bride often wearing blue, considered a lucky color. In Italy, the couple walks together to the chapel to be married and the reception is a lavish affair, often with 14 different courses served.

Asia
While many religious groups are in India, Hindu wedding traditions may be the most prevalent. After the wedding vows have been spoken, family members shower the couple with flower petals. Lucky colors to wear on a wedding day are red and pink. Before the wedding, many Indian brides receive intricate henna designs on their hands and feet.

In China, red is a lucky color for the wedding, and gifts of money are common. During the ceremony, the bride and groom bow to all senior friends and family members to show respect. Firecrackers mark the end of the ceremony and the beginning of festivities. Japanese wedding traditions are now Western-oriented, but they retain Shinto traditions. For example, the bride wears a white kimono, and the groom wears black. They will also drink nine sips of sake to symbolize the bond they are making. The bride changes into a red kimono for the reception, and guests usually give money in ornate envelopes to the happy couple.