One wedding tradition — “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” — has made its mark on many American weddings. But what about a Claddagh ring, a sposalizio or an akad nikah? Weddings can be as diverse as the traditions present in them.
A Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish wedding ring, sposalizio is Italian for wedding ceremony and an akad nikah is a Malay marriage contract.
Marriages hold different levels of importance around the world, and in certain places the wedding is often a grand affair. For example, in Malaysia the bride and groom are treated like queen and king for that day, according to http://www.zawaj.com. Preparations for the wedding can begin as early as one year prior; the dowry has to be determined and the bride-to-be will undergo a henna application ceremony. The wedding also involves a huge, often noisy, feast for the guests.
Similarly, a traditional wedding in Germany can last up to three days: a civil ceremony on the first night, a wedding party on the second and a religious wedding ceremony on the third, according to http://www.world-wedding-traditions.net. At some point during the exchange of vows, when the bride and groom are on their knees, the groom might kneel on his future wife’s wedding gown to show who’s going to be “wearing the pants” in the relationship — when they stand up, the bride might step on the groom’s foot to show otherwise.
There are myriad cultural wedding customs, some of which may be extraordinarily romantic or downright exotic.
“For really traditional guys, they might propose by saying, ‘Would you like to be buried with my family?’” freshman Akiko Nakajima said about Japanese marriage customs.
Also, while the traditional color of a bridal gown in America is white, it is a Spanish custom to wear a black wedding dress made of silk, along with an elaborate black lace veil. A customary Northern Californian American Indian bridal gown may be woven in symbolic colors: black for north, blue for south, white for east and yellow or orange for west, according to http://www.weddingdetails.com.
According to http://www.World-wedding-traditions.net, a girl getting married in Switzerland wears a wreath or crown that represents her maidenhood. That same wreath is removed and burned after the wedding, and the bride is considered lucky if it burns quickly. In Cuba, wedding guests participate in a traditional money dance; every man who dances with the bride has to pin money to her dress, which is to help the newlyweds with their honeymoon costs. In a traditional Venezuelan wedding, families of both the bride and groom exchange 13 gold coins, or arras, for prosperity and good fortune.
World-wedding-traditions.net also states that at one time in the Philippines, where engagement customs and nuptials are important, a man had to throw a spear at the front of the house of the girl he wished to marry. That represents her unavailability to other men, and it was in that way that the engagement process began.
Weddings the world over are different, but the one thing all weddings share is the coming together of people to witness the commitment of two people to each other.