If we look into the traditions that govern our wedding ceremonies and our wedding receptions, they may all look strange to people from other cultures. Many of them, like the cutting of the wedding cake, for example, actually have a purpose behind it, even if it’s based on superstition or in ancient traditions. But some wedding traditions are so bizarre that it’s hard to tell if they are really supposed to mean something or if they were devised only for people to have an excuse to have some fun and do some wild stuff on the wedding day. We have made a rundown of the wedding traditions that we found to be the strangest:
1) Kidnapping the bride:
In some parts of Germany it’s tradition to kidnap the bride before the wedding takes place. She is taken from her home and hidden somewhere and the groom has to find her in order for the wedding to take place. This sounds like a strange occurrence, but once you read more into the tradition it starts to make more sense, at least in a way. You see, the search starts at a local pub and the groom will pay a drink to anyone who would like to join him in the search. And of course, the people who hide the bride will immediately volunteer to help find her. And this isn’t the only German wedding tradition that’s associated with drinking, as we will see.
2) Kössenbitter:
The bride’s cousin, wearing a tuxedo, will go around town delivering invitations to the wedding. Each person who gets an invite gives him two shots of schnapps, one for the bride and another for the groom. This means that a being the Kössenbitter is a great honor, it also means that the wedding invitations take a lot longer than normal to be delivered.
3) Breaking things:
You would think that a wedding would be a peaceful event. Well, not everywhere. In Germany, France, and in basically all of the Mediterranean countries there are parts of those countries where people will traditionally break plates and glasses before a wedding. This is supposed to symbolize an “out with the old” attitude, but it’s still very bizarre, as sometimes people will bring some of their own plates to break, which just doesn’t make sense. And to add to the general confusion, people will hit pots and pans to make noise, making it a very strange sight for outsiders.
4) Crying:
The act of crying at a wedding is normal. People will cry out of happiness for seeing the bride and groom tie the knot. People will cry at the simple fact of looking at the bride and finding her beautiful in her wedding gown. People will also cry at the fact that it’s not them at the altar. But in China they take this a step further. The Tujia people have an organized crying ritual that takes place before the wedding. One month before the couple ties the knot the bride cries for an hour. Ten days later, her mother joins her in her hour-long cry. Ten days after that, all her female relatives cry with her as well. Strange, but it’s thought to bring happiness to the couple, so it’s for a good cause.
About the author: This post was written by Holly Adams from Coupon Croc.
If you want to guest post on this blog, write us at contact[at]weddingcakesinspiration.com
1) Kidnapping the bride:
In some parts of Germany it’s tradition to kidnap the bride before the wedding takes place. She is taken from her home and hidden somewhere and the groom has to find her in order for the wedding to take place. This sounds like a strange occurrence, but once you read more into the tradition it starts to make more sense, at least in a way. You see, the search starts at a local pub and the groom will pay a drink to anyone who would like to join him in the search. And of course, the people who hide the bride will immediately volunteer to help find her. And this isn’t the only German wedding tradition that’s associated with drinking, as we will see.
2) Kössenbitter:
The bride’s cousin, wearing a tuxedo, will go around town delivering invitations to the wedding. Each person who gets an invite gives him two shots of schnapps, one for the bride and another for the groom. This means that a being the Kössenbitter is a great honor, it also means that the wedding invitations take a lot longer than normal to be delivered.
3) Breaking things:
You would think that a wedding would be a peaceful event. Well, not everywhere. In Germany, France, and in basically all of the Mediterranean countries there are parts of those countries where people will traditionally break plates and glasses before a wedding. This is supposed to symbolize an “out with the old” attitude, but it’s still very bizarre, as sometimes people will bring some of their own plates to break, which just doesn’t make sense. And to add to the general confusion, people will hit pots and pans to make noise, making it a very strange sight for outsiders.
4) Crying:
The act of crying at a wedding is normal. People will cry out of happiness for seeing the bride and groom tie the knot. People will cry at the simple fact of looking at the bride and finding her beautiful in her wedding gown. People will also cry at the fact that it’s not them at the altar. But in China they take this a step further. The Tujia people have an organized crying ritual that takes place before the wedding. One month before the couple ties the knot the bride cries for an hour. Ten days later, her mother joins her in her hour-long cry. Ten days after that, all her female relatives cry with her as well. Strange, but it’s thought to bring happiness to the couple, so it’s for a good cause.
About the author: This post was written by Holly Adams from Coupon Croc.
If you want to guest post on this blog, write us at contact[at]weddingcakesinspiration.com
