Wedding may be a universal celebration, but for some, it’s an unbelievable crazy adventure. It can be gross, confusing, or terrifying. Imagine shooting the bride or marrying a banana tree. How’s that for a wedding?
1. Blackening the Bride: Scotland
To celebrate the happiest day in a woman’s life, friends and relatives of the bride will show affection by putting every nasty things you can imagine like curdled milk, dead fish, spoiled food, tar, sauces, mud, flour, sausages into a bucket and throwing it over her. She is then tied to a tree and after taken for a night of drinking. The belief is that if you can handle this you can handle anything, including marriage. In short blackening the bride is to prepare her for any humiliation or problems she’ll come across during her marriage.
2. Preplanned Crying: China
For many brides, wedding day preparation can be emotionally draining, but brides and females of the Tujia people in China take matters to a whole new level. Starting one whole month in advance the bride starts to cry for 1 hour every day. Ten days into the ordeal the mom joins the picture, and then ten days after that, her grandmother. By the end of the month every female in the family is crying alongside the bride. This is thought to be an expression of joy as the women cry in different tones.
3. Marrying a Tree: India
In parts of India women born as Mangliks (an astrological combination when Mars and Saturn are both under the 7th house), are apparently “cursed” and thought to be likely to cause their husband an early death. In order ward of this curse, they must first be married to a tree and the tree cut down to break the curse. Poor Tree!!!
4. Beating the groom’s feet: Korea
Korean tradition dictates that the groom has his feet beaten with fish or a cane before his first night as a married man. It can be painful but it’s over quickly and more fun than cruel. This is supposed to make sure the groom doesn’t disappoint on his wedding night.
5. Chick Liver Tradition: Inner Mongolia, China
To select the wedding date the bride and groom are required to take the life of a baby chick while holding the knife together. The date is then divined by the good appearance of the chick’s liver. If the liver has an unfortunate appearance, they must keep killing chicks until they find a satisfactory one.
6. Avoid using toilet paper, go green: Indonesia
It’s not just the wedding day that has some strange customs; Indonesian honeymooners are housebound for three days and nights following the wedding while not using the toilet. The couple is watched over and is allowed minimal amounts of food and drink. This honeymoon house arrest is believed to produce a happy marriage full of healthy babies. (Okay, an Indonesian wedding is officially out for me).
7. Traditional Shoe thieves: India
In parts of India the groom is required to take off his shoes before approaching the wedding altar. As soon as he does this mayhem ensues. This is a sign for battle to begin. Everyone from the groom’s side of the family is expected to protect the shoe as the bride’s family tries to steal it. If the bride’s family succeeds in their endeavor, then the groom ultimately has to pay a ransom to get them back. If you want to imagine the scene, think of a rugby match with 300 people on each team.
8. Cross-dressing: Russia
This tradition is based on the dowry system. Before the wedding the groom’s family will visit the bride’s family. After paying a dowry the bride is supposed to be presented to the groom. However, if the dowry is considered to be insufficient, a substitute bride will be presented (this could well be a cross dressing friend) until more money is handed over and unless of course the groom is happy with the substitute. Ransom?
9. Délicieux Toilette La Soupe: France
Here comes the worst wedding tradition ever. After the wedding ceremony is complete, the bridal party would collect all of the leftovers, bits of trash, and anything else they deem to be sufficiently gross within a toilet bowl and then barge into the couple’s room. They would not leave until the couple drank it. This is supposed to give the couple fuel to have a great night ahead. Today, although soup is substituted with chocolate, you’re still drinking brown stuff out of a real live toilet bowl.
10. Kissing feast: Sweden
In Sweden, whenever either the bride or groom leaves their table to use the bathroom the other gets kissed…a lot. Someone will die to go to this party. Sweeter than the desserts, right!!!
11. Spitting on the Bride: Massai nation, Kenya
At a Massai wedding, the father of the bride blesses his daughter by spitting on her head and breasts. She then leaves the village with her husband and does not look back for fear of turning into stone.
12. Kidnapping the Brides: Romani
A very crazy wedding ritual is practiced by Romanian people where a man abducts the woman he wants to marry or couples run away without the consent of their parents. The belief is that if you manage to convincingly or forcefully kidnap a girl and remain her by your side for at least 2-3 days, she will officially be declared as your wife.
13. Shooting The Bride: China
In China’s Yugur culture, grooms shoot their future brides with three bows and arrows (that don’t have arrowheads). Once the deed is done, the groom will collect the arrows and break them, thus ensuring that they will love each other forever.
14. Butch brides: China
According to a survey, 75% of men notice women because of their hair. But if you are born in china then the last time you will see the woman you love with a full head of hair is before you marry her. In their culture a married woman is supposed to shave off all but a lock of her hair as it is considered as sign of beauty and cleanliness.
15. Polterabend- Smashing Dishes: Germany
A ritual called Polterabend is practiced in many parts of Germany. Hosted by the newlywed, the guests bring the bride and groom new dishes as gifts and then they smash them. Pots are clashed, cookeries are broken and even whips are also smashed. Supposedly the cacophonous sound scares away evil spirits. By breaking the dishes beforehand, the bridal party is preparing them for the obstacles ahead and simultaneously wishing them luck.
