An Ultimate List of Eight Bride Traditions You Have Never Heard of
There comes a day in every woman’s life when her face glows with happiness, and her nerves tingle with anticipation: her wedding day. There are millions of different bride traditions in countries around the world, ranging from a silly sock dance to even blackening the bride!
1. Bride Traditions in Canada — the Silly Sock Dance
Among the many unique wedding meaning and traditions around the globe, the silly sock dance in Canada is definitely one of the most enjoyable ones. Weddings here are warm events. Usually, in the hottest temperatures of the year, couples decide to tie the knot and begin the second stage of their lives. In Canada and other French-speaking countries, there is a tradition for the unmarried siblings of the bride and groom to take part in a dance wearing silly socks. If the guests like the performance, they’ll generously throw money at the dancers, all of which is later collected and given to the happy couple.
2. Italian Confetti
When the rest of the world hears confetti, they imagine brightly colored pieces of paper thrown in celebration; in Italy, the confetti has an entirely different meaning. Among Italian bride wedding traditions, confetti throwing is an absolute must. Confetti, aka sugar-coated almonds available in a range of brightly different colors, form part of the gifts presented at christenings, communions and, of course, weddings. The colors each signify an important meaning; for example, white confetti is given to brides and grooms, blue confetti if a couple expects a boy and so on. Boxes of mixed-color confetti are given in pouches next to the wedding present as a form of congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple.
3. The Blackening of the Bride — the Strangest Bride Tradition on the List?
Imagine being covered from head to toe in gunk; things like custard, soot, oil — any substance really — and then, of course, finishing off with a pouring off feathers. Believe it or not, this is exactly what happens to Scottish brides before their wedding! Friends and family of the bride and groom grab them when they’re least expecting it. They are then tied with a rope after which the throwing of substances begins. Among various other weddings traditions for the bride, this has definitely got to be her worst nightmare. The meaning behind a Blackening is this: if the couple can stand this, they can stand a marriage.
4. No Smiling at a Congolese Wedding
The meaning of wedding traditions can range from anything to wishing the couple luck… to not even smiling once on the wedding day to show that the couple is serious about the wedding. This is what happens in a traditional Congolese wedding. Both bride and groom are strictly forbidden from smiling even once in all of the wedding functions. This is slightly more difficult compared to other wedding traditions for the bride: whenever the bride accidentally smiles, she must lower her face to make sure no one sees it.
5. Henna and Turmeric Night, the Bride Traditions of the Bangladeshi
Weddings in Bangladesh are elaborate and extravagant affairs. The parties can easily last all night long and the celebrations for an entire week! The henna night is the first in the series of wedding traditions for the bride. Family or friends decorate her hands with gorgeous, intricate designs in henna. It is applied to the other girls in the family as well. The next day, wedding guests, friends and families of the bride partake in decorating her cheeks in bright turmeric sent from the in-laws’ house. Everyone wears bright shades of green, yellow and orange at this ceremony and the whole night is passed in song, dance, and celebration.
6. Croquembouche Cake
The wedding cake is probably the single most important item in the entire bridal feast on the wedding day. In France, an immense tower of cream-filled pastry puffs can also serve as the cake. These deliciously light and fluffy pastries can be dipped in a large number of sweet sauces, and taste absolutely amazing. On a less pleasant note, there is another dessert tradition, La Soupe, waiting for the couple at the reception; among wedding traditions and their meanings, this is indeed a very strange one. Candy and other sweet treats are put into a toilet-shaped bowl for the couple, from which they have to eat out off — this is said to bring the couple good luck in their marriage.
7. Bride Traditions of Ancient Rome
Where do wedding traditions come from? In our modern age, we see many popular wedding customs which are celebrated among almost all cultures and religions. Putting the engagement ring on the girl’s left hand for one – did you know that this tradition arose from Ancient Rome? Ancient Roman brides also wore white at their ceremony, paired with fragrant flowers woven into their hair (Bengali wedding tradition today) and a gorgeous veil to complete the look. All three of these things have been passed down the generations and are still widely done today. The Ancient Roman meaning behind wedding traditions like marrying in June is that the month was thought to bring luck and prosperity to the newly married couple.
8. Something Borrowed and Something Blue
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something new… and, of course, a sixpence in your shoe! The age-old rhyme still has a deep traditional value in our current age. Something old is kept by the bride in order to bring a protected and healthy baby into the family. It also represents the old life which she is leaving behind. Something new is for her new life as a married woman, something borrowed is traditionally taken from a happily-married couple to bring good luck and happiness to the newlyweds and something blue represents love, purity, and fidelity. The sixpence stands for wealth, and it is mostly used in British weddings. Where did wedding traditions come from you ask? Well, in this case, the rhyme was born in England during the Victorian Era. It has spread all over the world and been passed down among families ever since.
The joining of lives and souls in marriage, to help each other in both sickness and in health, is indeed a valuable blessing. In this article, we found out eight of the most bizarre and fantastic customs and wedding tradition meanings celebrated around the world today. Which one did you like best?