We all know the typical traditions, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” But with so many different wedding traditions across so many cultures there are bound to be some that we find a bit bizarre, here are just a few of them!
1. Away with the Fairies
Something close to home first, though I’ve never heard this one! An Irish tradition that says that a bride may not lift her feet from the floor while dancing during the reception! This is to prevent the fairies from catching her and carrying her away..
2. Bridenapped!
A German tradition where the friends of the Bride and Groom-to-be kidnap the bride and hide her somewhere. The Groom then gathers his friends who are not involved in the kidnapping and starts looking for her, this typically starts in a bar where the groom buys everyone a round of drinks!
3. Who will rule the Roost? This Coin Game will decide!
I am, as of yet, unsure as to the origin of this tradition, but it surely is a fun one! After the reception is over, both the bride and groom go to the grooms parents house. There is a large bowl filled with water which has been dyed red, at the bottom are a collection of coins and other trinkets. They are told to try to pick out one specific item, whoever gets the item first will be wear the pants so to speak!
4. Charivari
A French Tradition where by, on your Wedding Night, Friends and relatives gather outside your room and bang pots and pans or whatever they can find to make an unholy racket! This continues until you get out of bed and supply them with more drink and a few snacks! My thinking is this is to ready you for Parenthood!
5. Blackening the Bride
A Scottish tradition where a few days before the Wedding friends and family try to catch the bride of guard and throw an unholy mess of stuff at her, eggs, sauce, mud, feather and that’s just to name a few! If that isn’t bad enough, they then parade her around the town to signify that she is now “off the market”, and if guys still try to pursue her, the sight and smell of her should deter them!
6. Hands off my Shoes
One of hundreds of Indian traditions, before the groom goes to the alter he has to remove his shoes, the brides family are then obligated to attempt to steal the shoes, where the grooms family are there to prevent this! They cannot hold onto the shoes, but go to great lengths to hide them well, for if they are found by the brides family, the groom then has to pay however much money they request to get the shoes back!
7. Signing the Shoes
Another shoe related tradition, originally from turkey, where the bride leaves her shoes in the chapel before she arrives, all the single women and girls sign the bottom of the shoes! The bride then arrives barefoot, and puts on her shoes. At the end of the night the bride checks the sole of her shoes, the name that is most worn off is the one who is next said to be married!
8. Polterband
A German tradition, where friends and relatives of the couple smash dishes that they either made or owned in an attempt to scare away poltergeists. The couple then have to clean up the dishes which is supposed to signify the breaking up of their old lives and the cleaning is the start of the new.
9. Rice in your hair
A Finnish tradition where rice is thrown at the happy couple. The grains that remains in the bride’s hair is counted. It is believed that number of grains shows the number of children the couple will have in the future.
10. Who’ll wear the hat?
At the wedding reception in Estonia the groom is blindfolded. He is surrounded by the single men. He is then spin around. He tries to put his hat on one of the men. It is believed that the man who gets the hat is going to get married next.
[Image via The Bridal Buzz]
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