10 unusual wedding traditions from around the world

In the Western world, white weddings are becoming more and more popular, but despite this, people celebrate weddings according to their traditions.

In Western Europe, many couples express their wedding vows through a tradition called the Celtic Engagement, in which the couple's hands are tied together.

10. Celtic engagement (Western Europe)

The Celtic engagement tradition is believed to be ancient. It came from the Celtic tribes that spread throughout Europe until Christianity became the main religion of the continent. Since then, entire generations of people have practiced the Celtic engagement. The new name comes from the late Middle Ages, from the Old Scandinavian word “hand-festa”, which means “to make a deal by joining hands”. Today, modern Celts, neo-pagans, and others who are interested in alternative wedding ceremonies have borrowed the tradition. Modern engagement involves the binding of a couple's hands in public, usually with a ribbon or rope, to symbolize their marriage vows.

9. Dance in the crown (Finland)

During celebrations at a Finnish wedding, it is often customary to "dance" until the crown falls from the bride's head. At the celebration, the bride is blindfolded and surrounded by unmarried women who form a ring and dance around her. Then, the bride takes off the crown and puts it on the girl closest to her, who is now the next to marry. This dance continues until all the girls in the ring wear the crown. After that, the bride's head is covered with a linen, scarf, or silk hat.

8. La rotie (France)

In France, in the villages of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, as a post-wedding ritual, unmarried men and women must find the newlyweds who have escaped from the wedding to their bedroom. They burst into the room with a chamber pot filled with La rotie, a mixture of food and drink. Then, the couple is thrown out of bed and served with this mixture in a pot, which then everyone should drink. This ritual should symbolize the daily closeness of married life and the rural character of the region.

7. Krevati (Greece)

Krevati (making the bed) is an old Greek wedding tradition that is usually practiced a few days before the wedding. Everyone comes together to help prepare the couple's family home for their new life together. Several married women have to make the bed for their wedding night, this is considered the most important part of the preparation. The groom must approve the final look of the bed. After the bed is covered with matrimonial sheets, money is thrown onto it, symbolizing future prosperity. Then. rice is thrown on the bed - it is a symbol of "putting down roots". Finally, a boy or a girl is rolled on the bed, depending on who the couple wants first. The couple must wait until their wedding night to sleep here.

6. Passage through the gate (Poland)

Passing through the gate is a Polish wedding tradition that is now commonly carried out in small towns and villages. When a couple goes to church, they can be stopped by a gate. They are built by friends, neighbors, or wedding participants, blocking the road. In most cases, the couple must pay with a blocking bottle of vodka. Sometimes the newlyweds are given additional tasks that they must complete. Once the gate opens, the couple can continue on their way to the church for the wedding ceremony.

5. Dansul gainii (Romania)

After the official wedding in the town hall and the church wedding, the Dansu gaini (chicken dance) takes place in the restaurant. The newlyweds begin to dance the waltz as soon as they receive all the guests. After that, the chefs perform Dansul Gainii. They cook fried chicken, decorate it and dance with it. Meanwhile, the groom's witness negotiates with them the price of the chicken.

4. Tea ceremony (China)

At a traditional Chinese wedding, the tea ceremony is one of the main events. The first tea ceremonies in history date back to 618-907, when the Tang dynasty ruled China. The ceremony involves a very formal introduction to the families of the bride and groom. In today's world, most newlyweds choose to have one ceremony for both families. This should symbolize purity, stability and fertility. During the tea ceremony, everyone present should have their own specific places and the order in which guests are served tea is very important, because the newlyweds should show that they respect their elders. Traditional serving etiquette is expected to be followed as well as having the correct tea set. Room decoration and clothing should also be appropriate for the occasion. After drinking tea, the bride and groom are given gifts, most often money in red envelopes. Sometimes jewelry is also given.

3. Broom Jumping (USA)

Some believe that the tradition of jumping over a broomstick dates back to Ashanti (1670-1902), now known as Ghana. Over the heads of the newlyweds, they waved brooms to ward off evil spirits from them. Couples often, but not always, jumped over brooms at the end of the ceremony. Others believe that the tradition did not appear until the middle of the 19th century. It was used in the post-war years in the United States, when slavery existed, in order to find out which of the slaves was married. After emancipation, the tradition lost its popularity among African Americans. However, in the late 1970s, with the publication of Alex Haley's Roots and a mini-series adapted from the book, the tradition returned. At the end of the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds, together or separately, must jump over the broom.

2. Saber Arch (Brazil)

If the groom is a military officer, the Sword Honor Guard swordsmen act as the groom's friends. Usually these men are real friends of the groom who served with him in the army. Their role includes the saber arch tradition. This is when they raise their swords in order to form an arch, under which the married couple and guests must pass, leaving the building in which the wedding ceremony took place.

1. Kransekage

The Cake Tower is a traditional Norwegian delicacy commonly eaten at special events such as weddings. The cake consists of a series of rings that are applied on top of each other using white icing. In the end, all this is decorated with different decorations, for example, flags. Small sweets or a bottle of alcohol are usually placed in the middle of the rings. The newlyweds feed each other a piece of cake and then place the remaining pieces on a tray. They walk around the room offering each guest a piece. It is believed that if all the guests have tasted the cake, it is a symbol of good luck.