wedding talk

Global Wedding Traditions, Part 5

By January 31, 2018 No Comments

A long time ago in an office not so far away we decided to see how the rest of the world does their weddings. We’re now on the final stretch of our journey and we can’t wait to see what there could possibly be left to learn…

U is for Ukraine

Ukrainian grooms have to pick their bride up first thing in the morning on their wedding day. If the family greet the man at the door with a pumpkin, the bride has withdrawn her offer of marriage.

V is for Venezuela

The bride and groom of Venezuelan weddings have the mission impossible task of sneaking out of their own reception.

If they manages to get out of there unnoticed, it is said that their marriage will full of surprises and bring forth luck and prosper.

W is for Western (Sahara)

In the Western Sahara, weddings last anywhere upwards of three days. Couples are only allowed to be left alone for the first time after the third night of celebrations.

X is for Xalapa

So, there aren’t actually any countries that start with an X so you get the next best thing: a city in Mexico! To represent the unity part of the ceremony, some couples include the “lazo” or lasso to their ceremony.

The lazo is a large loop of rosary beads that is placed around the necks of the couple in the shape of an eight. The loop is a symbol of love that binds the couple as they share the responsibility of marriage.

Y is for Yemen

A la Game of Thrones and noughties pop-rock, the first day (of four) of a Yemeni wedding is known as the ‘Green Day’ because of the groom’s attire.

The groom also spends the day slaughtering between 10-100 sheep as a sign of wealth to show off to his bride’s family.

Z is for Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean weddings don’t bother with hiring DJs or sorting playlists. The music will no doubt involve the sacred instrument, the Mbira. It is believed that the notes an Mbira can play can summon the spirits necessary to guide couples into a peaceful marriage.

There we have it! We’ve been around the world in (just over) 26 gifs. Let us know which tradition you found the most interesting or bizarre in the comments below.

Check out other traditions from many countries around the world, A-EF-JK-OP-T

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