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Smashed porcelain in Germany, caught chestnuts in Korea, a cord around the couple in the Philippines. Fifteen wedding traditions and what they mean.
Some of the world's most interesting wedding traditions are little known outside their home culture: Germans smash porcelain the night before the wedding, Korean brides catch dates and chestnuts thrown by their in-laws, Japanese couples share sake in three cups of three sips, and Filipino couples are joined by a veil and a figure-eight cord. Here are 15 of them, with what each means. Every custom varies by region, religion and family, so treat these as common versions rather than rules.
On the Polterabend, the night before the wedding, guests break porcelain in front of the couple. The saying goes "shards bring luck", and the couple clean up the mess together, a first joint task.
In a Shinto wedding, the couple share sake from three cups, each drunk in three sips. Interpretations differ: sharing joys and sorrows, or the bond of man, woman and child. See Japanese wedding etiquette for guests.
A wedding lasso, a loop of cord or rosary beads formed into a figure of eight, is placed around the couple's shoulders after their vows. It is common in Mexico, the Philippines and Spain, and symbolises unity and protection.
Among the Akan, marriage starts with "knocking": the groom's family visits the bride's family with drinks such as schnapps or palm wine to announce his intentions, as GhanaWeb explains.
If a custom isn't from your own heritage, ask someone from that culture before adopting it, and explain it to guests on your wedding website. Blending two families' customs? Our multicultural wedding guide helps you choose. For customs tied to luck, see wedding traditions for luck and prosperity.
There's no reliable global count. Many cultures share ideas, such as joining two families, exchanging gifts between them and wishing the couple children and prosperity, but the rituals differ.
At the Polterabend, breaking porcelain is said to bring luck ("shards bring luck"), and cleaning it up together is the couple's first shared task.
Jujubes and chestnuts, thrown by the groom's parents at pyebaek. The bride catches them in her skirt, and the number caught is said to predict how many children the couple will have.
Many couples do, respectfully. Learn what it means, ask someone from that culture, and don't use religious rites out of context.
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