File photo: Wedding reception

Do you know about these fascinating marriage traditions from around the world?

Weddings are the most beautiful events to watch, to be a part of, to hear about and naturally the most important ocassion for the one marrying the love of their life. There are so many religions per state and even more wedding rituals that each one follows. While some might seem logical, others might just blow your mind. We know of Indian traditions but there are some very fascinating wedding traditions that are followed across the world. We have collated some of the most interesting (and some very weird) ones here

02/11India

On the wedding day, the ritual of ‘Joota Chupai’ is performed where the sisters of the bride make off with the groom’s shoes and demand a ransom amount from him to get his shoes back. This is one of the best ways for both the families to bond, making the wedding all the more fun.

03/11Indonesia

The bride and groom in Borneo are confined to their home together for three whole days. Now, this might sound really sweet and romantic until you come to know that they aren’t allowed to use the bathroom. This is to strengthen their bond and also their bladders. Umm, yes!

04/11Norway

The Norway wedding tradition consists of serving a towering special-occasion cake that is made with iced almond cake rings that form a cone shape. The twist to this ritual is that a wine bottle is placed in the hollow center of the cake. You can drink it and eat it. Cool, isn’t it?

05/11Japan

A Japanese bride celebrates a Shinto ceremony on her wedding day where she wears white from head to toe. Even her makeup has to be white. Her kimono has a hood which is called a ‘tsunokushi’. They believe that white denotes her maiden status, the hood hides the ‘horns of jealousy that she might feel towards her mother-in-law’.

06/11Greece

The groomsmen become the barber of the Greek groom and shave his face. After the groom is freshly shaved, his mother-in-law feeds him honey and almonds.

07/11Germany

In their first bit of housekeeping together, the German groom and bride are made to clean up the piles of porcelain dishes that the guests throw on the ground to ward off evil spirits.

08/11Fiji

Quite interesting to know that when a man in Fiji asks a woman’s father for her hand, he must present his future father-in-law with a whale’s tooth.

09/11France

The French bride and groom are made to eat chocolate and champagne after their wedding reception but out of a toilet bowl. It is believed that this ritual makes them strong before their wedding night. Now, we aren’t quite sure of that!

10/11Guatemala

The parents of Guatemalan groom can do whatever they wish to as the hosts of the wedding reception. When the newlyweds arrive, the ritual demands the groom’s mother to break a white ceramic bell filled with grains like rice and flour in order to bring prosperity to the couple.

11/11Czech Republic

Czech people follow the ritual of placing an infant on the Czech bride and groom’s bed to bless them with fertility. Once they are married, the guests shower them with lentils, rice and peas which also promote fertility.