Wedding Favors
Bridal Shower Favors

While many rituals have faded over time, wedding ceremonies have remained as the chief expression of love and commitment from culture to culture. No matter what part of the world it takes place in, a wedding is a time for two people to be able to express their pledge of love one another and remain together for a lifetime. It is interesting to consider the way that wedding ceremonies are carried out in different areas of the world.

African Wedding Traditions

Africa is a large continent that contains many countries, many cultures and many religions. Many predominant African cultures train women and girls to be good wives from tender ages, and wedding ceremonies range from the very long and elaborate to the very simple. There is one thing that rings true throughout the wide variety of cultures represented on this continen thought; marriage is sacred. Men often pay the families of their betrothed in money, cattle or other goods. Ceremonies are often brightly colored, festive events in which women marry as young as 13 to 15 years of age.

One fun fact about African wedding ceremonies is that this is where the term, “Jumping the Broom,” comes from. In certain countries, jumping the broom is a final step in the commitment of a man and his wife to one another.

African Wedding Details: African wedding traditions and culture
Africa Guide: African people and culture as related to wedding ceremonies

Baltic Wedding Traditions

Marriage ceremonies have changed over time in the Baltic countries. While the age for marriage used to be 13 and 14 years of age for boys and girls respectively, the legal age is now 18 and 21 without the consent of the parent.

Men in Baltic countries are very likely to ask one of his lover’s friends or loved ones whether or not she would be responsive to a proposal before asking her to marry him. From there, he is to seek the blessing of the girl’s father before proposing marriage. If both are in agreement, the wedding can proceed.

Before the ceremony is to proceed the proposal must be filed at the office of the church where the ceremony is to take place. Most engagements last around six months. While old-age customs dictate the bride to wear a black wedding dress, today Baltic brides wear a traditional American-style white wedding dress and veil.

Chinese Wedding Ceremonies

Chinese wedding ceremonies have one central theme: the color red. It signifies love, joy, passion and prosperity. Even the bride’s wedding gown is red in the traditional Chinese wedding. The same goes for gift boxes, invitations, and envelopes in which cash is given as a gift. The wedding party often decorates the homes of the bride and groom in red as well.

Before the day of the wedding, the Chinese bride takes time out with her closest friends and family, traditionally to mourn the loss of them as central parts of her life. The day of the wedding is chosen by astrological sign and weddings are conducted at the half-hour point.

Marriage Customs: the traditional Chinese wedding
China Bridal: The Chinese wedding dress

German Wedding Traditions

Germany has some interesting wedding traditions to consider. When a girl is born in Germany, trees are planted to honor her birth. When she is ready to be married, the trees are sold and the money is used as a dowry. Before the wedding a booklet or newspaper of sorts is made, in which the friends and family of the bride-to-be compile stories, pictures and other artifacts of the engaged couple. They sell this at the wedding to raise money for the honeymoon.

German weddings can last as long as three days. The wedding takes place on the first day, the wedding party is on the second day, and the religious ceremony takes place on the third and final day.

German Culture: wedding traditions from Germany
German Wedding Traditions: comprehensive information on German wedding ceremonies, including breaking dishes

Italian Wedding Traditions

As it is in other countries, wedding traditions in Italy are designed to make sure that the married couple has a long and prosperous life together. According to old tradition, the groom is to carry a piece of iron ore in his pocket, to ward off evil spirits during the ceremony. The bridal veil is an integral part of the ceremony, ensuring virginity and purity. The covering of the face is a symbol of her never having intimately known a man before her husband.

While Sundays are propular days for weddings, May and August is a poor time for a wedding in Italian culture. Also, Lent or Advent weddings are very rare.

Life in Italy: Italian wedding traditions
Past and Present: Italian wedding customs from the past and present

Central American Wedding Customs

Although weddings in Central America vary from country to country there is one part that rings true throughout the region: the weddings are very inclusive of the family. This includes both the families of the bride and the groom. Weddings are large, happy occasions. Unlike some of the weddings in the United Staets, children are always welcome at a Central American wedding.

One interesting tradition is that in Panama, grooms give their brides 13 gold coins to symbolize his commitment to supporting her through their lives together.

13 Gold Coins: Information on the 13 gold coin ceremony
Wedding Smart: Latin wedding traditions

South American Wedding Traditions

Since South America and Central America are both Latin areas of the country, wedding traditions are very similar between the two regions. Both regions involve the family to the greatest extent possible. Brides wear long, white wedding gowns but they may have spots of red and black on the dress or accessories as well.