{"concept":"Weddings","intro":"No celebration is kept in more ways than the wedding. It may last an hour or a fortnight, take place in a temple, a church, a tent or a town hall, and involve dozens of rites: a bride's henna, a groom's procession, a tea ceremony for the parents, a seven-step walk around a fire, a broken glass, a ring, a veil, a dance. Underneath the variety, the purpose is the same: two people become a couple and two families are joined, before witnesses. Here is how weddings are celebrated in many countries, what the customs mean to those who keep them and how they are changing in a connected world.","editorial_comparison":[{"country_code":"IN","place":"India","text":"A Hindu wedding may include a sangeet, a mehndi night, a baraat procession with the groom on a horse, and the saptapadi, seven steps around the sacred fire. The bride wears red or another rich colour, with gold and a mangalsutra."},{"country_code":"PK","place":"Pakistan","text":"The nikah is the Muslim contract, followed by the mehndi, the barat, and the valima feast hosted by the groom's family. Brides wear red or gold gharara or lehenga and heavy jewellery."},{"country_code":"CN","place":"China","text":"The bride wears red, a tea ceremony shows respect to parents, and guests give money in red envelopes at the banquet. The date is chosen by an almanac, and there are door-games where the groom must win entry."},{"country_code":"JP","place":"Japan","text":"A Shinto wedding has a bride in a white kimono, shiromuku, a sharing of sake in the san-san-kudo ritual and a banquet. Many couples also hold a Western-style ceremony."},{"country_code":"KR","place":"Korea","text":"The traditional pyebaek ceremony has the bride bow to the groom's parents, who throw dates and chestnuts into her skirt, wishing her many children. The couple wear hanbok."},{"country_code":"PH","place":"Philippines","text":"Weddings include sponsors, ninongs and ninangs, a cord and a veil binding the couple, coins given to the bride and the money dance. A wedding feast of lechon is typical."},{"country_code":"ID","place":"Indonesia","text":"Javanese weddings include the siraman bath, the midodareni night before and the breaking of an egg. Balinese weddings are held with offerings at the temple, and Minangkabau brides wear a golden headdress."},{"country_code":"IL","place":"Israel and the Jewish world","text":"The couple marries under a chuppah, a canopy, with seven blessings, a ring and the breaking of a glass, followed by dancing with the couple lifted on chairs. Before the ceremony the couple do not see each other for a week, and the groom covers the bride's face with a veil in the badeken."},{"country_code":"SA","place":"Arabia","text":"The marriage contract, katb al-kitab, is signed before the families, and the celebration includes henna for the bride, a feast, music with a daf and a procession called a zaffa in Lebanon and Egypt. The bride's female relatives sing and dance at the henna party, and the groom's family brings gifts of gold."},{"country_code":"MA","place":"Morocco","text":"The Moroccan bride changes dress several times in the evening, carried on an amariya, a decorated platform, and wears henna and gold. Milk and dates are offered to welcome her."},{"country_code":"NG","place":"Nigeria","text":"Yoruba and Igbo weddings are splendid, with an introduction ceremony, matching cloth, the aso ebi, and the bride's family bringing a list of gifts. Guests spray money on the dancing couple."},{"country_code":"GH","place":"Ghana","text":"The knocking, kookoo ko, is the formal introduction of the groom's family, with drinks, a bride price and kente cloth for the couple. A big reception follows."},{"country_code":"ET","place":"Ethiopia","text":"The Orthodox wedding includes a procession, a feast with doro wat and injera and traditional dances, and the couple wear white cotton with embroidered borders. The bride's family hold a melse."},{"country_code":"GR","place":"Greece","text":"The couple are crowned with stefana, a pair of wreaths joined by a ribbon, in the Orthodox ceremony, and guests throw rice and sugared almonds. The wedding dance, with plate smashing in the past, is a joyful sight."},{"country_code":"GB","place":"United Kingdom","text":"A white dress, the bride's something old, new, borrowed and blue, the best man's speech, confetti and a cake are all part of a typical British wedding. In Scotland, a ceilidh follows."},{"country_code":"US","place":"United States","text":"Showers, the rehearsal dinner, the processional, the first dance and the bouquet toss mark the American wedding. Many couples also add a jumping of the broom, a tradition of African American heritage."},{"country_code":"MX","place":"Mexico","text":"A lazo, a large rosary or cord, is draped over the couple's shoulders, and the groom gives the bride thirteen coins, arras. The dollar dance and mariachi music are included in many weddings."},{"country_code":"FJ","place":"Fiji","text":"Fijian weddings involve a presentation of whale's tooth, tabua, and mats and food between families, and Indo-Fijian weddings follow Hindu and Muslim customs with a lively feast and dancing. The couple are seated on mats on a raised platform, and the community brings food and gifts for the new household."},{"country_code":"GE","place":"Georgia","text":"A Georgian wedding includes a supra, a long feast led by a toastmaster, and the dance of the couple, kartuli. Guests give toasts to the couple's future, to their parents and to the ancestors."},{"country_code":"BR","place":"Brazil","text":"Guests receive bem-casados, small sponge cakes filled with dulce de leche, wrapped as favours and meant to bring the couple a happy marriage. Godparents, padrinhos, play a role and sometimes pay for part of the celebration."}],"by_country":[{"country":"India","code":"IN","traditions":[{"name":"Akhand Path","tagline":"The unbroken, continuous reading of the entire Sikh scripture over two days","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/akhand-path"},{"name":"Phulkari","tagline":"Geometric and floral threadwork embroidered by Punjabi women on handwoven cotton.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/phulkari"},{"name":"Saptapadi","tagline":"The seven-step ritual that finalizes a Hindu marriage, observed across India.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/saptapadi"},{"name":"Shehnai","tagline":"A traditional reed instrument played at weddings and temple festivals across India","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/shehnai"}]},{"country":"United States","code":"US","traditions":[{"name":"Islamic marriage","tagline":"The sacred contract, agreement and wedding celebration forming an Islamic marriage","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/marriage-in-islam"},{"name":"Rite of passage","tagline":"A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new status","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/rite-of-passage"},{"name":"Bachelor party","tagline":"A send-off for a groom-to-be, kept in the days and weeks before a wedding","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/bachelor-party"},{"name":"Bridal shower","tagline":"A gift-giving party for a bride before her wedding, best known in North America","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/bridal-shower"}]},{"country":"China","code":"CN","traditions":[{"name":"Chinese knotting","tagline":"A folk craft of cord tied into lucky shapes, made in China and given as charms","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/chinese-knotting"},{"name":"Lion dance","tagline":"A dynamic ritual dance featuring costumed lions, drums and martial acrobatics","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/lion-dance"},{"name":"Qixi Festival","tagline":"A Chinese night of romance, needlecraft wishes and stargazing for two mythic lovers","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/qixi-festival"},{"name":"Chinese paper cutting","tagline":"Chinese cut paper pictures, pasted on windows and doors for luck at New Year","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/chinese-paper-cutting"}]},{"country":"Indonesia","code":"ID","traditions":[{"name":"Ikat","tagline":"A resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weaving","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/ikat"},{"name":"Kenduri","tagline":"A communal prayer meal and gathering shared across Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/kenduri"},{"name":"Ulos","tagline":"A hand-woven textile of the Batak people in Indonesia, worn for warmth and ceremony.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/ulos"},{"name":"Slametan","tagline":"A short communal meal on Java where neighbours share food, prayer and a wish for peace","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/slametan"}]},{"country":"Morocco","code":"MA","traditions":[{"name":"Chaabi","tagline":"A North African music and dance tradition meaning 'of the people', played at weddings and festivals.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/chaabi"},{"name":"Tan-Tan Moussem","tagline":"An annual gathering of Saharan nomadic tribes with music, trading and equestrian arts","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/tan-tan-moussem"},{"name":"Djellaba","tagline":"A long, loose hooded robe worn by men and women across North Africa","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/djellaba"},{"name":"Fantasia","tagline":"A North African equestrian display of synchronized charging and simultaneous rifle fire","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/fantasia-performance"}]},{"country":"Ukraine","code":"UA","traditions":[{"name":"Rushnyk","tagline":"A sacred embroidered cloth used in East Slavic rituals, weddings and daily life.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/rushnyk"},{"name":"Korovai","tagline":"A round wedding bread of Eastern Europe, baked with songs and shared by all the guests","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/korovai"},{"name":"Traditional Ukrainian wedding","tagline":"A wedding spread over many days, with matchmaking, bread, wreaths and song","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/traditional-ukrainian-wedding"},{"name":"Ukrainian embroidery","tagline":"A stitched folk art of Ukraine, worked into shirts, cloths and church furnishings","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/ukrainian-embroidery"}]},{"country":"Iran","code":"IR","traditions":[{"name":"Persian garden","tagline":"An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing water","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/persian-gardens"},{"name":"Iranian wedding","tagline":"A wedding with courtship visits, a henna night and a spread of symbols, kept across Iran","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/iranian-wedding"},{"name":"Kurdish dance","tagline":"Circle dances of the Kurds, led by handkerchief twirlers, for weddings and Newroz","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/kurdish-dance"},{"name":"Zardozi","tagline":"Heavy gold and silver embroidery on silk or velvet, worked in Iran, India and beyond","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/zardozi"}]},{"country":"Russia","code":"RU","traditions":[{"name":"Bread and salt","tagline":"Bread and salt offered to a guest: a welcome kept from Russia to Albania","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/bread-and-salt"},{"name":"Russian wedding traditions","tagline":"A Russian wedding runs two days to a week, with ransom games, crowns and toasts","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/russian-wedding-traditions"},{"name":"Black wedding","tagline":"A traditional Jewish crisis wedding held in a cemetery to ward off disease","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/black-wedding"},{"name":"Bride-show","tagline":"A court custom in which emperors and tsars chose a wife from young women brought before them","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/bride-show"}]},{"country":"United Kingdom","code":"GB","traditions":[{"name":"Shoe throwing","tagline":"The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/shoe-throwing"},{"name":"Telling the bees","tagline":"A Western European custom of informing honeybees about major household events like deaths and weddings.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/telling-the-bees"},{"name":"Bridesmaid","tagline":"The companions and attendants who support a bride during a wedding","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/bridesmaid"},{"name":"Quaker wedding","tagline":"A silent marriage ceremony in a Quaker meeting, with no priest and no set order","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/quaker-wedding"}]},{"country":"Ghana","code":"GH","traditions":[{"name":"Agbadza","tagline":"An Ewe music and dance, born of war songs and kept for funerals, weddings and festivals","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/agbadza"},{"name":"Dipo","tagline":"An annual Ghanaian coming-of-age ceremony welcoming Krobo girls into womanhood","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/dipo"},{"name":"Adowa","tagline":"A Ghanaian Akan dance where hands and feet carry the mood of the occasion","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/adowa-dance"}]},{"country":"Uganda","code":"UG","traditions":[{"name":"Barkcloth","tagline":"Cloth beaten from tree bark across Africa, Asia and the Pacific","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/barkcloth"},{"name":"Kwanjula","tagline":"A formal marriage introduction ritual of the Baganda people in Uganda, where families meet to exchange gifts and seek bl","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/kwanjula"},{"name":"Gomesi","tagline":"A floor-length, brightly coloured dress tied with a sash, worn by women in Uganda","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/gomesi"}]},{"country":"Georgia","code":"GE","traditions":[{"name":"Georgian dance","tagline":"Martial, courtship, and celebratory regional dances from across Georgia","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/georgian-dance"},{"name":"Georgian polyphonic singing","tagline":"Several voices at once, sung without instruments at Georgian feasts and weddings","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/music-of-georgia-country"},{"name":"Berikaoba","tagline":"An improvised Georgian folk theatre and masquerade of fertility, satire and drama","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/berikaoba"}]},{"country":"Egypt","code":"EG","traditions":[{"name":"Mizmar","tagline":"A traditional double-reed instrument and drum ensemble for weddings and folk dances","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/mizmar-instrument"},{"name":"Zaffa","tagline":"A musical wedding procession common in Arab cultures, featuring music and dancing.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/zaffa"},{"name":"Libation","tagline":"The ceremonial gift of drink given to deities, ancestors, and the earth","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/libation"}]},{"country":"Israel","code":"IL","traditions":[{"name":"Tallit","tagline":"A four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worship","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/tallit"},{"name":"Hakafot","tagline":"Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat Torah","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/hakafot"},{"name":"Torah reading","tagline":"The public reading of the Torah scroll in synagogue, chanted to a special tune","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/torah-reading"}]},{"country":"South Korea","code":"KR","traditions":[{"name":"Hanbok","tagline":"Korea's customary dress: a short jacket, a skirt or trousers, and a bow-tied ribbon","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/hanbok"},{"name":"Pyebaek","tagline":"A Korean wedding rite where newlyweds bow to elders and share dates, chestnuts and wine","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/pyebaek"},{"name":"Marriage in Korea","tagline":"Weddings in Korea, from Goryeo matchmaking to Confucian rites and modern chapel vows","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/marriage-in-korea"}]},{"country":"Spain","code":"ES","traditions":[{"name":"Las arras","tagline":"Thirteen gold coins, blessed at a wedding and given by the groom to the bride","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/las-arras"},{"name":"Peineta","tagline":"A curved decorative comb worn by women beneath a lace mantilla in the Hispanic world","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/peineta-comb"},{"name":"The Water of Life","tagline":"A Catalan folk tale of a quest for magic water, a fragrant branch and a talking bird","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/the-water-of-life-spanish-fairy-tale"}]},{"country":"Saudi Arabia","code":"SA","traditions":[{"name":"Ardah","tagline":"A traditional Arabian group dance of facing lines, drums, poetry, and swords","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/ardah"},{"name":"Henna ceremony","tagline":"A night of henna patterns on a bride's hands and feet, kept before the wedding","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/henna-ceremony"}]},{"country":"South Africa","code":"ZA","traditions":[{"name":"Lobolo","tagline":"A customary practice in Southern Africa where the groom's family provides assets to the bride's family.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/lobolo"},{"name":"Tooth ablation","tagline":"A global custom of deliberately removing healthy teeth for social, ritual, or aesthetic reasons.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/tooth-ablation"}]},{"country":"Vietnam","code":"VN","traditions":[{"name":"Nón lá","tagline":"A pointed leaf and bamboo hat worn across Vietnam for shelter, work and celebration","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/non-la"},{"name":"Traditional Vietnamese wedding","tagline":"A Vietnamese wedding: two families joined through proposal, engagement and ceremony","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/traditional-vietnamese-wedding"}]},{"country":"Tonga","code":"TO","traditions":[{"name":"Tauʻolunga","tagline":"A Tongan dance of hand gestures and steady eyes, performed by young women at weddings","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/tau-olunga"},{"name":"Taʻovala","tagline":"A waist mat worn in Tonga for weddings, funerals and formal days","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/ta-ovala"}]},{"country":"New Zealand","code":"NZ","traditions":[{"name":"Tivaevae","tagline":"A traditional Polynesian art of artistic quilting made by women for gifts and ceremonies.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/tivaevae"},{"name":"Wharenui","tagline":"A Māori carved communal meeting house at the centre of tribal life in New Zealand","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/wharenui"}]},{"country":"Ireland","code":"IE","traditions":[{"name":"Saint Stephen's Day","tagline":"A Christian feast day celebrating the first martyr with feasts, rides and folk customs.","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/saint-stephen-s-day"},{"name":"Handfasting","tagline":"A couple's promise made with joined or bound hands, kept from betrothal to wedding","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/handfasting"}]},{"country":"Greece","code":"GR","traditions":[{"name":"Anthesteria","tagline":"An ancient Greek three-day spring festival of Dionysus, new wine, and the dead","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/anthesteria"},{"name":"Heraean Games","tagline":"An ancient Greek festival of running races for unmarried young women at Olympia","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/heraean-games"}]},{"country":"Nigeria","code":"NG","traditions":[{"name":"Aso ebi","tagline":"Matching cloth worn by family and friends at Yoruba weddings, funerals and parties","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/aso-ebi"},{"name":"Gele","tagline":"A voluminous sculpted headwrap worn by Yoruba women for gatherings and daily life","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/gele-headdress"}]},{"country":"Bangladesh","code":"BD","traditions":[{"name":"Baul tradition","tagline":"A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dance","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/baul"},{"name":"Shagorana","tagline":"A ceremonial wedding feast platter presented to the groom in Bangladesh","url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/t/shagorana"}]}],"attribution":{"based_on":"Wikipedia and Wikidata","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","photos":"Wikimedia Commons, credited on each page"},"url":"https://everyparampara.cpn.cleartrust.cc/concepts/wedding","note":"EveryParampara pages take their facts from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata, rewritten in EveryParampara's own words with AI assistance; they may contain mistakes. Traditions are described as the people who keep them would describe them. Cite the url and keep the attribution.","published_by":"EveryParampara, a ClearTrust publication"}