No celebration is kept in more ways than the wedding.
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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.
A wedding makes a marriage public and recognised by family, faith and law. It joins two households, often with an exchange of gifts, vows and blessings. It also marks a change of status for the couple and a new stage for their parents. Many traditions treat the wedding as a sacrament or a sacred contract, and many have rules about who may marry. For the community, the wedding is the great party, an occasion of music, food and dance, and a chance for everyone to give good wishes and, often, practical help.
Common features include a betrothal or engagement, an exchange of rings, garlands, cups or vows, a blessing by a priest, officiant or elders, a procession, a witness, a feast and music. Preparation rites for the bride and groom, such as henna, a bath, haircuts and blessings, take place on days before. Gifts of money, gold, household items or land are exchanged in many cultures. Dress is the most visible element: red in China and India, white in the West, gold in Africa and the Middle East. The wedding night and the first days of married life are also marked.
Wedding feasts are often the largest meal a family gives: biryani and sweets in South Asia, banquets of fish, noodles and soup in China, whole roast lamb in the Middle East, jollof rice in West Africa, cake in Europe. Dress is rich and symbolic, from the sari, qipao and kimono to the white gown, the suit and the kente cloth. Music is central, with drums and horns for a baraat, a band for a Western reception, folk song and group dances. A first dance, a hora and a Greek plate smashing are among the best loved.
Weddings are becoming more personal, mixing traditions of the two families and often those of different faiths and countries. Destination weddings, small gatherings, same-sex marriages, civil ceremonies and online guests have become common. Costs are an issue in many places, and some governments and communities have asked for simpler celebrations. At the same time, many couples are choosing to bring back old crafts, such as handwoven cloth, family jewellery and traditional music, wanting a wedding that feels rooted. The core remains: vows made before the people they love.
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.
Read: Hindu weddingThe 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.
Read: Pakistani weddingThe 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.
Read: Traditional Chinese marriageA 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.
Marriage in Japan, being writtenThe 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.
Read: Marriage in KoreaWeddings 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.
Read: Filipino wedding customs
Hindu weddingSaptapadi and the sacred fire.
Traditional Chinese marriageRed, tea and banquet.
Islamic marriageThe Muslim marriage contract.
Jumping the broomAn African American custom.
Marriage in KoreaPyebaek and hanbok.Also part of it, and being written: Jewish wedding (The chuppah and broken glass.), Henna (Mehndi for brides.), Wedding (The general practice.).
White became fashionable after Queen Victoria wore it at her wedding in 1840. Before then brides wore their best dress in any colour, and in many cultures red or gold remains the choice.
A lively procession of the groom and his family to the wedding venue, with music, dancing and often a horse, common in North Indian and Pakistani weddings.
Because the events include several families and many rites over days, from engagement and henna to the ceremony and homecoming. Each one has its own meaning and its own celebration.
Dress smartly and follow the cultural or religious guidance. Avoid white at a Western wedding, black at some Asian ones, and cover shoulders and head in many places of worship.
In many countries families still take part in finding a partner, but most couples today have a say in the choice, and matchmaking sites and events have joined older methods.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLohri
A northern Indian midwinter festival of evening bonfires, folk songs and harvest foodsSeasonal
🇬🇷 GreeceAnthesteriaἈνθεστήρια
An ancient Greek three-day spring festival of Dionysus, new wine, and the deadFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahaतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha)
A ritual wedding of the tulasi plant to Vishnu, kept in homes and temples across IndiaSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingVivaha (विवाह)
A traditional Hindu marriage ceremony involving sacred rituals and vows witnessed by fire.Rite of passage
🇮🇳 Jaipur, IndiaGangaurगणगौर
A North Indian spring festival honouring Shiva and Gauri with clay idols and processionsFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇲🇰 Galičnik, North MacedoniaGaličnik Wedding FestivalГаличка свадба
An annual village wedding festival celebrated every July in North MacedoniaFestival
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic)
A couple's promise made with joined or bound hands, kept from betrothal to weddingRite of passage
🇹🇳 Douz, TunisiaInternational Festival of the Sahara
A four-day gathering celebrating desert life, horse racing and poetry in Douz, TunisiaFestival
🇬🇭 Odumase Krobo, GhanaDipo
An annual Ghanaian coming-of-age ceremony welcoming Krobo girls into womanhoodRite of passage
🇮🇩 IndonesiaSlametan
A short communal meal on Java where neighbours share food, prayer and a wish for peaceSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ
A Bengali pre-wedding ceremony where turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groomRite of passage
🇸🇩 SudanJirtigالجَرْتِقْ
A Sudanese wedding ritual of regal adornment, protection, and blessings of fertilityRite of passage
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreLas arras
Thirteen gold coins, blessed at a wedding and given by the groom to the brideRite of passage
🇮🇳 Lucknow, India and 3 moreSherwani
A long buttoned coat for men, worn at weddings and state occasions in South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 IndiaSadyaസദ്യ
A vegetarian feast from Kerala, served on a banana leaf at Onam, Vishu and weddingsTable custom · Lunch
🇹🇴 Tonga and 1 moreTaʻovala
A waist mat worn in Tonga for weddings, funerals and formal daysDress
🇺🇸 United StatesRehearsal dinner
A meal the night before a US wedding, when the wedding party gathers to toast and thankRite of passage · Dinner
🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding
A multi-day Zoroastrian ceremony uniting two people through prayers, rituals and a shared meal.Rite of passage · Dinner
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreZardoziزردوزی (zarduzi)
Heavy gold and silver embroidery on silk or velvet, worked in Iran, India and beyondCraft
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMangalasutraमङ्गलसूत्रम् (maṅgalasūtram)
A necklace tied by the groom at a wedding, worn through married lifeDress
🇲🇽 Tijuana, Mexico and 1 moreBirria
A rich, seasoned meat stew from western Mexico, cooked for gatherings and holidaysTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇦 Rabat, Morocco and 5 moreFantasiaالفانتازيا
A North African equestrian display of synchronized charging and simultaneous rifle fireGame
🇲🇦 Tangier, MoroccoNegafaنڭافة (Arabic); ⵏⴳⴰⴼⴰ (Tamazight)
The woman who dresses a bride and guards the customs of a Moroccan weddingRite of passage
🇬🇪 GeorgiaBerikaobaბერიკაობა
An improvised Georgian folk theatre and masquerade of fertility, satire and dramaPerformance · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇬 MadagascarLamba
A rectangular cloth wrapped around the body, worn across Madagascar and at burialsDress
🇨🇾 Pano Lefkara, CyprusLefkara lace
Cut-and-stitch needle lace from two villages in Cyprus, once made for brides' dowriesCraft
🇰🇷 South Korea and 2 moreHanbok한복
Korea's customary dress: a short jacket, a skirt or trousers, and a bow-tied ribbonDress
🇵🇰 PakistanChilam Joshi
A spring festival of music, dance, and prayers celebrated by the Kalash peopleFestival
🇦🇱 Albania and 1 moreKanunKanû
Albanian customary law kept by word of mouth, centred on honour and the given wordEtiquette
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
An Ashkenazi Jewish instrumental tradition of lively dance tunes and ritual melodiesPerformance
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreBridal shower
A gift-giving party for a bride before her wedding, best known in North AmericaRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage
🇬🇭 GhanaAdowa
A Ghanaian Akan dance where hands and feet carry the mood of the occasionPerformance
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল
A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaSitalsasthiଶୀତଳ ଷଷ୍ଠୀ
A festival in western Odisha re-enacting the divine wedding of Shiva and ParvatiFestival
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal
Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi
Autumn devotion honoring a mother goddess and sacred floor art of Radha and KrishnaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Ahmedabad, India and 1 moreGarbaगर्भ
A Gujarati circle dance performed around a sacred flame during the festival of NavratriPerformance
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaPanguni UthiramPaṅkuṉi Uttiram
A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating divine weddings and the virtues of married lifeSpiritual
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaWeddings in India
Weddings across India, each shaped by faith, region and familyRite of passage
🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoruwa ceremony
A Sinhalese wedding rite held on a decorated wooden platform called a PoruwaRite of passage
🇮🇱 Safed, Israel and 5 moreHakafotהַקָּפוֹת
Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat TorahSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 4 moreTorah readingקריאת התורה
The public reading of the Torah scroll in synagogue, chanted to a special tuneSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBachelor party
A send-off for a groom-to-be, kept in the days and weeks before a weddingRite of passage
🇱🇹 Lithuania and 1 moreLithuanian folk songsliaudies dainos
Songs of love, weddings, work and war, sung in unison or in harmony across LithuaniaPerformance
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreKorovaiкоровай (Ukrainian), каравай (Russian)
A round wedding bread of Eastern Europe, baked with songs and shared by all the guestsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 7 moreHorahoră (Romanian), хоро (Bulgarian), оро (Macedonian), הורה (Hebrew)
A circle dance from Southeast Europe, danced at weddings and festivalsPerformance
🇵🇦 Las Tablas, Panama and 2 morePollera
A handmade skirt and outfit worn in Panama, Bolivia and Peru, and a marker of identityDress
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
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