Marriage traditions

[Hercus Monte]

what sort of traditions and folk customs do you have in country?

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(and please lets not get into a debate about traditional and gay marriage. )

[Kazimiera]

Polterabend, which is held before the wedding. Guests smash porcelain items which the bride and groom have to sweep up together.




Sawing a log together just after the marriage to symbolise the first task they do together as a married couple.

[IamSamantha]

"Jumping the Broom" is used here in the US by African Americans, US Romanichal Gypsy and other populations. It signifies a healthy start to a marriage, but was also done in a sort of "handfast marriage" to signify a legitimate marriage. When I got married, I wanted to Jump the Broom, but I couldn't jump it per se since I had foot surgery a week before my wedding and was stuck in a walking boot, so I hobbled across it very carefully!

[LouisFerdinand]

In Finland, a tradition is for the bride-to-be to go from door to door with a pillowcase, to receive wedding gifts.

[Magnolia]

Nothing special...

[Mens-Sarda]

Polterabend, which is held before the wedding. Guests smash porcelain items which the bride and groom have to sweep up together.




Sawing a log together just after the marriage to symbolise the first task they do together as a married couple.

That of smashing porcelains happens also in Sardinia

Let's explain from the beginning :

1) Few days before the wedding the mothers of the wedding couple prepare the bed in their future house, the guests, expecially the children make a somersault on the bed and the mothers throw wheat as a good deed. During this afternoon the guests bring gifts or money for the couple. The money must usually be in an anonymous white envelope which is put in a basket on their bed. This use of giving money is called "Pònere sa Rosa" (to Put the Rose).

2) The wedding day, the future husband goes to pick up the bride to her home, while they are in the house, they kneel down and their mothers give them a blessing in Sardinian language, making the sign of the cross on their heads and throwing wheat in the air.

3) When the wedding couple comes out, all the women of the neighbourhood have dishes full of wheat, they throw the wheat in the air above the couple, when the wheat finishes they break the dishes on the ground (the wheat and the porcelain fragments are left on the ground for many days as a good deed), if a dish doesn't break, they throw it again until it's broken (an unbroken dish is considered a bad omen). When the dishes "ceremony" is finished they go to church, usually with a vintage car, along the way they are accompanied by a convoy of cars always honking until they arrive to the church.

4) The lunch, the wedding lunch is a real challenge, usually begins at 13:00 or 13:30 and could last for 4 or 5 hours depending from the number of the guests; the guests are usually several hundreds. For example at my cousin's wedding there were 700 guests, the restaurant was full in every possible place, there were tables in the garden, around the pool, in the hall, in the balconies. When there are so many guests and the service begins to slower, the friends of the newlywed begin to make noise hitting the dishes with forks and knives, or beating the feet on the ground. After the "lunch" finishes the party continues with singing and dancing almost til dawn.

[catgeorge]

Mine was traditional Sarakatsaniko wedding.. it lasts for seven days (apparently a very ancient tradition)

Day one - In the house of the groom throw yeast in the house
Day two - the groom spends the day with father or uncle or next elder must be at least 24 hours
Day three - the women spend the day together and sow together the flamboura (which is a symbol/flag) of Saraktsanoi
Day four - The bride grabs the yeast from day one and implements in new house (a symbol of making the household grow and health)
Day five -
- the groom is completely shaven and has a small party with his closest family and friends that goes to early in the morning
- the bride wears the traditional costume of the groom mother
- the bride with her family and friends walk in the house and spend the night together
- when full laws are met the groom spends the night with the in laws (alone)
- the night by laws must be passed singing, dancing (and drinking wine)
- Day Six
- the best man visits the bride with sister/cousin etc but not mother and passes the veil and wedding outfit to the bride
- the bride accepts gifts from grooms parents (never money, but more symbolic like sweets and wine)
Once all the laws are succesfully completed.

All day (literally at least 18 hours) we do this.

[LouisFerdinand]

In place of a traditional wedding cake, an English reception features an elaborate fruitcake made from cherries, nuts, and other sweet ingredients.