Wedding traditions all over the world African Wedding Traditions Africa is a large and varied continent containing

some of the oldest civilizations on earth. It is home to a wide diversity of religions and cultures, and this colorful diversity is reflected in its diverse and colorful weddings traditions. If any one wedding tradition might be said to be indicative of the African continent it would be the importance of family. An African wedding is, more than anything, the bringing together of two people as a single family, or the combining of two families or even the mixture of two tribes into one family unit. The concept of family is one of the unifying ideas of the African continent. There are more than 1,000 cultural units in Africa and each culture, each tribe has its own wedding and marriage traditions, many of which can trace their origins back hundreds or even thousands of years. There are also many different religions represented in Africa. Many northern Africans, especially, have been influenced by Muslim traditions, while further south there are more Christian, Hindu, and even Jewish traditions interspersed with more ancient traditions. In many places in Africa young girls are trained to be good wives from an early age. They may even learn secret codes and secret languages that allow them to talk with other married women without their husbands understanding what is being said. Depending on which part of Africa you are in, wedding ceremonies can be extremely elaborate, some lasting many days. Often huge ceremonies are held during which many couples are united at the same time. In Sudan and in other areas along the Nile a man must pay his wifes family in sheep or cattle for the loss of their daughters labor in support of the family. A wife may cost a man as many as 30 to 40 head of cattle. Often it is difficult to pay the family yet still have enough cattle left to support his new wife. In Somalia a man is allowed to have as many as four wives if he can support them all, and it is not uncommon for a girl to be engaged before she is even born. Bright festive colors, song, dance, and music are vital elements of many African wedding ceremonies. Common to all wedding ceremonies is the concept of transitioning between childhood and adulthood. In many African cultures children are encouraged to marry as young as 13 to 15 years of age, as soon as they have reached physical adulthood. Divorce is rare in African marriages. Problems in a marriage are often discussed with both families and solutions found. Often entire villages join in to help a couple find solutions to their problems and keep a marriage from failing. Marriage is sacred the world over, and that is definitely true in Africa, no matter which region or which culture you come from, and no matter what your religious beliefs. In fact, many cultures have a special totem that is designed to remind a couple that cultural and tribal differences must be allowed for in order to make a marriage succeed. Wedding Traditions in Asia There is something inherently mysterious and romantic about Asiathe mysterious Far East. And when it comes to weddings, the rich diversity of Asian cultures, traditions and religions makes for a wide variety of colorful and fascinating wedding customs. In the land of the rising sun In Japan, for instance, purple is the color of love and a young bride may choose to wear an elaborately-embroidered silk kimono covered in purple iris-flowers. Weddings are traditionally either Shinto, during which the natural spirits, the kami, are called upon to bless the couple, or it might be a

Buddhist ceremony during which two strings of beads are interwoven, symbolizing the joining of two families into one. The dragon and the phoenix Chinese traditions held that the gift of a whole roast pig given by the grooms family to the brides family was an appropriate engagement gift. The traditional wedding gown in China is bright red, symbolizing luck for the new couple. Chinese bridal gowns are traditionally adorned with elaborate golden phoenixes, chrysanthemums and peonies, symbols of wealth and good fortune. The groom traditionally wears a black silk coat over a robe embroidered with a dragon, and you can expect loud firecrackers at a Chinese wedding to scare off evil spirits. The reception that goes on and on... In Indonesia it is not uncommon for more than 1,000 guests to be invited to the wedding reception and it is customary for the bride and the groom to greet each guest in a long receiving line before the reception festivities can begin. May good fortune always be yours. In Korea it is traditional for a fortune-teller, known as a kunghap, to look into the couples future before they are married in order to see if they will live harmoniously together. A harmonious union is very important since the engagement gifts alone for a traditional Korean wedding can cost upwards of $40,000. A three-day wedding ceremony. An early Filipino custom required the groom to throw a spear into the front steps of his intended-brides home. This was a dramatic symbol to everyone that she had been spoken for. Today this tradition has been replaced with a gold engagement ring. Today the majority of Filipino weddings are Catholic, but in days gone by a Filipino wedding lasted three days, with ceremonies performed each day until the third day when the couple joined hands and declared their love for each other three times and their hands were bound together with a chord and the priest declared them married. The journey of a lifetime begins with milk and water. In India and other countries with a Hindu culture it is considered bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other for several days before the wedding. As part of the marriage ceremony the brides parents wash the couples feet with milk and water as a symbol of purifying them for the journey of their new life together. As part of the ceremony the couple holds in their hands grains of rice and oats and green leaves, signifying wealth, good health and happiness. Many cultures, many traditions with but a single goal: to unite two hearts into one. Many Asian cultures, many traditions, but all are centered around the basic concept of a new beginning, a new journey down the path of life together, hand in hand, filled with love and a new commitment of two hearts joined forever as one. Middle Eastern Wedding Traditions The Middle East contains some of the oldest civilizations on Earth, and so it is little wonder that many of their wedding traditions have been passed down for several centuries. While we must bear in mind that there are as many different traditions and customs as there are different peoples in the Middle East, it is also apparent that the region has a flavor that permeates all of the cultures of the region. The engagement party is the first in a string of five wedding festive weddings celebrations. In many parts of the Middle East it is common for five different parties to be thrown for the wedding ceremony. It starts with the engagement party. The bride and groom invite family and friends and a festive party is thrown, with special foods and much dancing and singing and happy music. Engagement parties can go on late into the night. During the party the bride often changes her dress up to five times.

The signing of the marriage contract is cause for even greater celebration. The second party takes place on the day the bride and groom go to the courthouse and sign their marriage contract. Again family and friends are invited and there is much celebration, much music and dancing and song. Once again, it is customary for the bride to change her dress as often as five times during the party. The Hena party is to ward off any evil spirits and to ensure the happiness of the new couple. The third party takes place one day before the wedding and is second only in size to the party on the wedding day itself. This third party is named the Hena party. The word Hena might sound familiar; Its a dye that is used to make special tattoos to the hands and feet of the bride, especially, to ward off evil spirits. This is also the party at which the grinding takes place. In many parts of the Middle East the bride and groom are seated while several unmarried girls hold a white cloth on their heads. The grinding girl then grinds together two lumps of sugar above the couples heads while asking God (Allah) to repel all evil spirits from the young couples life. It is traditional for the bride to wear a green dress at the Hena party and the party traditionally continues until dawn on the day of the wedding. The wedding reception and the five almond pieces. Following the wedding itself, at which the bride and groom exchange wedding rings it is thought, by the way, that the wedding ring originated in the Middle East there is the biggest party of them all. This wedding party is very similar to the receptions following U.S. and European weddings, with speeches, and much dancing and singing and traditional Middle Eastern music. Very often each guest is given five almond pieces, each almond piece symbolizing one of the five sacred wedding wishes: health, happiness, wealth, fertility and longevity. The wedding shower. The final party takes place 7 days after the marriage. In Arabic it is called Sabaa, which means Seven. In many ways the Sabaa party is equivalent to a wedding shower in the U.S. or Europe. The Sabaa is held at the home of the brides mother and only women attend. The bring the bride presents and the brides mother traditionally gives her daughter gold or diamonds. While these customs or slight variations of them are common in many places in the Middle East, they are in no way universal. The Middle East is composed of many different cultures and each culture has its own rich and varied traditions. But one thing is universal in all Middle Eastern weddings, and that is the sense of joy and celebration that is universally expressed at the beginning of a young couples new life together. Wedding Traditions in the Baltic Marriage traditions have change a great deal over the centuries in most of the Baltic countries. For example, in the 16th century the minimum age for marriage through much of the Baltic region was 14 for boys and 13 for girls. Today the legal age for marriage without parental consent ranges between 18 and 21, depending on the country. Today young couples from large cities often opt for an American or British-style of wedding, but in the rural country areas the more traditional ceremonies are still observed. The fathers blessing must be obtained before the marriage can proceed. Young men, for example, often ask a friend or a relative to discretely discover if a young woman is likely to say Yes to a proposal before he actually asks the question. If word comes back that the young lady is inclined to say yes, then the young man will go to the girls father and ask for his daughters hand in marriage. If the father agrees and the

young woman actually does say Yes when the proposal is made, then the wedding may proceed. A young couple who get married with the blessing of the girls father can expect no dowry, no inheritance and no help of any kind from the brides parents. An important part of the engagement in much of the Baltic is the buying and exchanging of the engagement rings and silk scarves. In some parts of the Baltic the exchange of the engagement rings is considered a binding legal agreement to go forward with the wedding. The publishing of the marriage Banns Once the girl agrees to the marriage the marriage banns, or proposal, must be published and posted at the local church where the wedding is to be held and the priest announces the engagement to the congregation. Traditionally an engagement in the Baltic area is six months. Very often the bride-to-be spent a week at the grooms parents home, helping with the cooking and the cleaning and the housework so that the grooms mother could see if she would make a fit wife for her son. A hundred years ago it was customary for the bride to wear a black wedding dress in much of the Baltic region, but today brides wear a white dress and a veil, often with a small silver crown. In a traditional wedding it is often customary for the bride and groom to be seated during the ceremony and for the bridesmaids to hold a either a red ir a white canopy above the heads of the young couple. At the conclusion of the ceremony the young couple exchange wedding rings and there is the traditional kissing of the bride, during which the young couple exchange portions of their souls. And then we feast! The feast following the wedding is a time for rejoicing. There is a great deal of music, dancing, and toasting of the new couple. In many parts of the Baltic a wedding feast would last for as long as eight hours. Traditionally the first dance is danced by the bride and groom and is followed by all of the single men dancing with the bride; often there is a token payment for the dance with the money used for the bride and grooms honeymoon. Often there is also a collection for the village poor as well. On the second day following the wedding it was sometimes customary for the young bride to be seated and to have a small child placed in her lap. She was then told to make one of her own. The answer isromance! During the 60s and 70s many young couples in the Baltic opted for a civil wedding without all the trappings of ancient custom, but recently there has been a revival of the ancient traditions even in the cities. Why the revival of old traditions and customs? There are many guesses. Perhaps the answer is as simple as a revival of romance! Scandinavian Wedding Traditions Traditionally Scandinavians dont like to rush into marriage. Marriage is a serious business and in many parts of Scandinavia an engagement may last three or even four years, allowing plenty of time for the couple to get to know each other, to see each other at their best and at their worst. The Gates of Honor Many of the wedding traditions in the Scandinavian countries go back hundreds of years. In Denmark, for example, it is traditional for an arch of pine branches to be built in front of the brides home. This arch is known as the Gates of Honor. At the wedding reception in Denmark it is traditional for the groom to disappear during part of the ceremony so that all the unmarried young men can kiss the bride and then it is the brides turn to disappear while all the single girls kiss the groom. To insure good luck and to ward off evil spirits it is required that a Danish couple cut their wedding cake together, the

new husband and wife holding the knife together, and then for each wedding guest to eat a slice of cake. Crowning the next bride-to-be In Finland it is tradition for the bride-to-be to walk from house to house with a pillowcase to collect her wedding presents. While she walks from house to house an older, married man walks beside her, holding an umbrella or parasol over her head as a symbol of protection and shelter. It is also traditional for a bride in Finland to wear a golden crown and during the wedding reception she is blindfolded and spun around while all the unmarried girls dance around her the one she places the crown on will be the next to marry! Two pine trees the symbol of fertility When a couple is married in Norway their friends and neighbors plant two small pine tries on either side of their young couples front door as a symbol of fertility. Also, a Norwegian bride wears a silver crown in silver charms hanging all around it. As she walks the charms tinkle, making a beautiful music sound which wards off evil spirits which love to cause havoc with newlyweds. Gold and silver coins so the bride will never be without In Sweden mother of the bride traditionally presents her daughter with a gold coin to be placed in her right shoe and her father gives her a silver coin for her left shoe. In this way they hope to ensure that their daughter will never be poor. When a girl in Sweden is engaged it is customary for her to receive an engagement ring. Then, during the wedding ceremony the brides husband slips the wedding ring onto his new brides finger plus he slips a ring of motherhood onto her finger as well meaning that a Swedish wife will wear three golden rings. While the details may vary from one country to another, many customs and traditions are the same. Throughout all of Scandinavia there is some fertility custom that goes along with all marriage ceremonies, a recognition that the purpose of marriage is not to be a couplebut to become a family. Eastern European Wedding Traditions Eastern Europe has many ancient and colorful wedding traditions that go back hundreds of years. Many of these traditions have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years as many younger couples are looking for more traditional soil in which to plant the roots of their family trees. May you be blessed with long life, prosperity, happiness and fertility Many Eastern European wedding traditions concern long life, fertility and happiness and prosperity. In Czechoslovakia, for example, the brides friends would often plant a tree in her yard and decorate it with ribbons and brightly-painted egg shells. The belief was that the bride would live as long as the tree. Traditionally an infant would be laid on the couples wedding bed as a symbol of fertility. After the ceremony the young couple would traditionally break plates and the more pieces the plates broke into the more successful their marriage would be. In Hungary a new bride wore an elaborate headdress at her wedding in which was woven strands of wheat as a symbol of fertility. Also a new bride would be presented with an egg. By smashing it she would insure the health of her future children. Traditionally the new bride would present her husband with a gift of seven scarves, seven being a lucky number and signifying her desire for a long and happy marriage. A wedding tradition in Poland holds that the parents of the couple present them with rye bread sprinkled with salt and a glass of wine. The bread symbolizes hope that the couple will never go hungry, the salt symbolizes that life will have its difficulties, and the wine is a blessing for health and happiness.

Starting life together on the right foot Just before her wedding a Bulgarian bride will toss a dish filled with wheat, coins and a raw egg over her head. If the dish breaks it signifies good luck to come. It is also a sign of future happiness if the bride and groom each step into the church with the right foot first. At the reception the brides mother throws flowers in the path of the newlyweds to insure their future health, happiness and purity, and the grooms mother feeds the couple sweet honeyed cakes to insure their long and sweet marriage. In the country of Croatia custom dictates that following the ceremony all of the wedding guests circle the well at the church three times to signify the Holy Trinity and then each guest throws an apple into the well to insure the fertility of the new couple. Marriage is so important in Romania that young girls start planning their wedding day as young as aged six, when they begin collecting the treasures to fill their wedding trousseau. But what sets an Eastern European wedding apart from all others is the music and songs and the dancing. Weddings are a time to celebrate, to look forward with hope and courage and love. Weddings in Eastern Europe, as everywhere, symbolize the human spirit as nothing else can. Violins and lively gypsy music fill the air as colorful costumes twirl across the dance floor in a never-ending kaleidoscope of joy and happiness for all the world to witness. North American Wedding Traditions North American wedding traditions are among the most flexible and varied in all the world. North America encompasses many cultures and many wedding traditions. Mexican wedding traditions have been influenced by Spain, France, and by their own ancient and rich cultural traditions stretching as far back as the Aztecs. The melting-pot wedding traditions in the United States have been influenced by virtually every country and every culture on Earth, making for a rich and varied amalgam of traditions. Canadian traditions have been influenced strongly by both English traditions as well as French traditions. This makes North American Wedding traditions some of the most flexible and varied in all the world. No matter what your dream wedding may be, it is sure to find a welcome place in grand scheme of North American wedding Traditions. Two souls united in the lasso of love. In Mexico, for example, it is customary during the vows for a white ribbon or for a rosary, called a lasso, to be draped around the necks of the newlyweds to symbolize their joining together. It is also customary for the groom to present his wife with thirteen gold coins during the ceremony, symbolizing the grooms commitment to support his new wife. As the couple leaves the church it is customary for red beads to be tossed at them as a means of insuring the new couple good luck. At a Mexican wedding reception it is customary for the guests to form a heart-shaped circle around the wedding couple as they engage in their first dance as husband and wife. A paper mach? pi?ata, often shaped like a heart and filled with candy, is suspended from the ceiling and the children take turns swinging at it with a stick until it is broken and the candy is shared among all the guests. In Victorian times American brides customarily wore white gloves which were symbols of both modesty as well as a symbol of romance. Even today many brides wear white gloves as a romantic gesture. In the United States it is common for the couple to write their own wedding vows. Todays wedding ceremony in the United States can be a rather elaborate affair, especially among the affluent, but small backyard weddings are also common. No matter what the setting it is becoming more and more common for

American couples to write their own wedding vows, expressing their love and commitment for each other in their own words and expressing their own unique feelings. Traditionally wedding ceremonies in North America end with the couple exchanging wedding rings the circular ring, with no beginning and no end symbolizing ever-lasting love and the traditional wedding kiss, to seal their union in front of friends and family. As the newlyweds leave the ceremony tradition calls for rice to be tossed at the couple as a symbol of fertility. Wedding gifts are given to help the new couple establish their new home. Wedding gifts are also a customary North American wedding tradition. Wedding gifts are a way for friends and family to help the young couple set up their new home together and to help smooth the path of their new life together. North American wedding traditions embrace virtually any ethnic or cultural tradition practiced anywhere in the world. So no matter what the wedding of your dreams might look like, if you can envision it, you can realize it within the ideal of the North American wedding tradition. Western European Wedding Traditions Wedding traditions in Western Europe are as varied as the countries that make up the region from Ireland to Italy, fromPortugal to Switzerland and everything in between, the wonderful, colorful wedding traditions of Western Europe span almost a quarter of our world. The engagement ring one of the oldest of the Western European wedding traditions. One of the ancient traditions of Western Europe which is still going strong today is the idea of the engagement ring. It was way back in 860 A.D. that Pope Nicholas I proclaimed that not only was an engagement ring required to seal the agreement to be married, but that the engagement ring must be made of gold. The making of the ring out of gold signified that the groom was willing to make a financial sacrifice for his new bride-to-be. It would be another 617 years before the tradition of adding a diamond to an engagement ring would be started. It was in the year 1477 that King Maximilian presented the lovely Mary of Burgundy with a diamond engagement ring, and from that day to this a diamond has been a girls best friend. It was in Italy, the land of love, that gold wedding rings first became popular, and it was also in Italy that the tradition of the wedding cake was first begun when, in the first century B.C., a cake or bread was broken over the brides head to insure fertility. The tradition of the Best Man began in medieval Germany. It was in ancient Germany that the Western European tradition of a Best Man began. In olden days it was sometimes necessary for a man to kidnap his bride from a neighboring village and he needed his strongest friend (his Best Man) to help with the kidnapping and to stand by him at the wedding ceremony to fight off any relatives that might try to take her back. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. But it was in England that many of our most enduring Western European wedding traditions got their beginning. The ancient nursery rhyme about something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue is now an important part of most Western European weddings, even though many brides and grooms no longer know the significance of the rhyme. Something old is symbolic of continuity. The old item was often a piece of lace or a grandmothers scarf or an old piece of jewelry. Something new signifies hope for the future, and can be anything from a piece of clothing to the wedding band itself. Something borrowed is symbolic of future happiness

and is often provided by a happily married friend of the bride. And finally, something blue. In ancient times blue was the color of purity and often both the bride and the groom wore a band of blue cloth around the bottom of their wedding attire. It was the knights of yore who gave us the Western European tradition of the groom wearing a single flower. It was customary for a knight to wear a flower or a colorful handkerchief belonging to their lady fair when they entered a tournament. The tradition later evolved to the groom wearing a flower from his brides wedding bouquet. The white wedding gown was not a symbol of purity, but rather a symbol of joy. What wedding today would be complete without the white wedding gown? Prior to the 16th century, however, this most important Western European Wedding tradition was not common. It wasnt until Ann of Brittany popularized the white wedding dress in 1499 that the tradition became part of Western European wedding culture. During the Tudor period in England it became customary for the wedding party to throw old shoes at the bride and grooms carriage; if the carriage was struck by a shoe it was considered a symbol of good fortune to follow. From this old Western European wedding custom was born the tradition of typing shoes to the back of the broom and brides car. And finally it is time for the groom to carry his new bride across the threshold. And finally, what wedding tradition would be complete with the groom carrying his new bride over the threshold of their home? This Western European tradition began with two beliefs. The first one was that if the bride were to trip or stumble as she entered her new home (as she crossed her new threshold for the first time) bad luck would plague the marriage. The second belief was that evil spirits inhabited the threshold of a new couples home and that if the bride stepped on the threshold the evil spirits would enter through her feet and the marriage would be doomed. The romantic answer, of course, was for the groom to carry his new bride across the threshold. Western European wedding traditions have come down to us from many countries and many cultures to blend together seamlessly into the romantic wedding traditions that we know and cherish today. Central American Wedding Traditions The central theme of all Central American wedding traditions is family. Family is at the center of Central American life and family is at the center of all Central American wedding traditions. The more the merrier at a Central American wedding. Weddings in Central America tend to be large, boisterous, happy affairs, filled with friends and familychildren are always welcomed with open arms at a Central American wedding. In the beautiful country of Belize, on the Eastern side of Central America, weddings are a very joyous occasion. Fiends and family fill the church while the rest of the villagers peer in through the doors and windows, anxious not to miss a moment. While the groom and his best man stand at the alter, the bride waits outside the church until the moment of her grand entrance. Unlike a more sedate North American wedding, the bride may waltz or strut or dance to the alter, accompanied by her father or another male member of the family. As is true almost the world over, at the conclusion of a Belize wedding ceremony (almost always Catholic) the bride and groom exchange rings, the universal symbol of never-ending love, and then kiss to seal their union before family and friends. In Guatemala, where family means everything, it is common for girls to marry quite young and to have many children. It is important for everyone, from the youngest baby to the oldest grandparent or great grandparent to attend a wedding.

Flowers are everywhere and there is much dancing and singing and happy, joyous music everywhere. In a traditional Guatemalan wedding it is customary for the bride and groom to be bound together with a silver rope symbolizing their eternal union. It is also common for the bride and her bridesmaids and her flower girls to all wear matching white wedding gowns. About 40% of all weddings in Guatemala are Mayan, and follow ancient Mayan customs and traditions. Flowers are everywhere at a Guatemalan wedding, and the ceremony is followed by much singing and dancing and rejoicing. Thirteen gold coins symbolize the grooms commitment to take care of his new bride. In Panama it is customary for the groom to give his new bride 13 gold coins during the ceremony and for the priest to bless the coins. The coins are a symbol of the grooms commitment to support his new bride. Ancient Mayan traditions blend with more modern Catholic wedding traditions to create a wedding ceremony that pleases everyone. Central America has a wonderful mixture of Catholic, Protestant and Mayan cultures and wedding customs, and it is seldom that one custom is free from the influence of the others. Catholic weddings in Central America routinely have aspects of Mayan traditions tossed in for good measure. But Weddings here, as everywhere, celebrate the joining of two people together as a family of their own, and celebrate the spirit of the continuation of life and the need to share ourselves with another. Wedding Traditions in the Caribbean Its time for a wedding, mon! While many Caribbean Island weddings borrow from the customs and traditions of the U.S. in their wedding ceremonies, the peculiar blend of African and European cultures which is found nowhere else in all the world give the Caribbean Islands a flavor all their own when it comes to wedding traditions. The bride and groom show off their finest clothes for the entire village. While customs vary from island to island, it is common for the bride and groom to dress in their finest clothes and to walk from either the brides house or the grooms house to the church while the church bells ring, announcing the wedding to the whole island. Typically everyone from the village lines the street to view the couple as they walk to the church and it is customary for onlooker to comment on the brides and grooms clothes. Traditionally guests were invited to the wedding by word-ofmouth, with only a few honored guests receiving handwritten invitations. However, a Caribbean Island wedding doesnt stand on ceremony, and anyone who shows up, invited or not, is welcome at the wedding. Theres no need for a best man at an Island wedding! There is no such thing as a best man at a Caribbean Island wedding. The brides father or often both of her parents escort her down the aisle with her face hidden by a veil. At the end of the ceremony, which is often a mixture of Catholic and Mayan and African, the groom lifts the veil and kisses his new bride to the cheering of family and friends. A Caribbean Island wedding reception can go on all night, with traditional steel-drum island music, lots and lots of sweet but potent rum punch, wild dancing and many toasts to the health and happiness of the new couple. Among the many wonderful hand-made gifts which are traditional at Caribbean weddings are exquisite hand-made quilts and home-made furniture. A typical wedding feast features curried goat and spicy chicken jerky The food at a typical island reception reflects the uniqueness of the Islands. Where else in the world would you find curried

goat, spicy chicken jerky, fried plantains and conch fritters at a wedding feast? The traditional wedding cake is a Black Cake with the recipe handed down from mother to daughter for many generations. An Island wedding cake is unique in all the world. Tradition calls for a Black Cake, with the recipe handed down from mother to daughter and improved upon by each succeeding generation. The basic ingredients of an Island wedding cake include a pound of flour, a pound of brown sugar, a pound of butter, and a pound of glazed cherries, raisins, prunes, currants, and a dozen fresh eggs. The cake is traditionally served with a Hard Rum Sauce and all of the dried fruits are soaked in rum in a crock pot for anywhere from two weeks to one year. After the reception the new couple often spend a week in seclusion in a home provided by the groom, or they may travel to a nearby island and spend a glorious week together before returning to their home to start their new life together. An Island wedding is one of the most happy and up-beat celebrations you will ever attend. Who can listen to the melodious and haunting sound of the steel drum without the romance of the tropics washing over their soul? Come, mon its time for a wedding! Wedding Traditions in the Pacific Islands Picture it. An endless white-sand beach with gently-swaying palms and the soft hiss of waves on the shore. The wind is warm and gentle and filled with the fragrance of exotic flowers. In the background colorful birds call to one another in a musical language all their own. Could anything be more colorful or more picturesque that a Pacific Island Wedding? In Fiji the groom is expected to present the brides father with a whale tooth. Presenting a whale tooth to the father of the bride represents his wealth and status. This is similar to the Western tradition where the groom shows his wealth by presenting a diamond ring to the bride. Regardless whether the ring has been bought in an old fashioned shop with smartly dressed attendants, 77-Diamonds or another website, or the ring has been inherited, the ring is still a special item. It is also part of Western tradition for the brides family to pay for the entire wedding, but this is rare to find these days. But in almost all wedding traditions, the groom is expected to ask the father of the bride for permission for her hand in marriage, which shows respect and care. Assuming a young Fiji man receives permission to marry from the brides father, the prospective groom is expected to prepare a lavish feast and to send it to the brides family. This is called the warming. Just before the wedding, it is tradition for the Fiji bride to be tattooed, a sign of beauty on the islands. And what Fiji wedding reception would be complete without the tradition drink of the islands, Kava. Kava is brewed from the crushed root of the native kava plant. At the reception there is much traditional music and dancing, with gifts exchanged between the brides and grooms families. One of the oldest traditions on the Hawaiian Islands is the flower lei. In Hawaii the wedding tradition calls for flowers. Flowers everywhere. The bride and groom are decked out in flower leis, which symbolize love and respect. Each flower lei consists of 40 to 50 fresh flowers strung on a colorful ribbon and are one of the oldest symbols of Hawaiian culture. Both the bride and the groom dress in pure white, with the groom wearing either a red sash or a black cloth belt tied around his waist. No Hawaiian wedding would be complete without the Hawaiian Wedding Song, and it is customary for the brides

and grooms Hawaiian names to be engraved upon their gold wedding bands. In the Philippine Islands the witnesses are responsible for seeing to it that the ancient wedding traditions are observed. In the Philippine Islands ancient rituals and traditions are still observed. During the ceremony, which is attended by all of the brides and grooms family and friends, the witnesses, or sponsors, are responsible for many of the wedding traditions. The first tradition calls for the pinning of the brides veil to the grooms shoulder, symbolizing that the couple is now clothed as one. Following that a pure white cord is draped around the couples necks to symbolize the ever-lasting bond which now binds them together. Next, three candles are lit. The bride lights one candle, the groom lights another, and together the bride and groom light the Unity Candle, the candle which signifies their union as husband and wife. The final Philippine wedding tradition calls for the groom to present his bride with thirteen gold coins which have been blessed by the priest. The thirteen coins are a symbolic promise of faithfulness and prosperity. The Philippine wedding reception is a time of joy, laughter, music and dance. The traditional dance is the Pandango, which is often danced non-stop for hours at a time. Traditionally guests pin money to the brides dress during the dance to help pay for the honeymoon. Often there is a birdcage decorated as a wedding bell and filled with white doves. The bride and groom release the doves as a symbol of their going off together in peace and love. Though the traditions may be different, though the customs may vary, no matter where you go the tradition of marriage remains true. It is a joyful joining to two lives, celebrated the world over for the miracle that it truly is. Wedding Customs in Oceania Oceania primarily refers to Australia and New Zealand, two of the most remote countries in the world, yet two of the most exciting and vibrant countries on earth as well. Both New Zealand and Australia are members of the British Commonwealth and so they have borrowed many of their wedding traditions from Great Britain although they have been flavored by the traditions of the native populations of both nations. In Australia a wedding keepsake bible is handed down from generation to generation. The white wedding dress has been traditional in Australia for many centuries and is still popular today, symbolizing hope and joy for the future. It is traditional in Australia to give the bride a groom a keepsake bible as a wedding gift. Marriage bibles are treasured family heirlooms and are often passed down from generation to generation. Traditionally Australian weddings include all members of the brides as well as the grooms families. Family squabbles and differences are traditionally set aside on this special day so that the newlyweds can be blessed with a happy and joyous start along the road of their new lives together. Most Australian wedding traditions have been borrowed from England, but it is also common for Scottish and Irish wedding ceremonies to be performed in Australia, and many ceremonies are also flavored with Aboriginal customs. One thing that never changes, however, is the exchange of rings at the conclusion of the ceremony. The wedding ring, a perfect circle with no beginning and no ending, symbolizes never-ending love in Australia just as it does in most of the rest of the world. An Australian wedding reception is apt to feature a wide range of music, everything from traditional English and American music to bagpipes and even the haunting melody of the Aboriginal didgeridoo.

In New Zealand it is considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. The wedding tradition in New Zealand calls for a lavish church wedding, a white-gowned bride and all the bridesmaids. The groom wears dark pants and a white shirt and dark coat and he is flanked by his best man and his groomsmen. It is considered bad luck for the groom to see his bride on the day of the wedding before she walks down the aisle. An additional aspect of a New Zealand wedding is the incorporation of traditional Maori wedding customs. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand and their customs and traditions are held in high esteem by many New Zealanders. Maori wedding traditions are often incorporated into the New Zealand wedding ceremony. Maori wedding tradition includes the ceremonial Powhiri welcome to the bride and the groom, and may include the traditional warrior challenge. Often a New Zealand wedding is conducted by a Maori tribal elder and at the conclusion of the ceremony the couple is blessed in the Maori language. And no Maori-flavored Oceania wedding would be complete without the infinity loops placed around the necks of the bride and the groom, symbolizing never-ending love. It doesnt matter if you are at the top of the world or if you are in the very heart of the land down under, weddings bring out the best in everyone and call for joyous celebration the world over. In Oceania the traditions are a beautiful mix of the new with the ancient, creating a wedding experience that is unique to this very special corner of the world down under. Wedding Traditions in South America Chile A traditional Chilean wedding custom calls for the couple getting married to exchange wedding rings when the engagement proposal takes place. Until the wedding vows at their marriage ceremony, the couple will wear their wedding bands on their right hands. Once they have become man and wife the rings are switched to their left hands. Argentina Bridesmaids, a maid of honor, or a best man have never been part of a traditional wedding in Argentina. The mother of the groom, and the father of the bride escort the couple getting married down the church aisle, and then stand beside them through the wedding ceremony. It is an Argentinean wedding tradition for the couple to exchange their wedding rings at the engagement, and not during the marriage vows. Venezuela Family is very important in Venezuela, and the groom is expected to ask the permission of his prospective father-inlaw before proposing. A civil ceremony will take place two weeks before the religious service, at which the couple are officially married. A reception follows both events, but the religious wedding ceremony is the bigger celebration. During a traditional wedding ceremony in Venezuela, the families of the bride and groom will exchange 13 gold coins, to symbolize prosperity and good fortune. The coins are known as arras. These may also be exchanged between the couple themselves. In Venezuela, it is traditional for newlyweds to sneak away from their own wedding reception without saying good-bye. This is considered to bring good luck to the union.