9 Bizarre Wedding Traditions From Around The World

When it comes to wedding traditions, the world has had its fair share of weird, quirky, wild, fun, odd, and wacky ways we all celebrate love. We wanted to switch things up and bring you a fun list of 9 bizarre wedding traditions from 9 countries worldwide.

Blackening The Bride + Groom: A Scottish Tradition

In some regions of Scotland, there's an old tradition called 'blackening' where wedding guests cover the bride and groom in a mix of feathers, flour, and other messy substances to 'blacken' the bride with dirt before parading them through their local town. Why on earth would anyone openly want this, we hear you ask? Well, it's pretty simple: this tradition was designed to prepare the couple for all the hardships and adversities they'll face throughout their marriage.

Hide The Finest Table Settings: Breaking Dishes In Germany

There's a German wedding tradition that is also used in Polish, Swiss, and Austrian weddings called a Polterabend. A Polterabend tradition is where guests gather to break porcelain dishes the night before the wedding. There are two reasons behind this tradition; the first is the age-old German phrase 'Shards bring luck,' which is an expression that refers to the shards in the unbroken clay pots of pottery makers. The second reason for this tradition is for what comes afterward; the couple must clean up the mess together to showcase their ability to work together as a team in the face of messy challenges.

Bridenapping: The Romanian Tradition of Kidnapping The Bride

In something we'd consider Liam Neeson's worst nightmare (and the next movie sequel for Taken), Romanian wedding traditions include the kidnapping of the bride. This is a playful tradition where the groom's friends and family will 'kidnap' the bride during the newly married couple's wedding reception. As part of this tradition, once the bride has been kidnapped, the groom will then have to negotiate her freedom by performing tasks like paying a ransom or singing and dancing to get he back.

This is intended as a lighthearted and playful event and not a real abduction, but we must stress: please consider how the bride or groom may take this before considering anything like this.

Foot Bashing: Beating Feet in South Korea

Another odd wedding tradition is known as 'Falaka' in South Korea. In this ritual, the groom's feet are tied together, and his friends beat his feet using sticks or dead fish. It is intended as a 'fun' yet painful way to test the groom's strength and endurance for the marriage he is about to enter.

Toasty: Breaking Bred in Russia

At weddings in Russia (and also Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland), you'll frequently find a type of bread called 'Korovai' steeped in tradition. This Korovai bread is round and decorated with suns, moons, birds, animals, and flowers. The bread is prepared at the bride's home by women in her family and bridal party, who will sing traditional songs to guide them through baking the bread. Once made, the bread is then broken over the bride's head to symbolise fertility and prosperity. During the celebration, the guests all share the bread.

Keep A Straight Face: Anti-Smiles In Congo

One of Congo's wedding traditions is that the bride and groom must remain emotionless throughout the ceremony. Smiling, laughing, joking, or joyous expressions signal to the world that the bride and groom do not take their marriage seriously.

Bridal Tears: The Crying Ritual in China

The Tujia people in China have a population of 8 million and one bizarre wedding tradition—the crying ritual. In this ritual, the bride is expected to cry every single day for an entire month before her wedding. But wait, there's more: from the tenth day, the bride's mother must join the bride in her daily crying ritual, while later on, the bride's grandmother and other female relatives will also join in.

This Tujia crying ritual is seen as an expression of joy. Each woman who joins in is expected to cry in a different tone from the others to create a harmony or song of crying.

Watch Out: Spitting On The Bride In Kenya

In the culture of the Maasai people in Kenya, there's a tradition where the father of the bride must spit on his daughter's head and chest as a blessing. While this would be incredibly offensive in many other countries worldwide, among the Maasai people, spitting is considered a sign of good luck.

Down The Drain: Drinking Trash in France

We've left the worst for last, and we're ending on a really trashy note: an old wedding tradition in France was known as 'La Soupe,' in which French newlyweds had to drink a mixture of trash, alcohol, and leftover food…out of a toilet bowl.

Yep, like we said, we're ending on a trashy note. With that said, these days, it's become a symbolic gesture where the contents of a bowl (regular bowl, not the toilet variety) are more palatable and not junk or rubbish.