A wedding is a threshold, and nearly every culture treats thresholds as dangerous and hopeful at once.
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A wedding is a threshold, and nearly every culture treats thresholds as dangerous and hopeful at once. So couples are showered with rice, tied with threads, guarded from the evil eye, handed bread and salt, or sent over a broom. This page follows the luck customs of the wedding day and what each one is meant to do.
Luck customs split into those that call something in and those that keep something out. Rice, petals, coins, sweets and flowers are thrown or offered to bring plenty and children. Noise, red cloth, kohl, a black dot on the cheek, iron, salt and bells are used to drive off envy or spirits, because a bride and groom in their finest clothes are thought to attract the evil eye. Many customs do both at once, such as the Chinese firecracker that is loud for luck and for protection.
Bread and salt in Poland, Russia and Ukraine offer a household that will never go hungry. The horseshoe hung over an Irish or English door, the Scottish sixpence in the shoe, the lucky silver coin, the Welsh lovespoon and the Italian sugared almonds (confetti) all hand the couple a small object to keep. In India a thread, a mangalsutra or a pair of toe rings marks the married woman and is also a protection. Colour matters too: red for luck in India, China and Vietnam, white for purity in the West, and yellow turmeric for blessing and cooling.
Superstitions often concern what could go wrong: rain on the day, a groom seeing the bride's dress before the ceremony, a broken mirror, a cat crossing the path, or a bride wearing pearls. Rain is welcome in many places, as a sign of fertility in parts of Hindu and Western tradition. Breaking something, a glass at a Jewish wedding or plates at a Greek one, turns a moment of fear into one of joy. Families usually treat these as play, and few will insist on them, but many couples still keep one or two.
Today the old logic is often kept as ritual and photograph. Rice has given way to petals, bubbles or dried lavender in venues that ban it, and the something old, something new rhyme is followed by couples who never think of it as a charm. Even so, mothers and grandmothers still tie the thread, hang the lemon and chilli, or slip the coin into a pocket, and most couples accept it with affection.
At many Hindu weddings the mother-in-law or an aunt puts a black dot of kajal behind the bride's ear, and the couple's wrists are tied with a sacred thread (kalava or mauli). Rice is poured into the bride's hands and thrown over the groom as a blessing of plenty.
Evil eye, being writtenAt a mehndi night, a plate of henna and lit lamps is carried to the bride, and a black thread or a pinch of kohl is often used to guard the couple. Coins and sweets are waved around the heads of bride and groom and given away, a custom called sadqa, to take the evil eye with them.
Read: MehndiRice grains, coins and flower petals are showered on the couple as they leave the church, and a pair of white doves is released at many weddings. The aras, thirteen coins blessed by the priest, are handed from groom to bride as a promise of provision.
Read: Las arrasRed is the colour of luck, so the bride wears red, firecrackers are lit, and the symbol of double happiness is cut in paper and pasted on doors. Families pick the day and hour from the almanac, and in some places a bride steps over a basin of burning charcoal to enter the new home.
Read: Double HappinessThe Shinto bride may wear the white hood tsunokakushi, and the couple share three cups of sake three times in the san-san-kudo, an act of union and blessing. Gifts and envelopes are tied with a mizuhiki knot that cannot be undone, for a marriage that will not be untied.
San-san-kudo, being writtenThe groom's family brings a horn of wine, and the wedding supra is led by a tamada who proposes toasts to the couple, ancestors and the future. A newlywed bride in some regions is welcomed at the new house with honey and bread.
Supra, being written
Jumping the broomThe couple step over a broom.
Bread and saltThe Slavic welcome for the couple.
HandfastingThe tying of the couple's hands.
Double HappinessThe Chinese wedding character.Also part of it, and being written: Evil eye (The belief that envy harms, and the charms against it.), Something old (The English rhyme of four lucky items.), Breaking glass (The Jewish breaking of a glass at the close.), Rice throwing (Grain as a wish for plenty.).
Rice is a sign of plenty and many children in the traditions that use it, from India to Europe. Some venues now ask for petals or bubbles instead because rice can be slippery and hard to clean.
It is a Western custom, tied to the days of arranged marriages when the couple might not have met. Many couples now meet for photographs first, and no one in the family usually minds.
It is the belief, found from Greece and Turkey through the Middle East to India, that envy can bring harm. Blue beads, black dots, red thread and salt are used to guard the couple.
In many cultures, including some Hindu, Irish and Western traditions, rain is said to bring fertility and good fortune. Others treat it as a bad sign, so it depends on whom you ask.
No. Most families see them as a way of including relatives and remembering the past. Many couples choose a few that mean something to them and leave the rest.
Written by the EveryShaadi 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.
🇨🇱 Santiago, Chile and 3 moreCueca
A courtship dance from Chile and the Andes where couples trace circles with handkerchiefs to reenact a rooster and hen.Performance · The eve
🇲🇦 MoroccoAhidusⴰⵃⵉⴷⵓⵙ (aḥidous)
A collective Berber dance from Morocco performed in circles or lines to celebrate unity and victory.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇰🇭 Cambodia and 4 moreRomvongរាំវង់ (Khmer)
A circular folk dance across Southeast Asia where couples hold hands and step in time with drums.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreLa víbora de la mar
A wedding game where the couple stands on chairs while guests form a snake to test their unity.Play · Reception, dance and gifts
🇵🇸 Ramallah, Palestine and 4 moreDabkeدبكة
A Levantine line dance performed at weddings to celebrate union and community.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇱 IsraelSeudat nissuinSeudat nissuin (סעודת נישואין)
The Jewish wedding meal blessed with wine and bread, followed by seven days of celebration.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSevillanas
A traditional Andalusian folk dance performed by couples at weddings and local festivals in Spain.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, IndiaBhangra
A vigorous Punjabi folk dance performed to the beat of a dhol drum during harvest celebrations.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreKenduri
A communal feast and prayer gathering held by Javanese and Malay communities to mark life events.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇮🇱 IsraelMazel tovמזל טוב
The Jewish phrase said to congratulate someone on a happy occasion or good fortune.Blessing · The ceremony
🇵🇦 PanamaTamborito
A Panamanian courtship dance performed in a circle with drums and female chorusPerformance · The wedding feast
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 1 moreZuria
The ankle-length dress with woven hem bands worn by Tigrinya and Amhara women for weddings and holidays.Attire · The weeks before
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreKente clothnwentoma
Hand-woven silk and cotton strips from Ghana that mark weddings and graduationsAttire · The ceremony
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMizmarمزمار (mizmār)
A loud double reed instrument played at weddings and festivals across Egypt and the Levant.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreNoghlنقل (Persian) / نقل (Dari)
Sugar-coated almonds served at Iranian and Afghan weddings as a sweet treat and showered confetti.Feast custom · The wedding feast
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaArdahالعرضة
The men's group dance with swords and drums that marks weddings in the Arabian PeninsulaPerformance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇲🇰 Galičnik, North MacedoniaGaličnik Wedding FestivalГаличка свадба (Galička svadba)
A recreated traditional wedding in a North Macedonian village that turns a local rite into an annual festival.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay
A traditional line and circle dance performed across Turkey and surrounding regions at weddings.Performance · The ceremony
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 2 moreKransekakekransekage
A towering almond ring cake central to Scandinavian wedding and holiday traditions.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇵🇱 PolandSto lat
A Polish song sung to wish a person long life and good health at weddings and other gatherings.Performance · The wedding feast
🇮🇷 Shiraz, Iran and 5 moreUlulation
A high-pitched trilling sound made by women to celebrate weddings and share good news across many cultures.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreWaist beads
Strands of glass or seed worn around the hips to mark womanhood and track body changes in West and North Africa.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇹🇷 TurkeyHoronχορόν (Pontic Greek)
The fast shoulder-shimmying line dance of the Eastern Black Sea Region performed at weddings and festivalsPerformance · The wedding feast
🇰🇷 South KoreaHwarot활옷
The embroidered Korean gown worn by brides during the pyebaek ceremony.Attire · Reception, dance and gifts
🇦🇿 AzerbaijanAzerbaijani wedding traditionsAzərbaycanın toy adətləri
The multi-step family rituals of Azerbaijani weddings, from matchmaking to the henna night.Rite · Finding a match
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanShinto wedding神前結婚 (Shinzen kekkon)
A Shinto purification ritual featuring sake sharing and kimono attire held at a shrine or venue.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreKorovaiкоровай (Ukrainian), каравай (Russian), кравай (Bulgarian)
A large round braided bread shared at weddings to bless the couple and unite the community.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇫🇷 FranceGarter toss
The groom removes the bride's garter and tosses it to unmarried men at the reception.Play · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions
Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before
🇷🇺 RussiaLoving cup
A large shared drinking vessel with two handles used in Christian rites and weddingsFeast custom · The wedding feast
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali Muslim weddingবাঙালি মুসলিম বিয়ে
A multi-day Bengali Muslim marriage blending Islamic rites with local folk traditions.Rite · The weeks before
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreBread and salt
A traditional welcome offering of bread and salt to guests or newlyweds in Slavic, Baltic, and Balkan cultures.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or فرح or عرس
A series of family-centered rites and processions that mark marriage across the Arab world.Rite · Finding a match
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreDouble Happiness双喜 (shuāngxǐ)
The red calligraphy symbol made of two joy characters that marks Chinese wedding celebrations.Adornment · The weeks before
🇹🇴 Tonga and 2 moreTaʻovala
The woven pandanus mat worn around the waist for formal occasions and weddings in Tonga.Attire · The weeks before
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 moreKolachколач (kolach), калач (kalach), kołacz, colac, kalács
A braided or ring-shaped bread that marks weddings and major holidays across Eastern Europe.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSheva Brachotשבע ברכות
The seven blessings recited during Jewish weddings and the subsequent festive week.Blessing · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreCountry dance
A social partner dance from England where couples follow a caller through repeated figures in long lines or squares.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇹🇴 TongaLakalaka
A formal Tongan group dance where performers stand in rows and move their arms to express respect.Performance · The ceremony
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreWedding music
The songs and instruments that mark the arrival of the couple and set the mood for the celebration.Performance · The weeks before
🇷🇴 Romania and 7 moreHorahora (Romanian), horo (Bulgarian), oro (Macedonian), horah (Hebrew)
A circle dance held at weddings across Southeast Europe and among Jewish communities worldwide.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditionsРусская свадьба
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇦 UkraineTraditional Ukrainian weddingТрадиційне українське весілля
A multi-day sequence of folk rites, bread baking and church vows that marks the transition from maidenhood to married liRite · Finding a match
🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreAssyrian wedding
Marriage ceremonies blending ancient Assyrian rites with modern cultural practices among the Assyrian people.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran and 1 moreIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران
A multi-stage ceremony rooted in Zoroastrianism and Islam that binds families through courtship, feasts, and sacred vowsRite · Finding a match
🇦🇲 Armenia and 1 moreKochariՔոչարի
A circle dance from the Armenian Highlands that marks weddings and community gatherings.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreBadchenבּדחן (badkhn)
The Ashkenazi Jewish wedding entertainer and master of ceremonies who guides the couple through ritual stages with song Performance · Engagement and betrothal
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.