The same wedding idea in 16 places, grouped by region. Each entry is a short portrait; follow the link for the full tradition.
Hindu couples take the saptapadi, seven steps round the sacred fire, which completes the marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act 1955. Marriages can also be registered under the Special Marriage Act 1954, which lets people of different faiths marry without conversion.
Read: SaptapadiMuslim marriage is made by the nikah, with a kazi, a witness for each side and a signed nikahnama that records the mahr. Couples can add conditions in the nikahnama and the marriage must be registered.
Nikah, being writtenCouples may hold a Buddhist rite and the water-pouring ceremony, rod nam sang, at which guests pour water over their joined hands. The legal marriage is registered at the district office.
Culture of Thailand, being writtenMany Japanese couples hold a Shinto ceremony with san-san-kudo, three cups of sake exchanged in turn, but legal marriage is made by filing a form at the municipal office. As of 2026, same-sex marriage is not yet recognised nationally, though several courts have ruled the ban unconstitutional.
San-san-kudo, being writtenA marriage is registered at a civil affairs office, and the red marriage certificate is exchanged for the ceremony. The formal bows to heaven and earth, to the parents and to each other are the traditional spoken part.
Chinese marriage, being writtenIn the Armenian Apostolic rite the priest blesses the rings, the couple are crowned and a cross is placed over them with prayers. The couple may drink wine and take bread and salt as a blessing.
Culture of Armenia, being writtenA Jewish wedding is built around the chuppah, the ring and the ketubah, and ends with the seven blessings, sheva brachot, and the breaking of a glass. In Israel, religious authorities control marriage for citizens, so many couples marry abroad or by other routes.
Read: Sheva BrachotThe aghd, the contract, is read at the sofreh aghd, with the bride asked three times for consent before she answers. The groom's promise of mahr is read aloud, and the couple are given the Quran and sweets.
Culture of Iran, being writtenThe 1956 Code of Personal Status banned polygamy and required the free consent of the bride and a civil registration of marriage, making Tunisia a pioneer in the region. In 2017 the law was changed to allow Muslim women to marry non-Muslims.
Code of Personal Status, being writtenThe Marriage Act 2014 recognises civil, Christian, customary, Hindu and Islamic marriages, and sets the minimum age at 18. Customary marriage is registered after the families' ceremonies.
Culture of Kenya, being writtenThe law recognises civil marriage, customary marriage and civil unions, and the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998 gave customary marriages legal status. South Africa was the first African country to allow same-sex marriage, in 2006.
Lobola, being writtenOnly a civil marriage at the town hall, the mairie, is legally valid, and any religious ceremony may follow it. The mayor reads out articles of the civil code, and same-sex couples have been able to marry since 2013.
Civil marriage, being writtenCouples may marry in an Orthodox ceremony or in a civil ceremony, and same-sex civil marriage became legal in 2024. In the church the koumbaros is the sponsor and witness who exchanges the crowns.
Koumbaro, being writtenA couple needs a marriage licence and an officiant, and a signed register with witnesses. Same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015.
Obergefell v. Hodges, being writtenArgentina was the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage, in 2010. A civil ceremony at the registro civil is required, and a religious ceremony may follow.
Read: Same-sex marriage in ArgentinaMarriage is performed by an authorised celebrant, and the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 made New Zealand the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to legalise same-sex marriage. Maori couples may add their own rites and a marae wedding.
Same-sex marriage in New Zealand, being writtenWritten 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.
Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.