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EveryShaadi

Wedding traditions with bells and noise

Wedding bells are a phrase and also a practice.

Wedding bells are a phrase and also a practice. Bells, drums, firecrackers and horns chase off evil, announce a happy event and fill the air with joy. A quiet wedding is rare in most places.

Noise to protect

Many cultures believed that spirits are driven away by loud sound. Chinese weddings have firecrackers and drums, Indian ones the dhol and the shehnai, and Scottish and Irish ones the bagpipe. Church bells in Europe ring when the couple come out, and in Britain cans on the back of a car recall the older custom of tying noisy objects to the wedding carriage. In Germany and Poland, honking and shooting in the air are not uncommon, though in some places illegal.

Bells and charm

In Ireland, small bells are used for luck at the wedding, and a bell may be rung by the couple. In Hindu weddings a temple bell signals the start of worship. Handbells and cowbells have a long role in European wedding processions.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Bells and noise (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding

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