Wedding traditions with blankets, shawls and cloth

A blanket, shawl or length of cloth is a gift of warmth and a way of covering two people with one thing. It stands for shelter, family and the home they will make, and in many traditions the cloth itself is the vow.

Cloth that joins

In Native American weddings, a blanket may be wrapped around the couple, as among the Cherokee and many Plains nations. In Scotland, the plaid of a clan may be draped over the couple. In Irish weddings a shawl may be passed down. In Sikh weddings the palla, a scarf, joins the couple as they circle the Guru Granth Sahib, and in Hindu weddings the garments are tied together in the gathbandhan. In Zulu and Xhosa weddings, blankets are an essential gift from the groom's side.

Prayer shawls and wraps

The Jewish tallit may be spread over the couple as a canopy or wrapped around the groom. In the Greek wedding the bride's bedding is part of the trousseau. In Andean and Mexican weddings a woven cloth or manta may be laid over the couple. In Turkey, a bride's dowry chest includes embroidered cloths, and in Central Asia felt rugs are gifts.