Wedding traditions with candles and lamps
Candles and lamps bring light to a day of beginnings.
Candles and lamps bring light to a day of beginnings. They mark a threshold, bless the household and join two flames, and in many weddings a lamp is the first thing that is lit.
Lamps in South Asia
In Kerala the nilavilakku, a traditional oil lamp, stands before the couple at the thali-tying. In Tamil Nadu the kuthuvilakku is lit, and in the Hindu wedding of Bali and Nepal lamps and incense are used. In Sikh and Hindu homes lamps, diyas, line the path for the wedding procession.
Candles in the West
The unity candle, in which the couple use two small candles to light a larger one, became popular in the United States in the twentieth century. In Orthodox weddings the couple hold candles through the service, and in Catholic churches candles are lit at the altar. In Ukraine and Russia the couple hold candles in a church ceremony.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Candles and lamps (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesSlave marriages in the United States
The unions formed by enslaved African Americans before and after the abolition of slavery in the US.Rite · The ceremony
🇷🇺 RussiaEastern Orthodox marriage
The Byzantine Rite ceremony where a priest crowns the couple to seal their union in Christ.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇷 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
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditionsРусская свадьба
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding invitationsNimantraṇa patra (निमन्त्रण पत्र)
Decorated cards sent to announce a marriage and invite guests to the celebration.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding
A Zoroastrian marriage ceremony featuring hand-fastening, rice sprinkling, and shared meals.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpithalamium
A poem or song written to celebrate a bride as she goes to her wedding chamber.Performance · The eve
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreChinese pre-wedding customs三書六禮 (sàam syù luhk láih)
The traditional betrothal rituals of the Book of Rites that prepare a Chinese marriage.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSambolydning i Sverige
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Sweden since 2009.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Epithalamium: Lorenzo Lotto, Public domain, source
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Russian wedding traditions: GeorgeLouis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Indian wedding invitations: Onef9day, CC BY 3.0, source
- Slave marriages in the United States: An 1899 illustration of a broomstick wedding. Schomburg Center for Res, Public domain, source
- Eastern Orthodox marriage: VitVit, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chinese pre-wedding customs: Anonymous ( China ) Unknown author, CC0, source