Wedding traditions with gold and jewellery
Gold is the wedding metal.
Gold is the wedding metal. It does not tarnish, it can be melted and reworked, and it is a store of value for a bride who may own little else. In many cultures a bride's gold is her own security and her family's pride.
Gold as security
In India a bride's gold, from the mangalsutra to a full set of necklace, bangles and earrings, is part of her stridhan, a woman's property. In the Arab world and North Africa, gold in the mahr and the shabka, the gift from the groom's family, is a settlement in her name. In Turkey guests pin gold coins to the bride at the henna night or the wedding, and in Egypt the shabka is a set of jewellery. Berber and Bedouin brides wear silver as a portable asset.
Weight and worry
The price of gold is a concern for families, and in India and the Gulf the cost of a wedding can rise and fall with it. Some governments and communities have capped weights or asked for smaller gifts. Recycled gold and gold from certified mines are choices for those who are concerned about the environment.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Gold and jewellery (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇳 IndiaOppanaഒപ്പന
A circle dance and song tradition of the Mappila Muslim community in Kerala weddingsPerformance · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇱 MaliWeddings in Mali
Multi-day Malian wedding traditions blending Islamic rites, civil law, and local customs with bazin attire.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ
The turmeric ceremony that prepares the Bengali bride and groom for marriageRite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMayian
The turmeric paste ceremony held the day before Punjabi weddings in India and Pakistan.Rite · The weeks before
🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding
The sequence of ceremonies that mark the engagement and marriage of Brunei Malays.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaMehndi
The henna body art applied to brides and guests before a South Asian wedding ceremony.Adornment · The weeks before
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 morePolterabend
The evening before the wedding when guests break porcelain to bring luck and test the couple's teamwork.Blessing · The eve
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaBrahmanippattu
A devotional song and dance performed by Nambeesan women to bless a marriage with the grace of the Goddess.Performance · The weeks before
🇧🇩 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
🇮🇳 IndiaDejhoor
A hexagonal ear ornament worn by Kashmiri Pandit women to mark their marriage.Adornment · The eve
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluBommai kolu (Tamil), Bommala Koluvu (Telugu), Gombe Habba (Kannada)
A tiered display of dolls and figurines arranged in South Indian homes during the Navaratri festival.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreTuroń
A horned effigy that visits homes during Carnival to wish for fertility and collect gifts.Blessing · The weeks before
🇷🇴 Romania and 1 morePerinița
A Romanian circle dance where a pillow marks the last partner dance for unmarried youth before a wedding.Performance · The eve
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan and 1 moreKelaghayiKəlağayı
A traditional silk headscarf exchanged as a marriage proposal and worn at henna parties in Azerbaijan and Armenia.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇰🇷 South KoreaHahoe byeolsingut talnori하회별신굿탈놀이
A rare Korean masked dance-drama performed to appease the village deity Seonangsin in Hahoe.Rite · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kelaghayi: Urmen19, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mehndi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source
- Hahoe byeolsingut talnori: Ian Sewell, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oppana: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mayian: Rakzika, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dejhoor: Unknown author, Public domain, source