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EveryShaadi

Wedding traditions with money and envelopes

Money is part of nearly every wedding.

Money is part of nearly every wedding. It is pinned to the dress, sprayed on dancers, tucked in an envelope, collected on a dance or handed to a family in a negotiation. How it is given, who sees it and what is said about it shows a lot about a community.

Envelopes and gifts

Chinese and Vietnamese guests give red envelopes, hongbao or li xi, with amounts that have lucky numbers, avoiding four. Koreans give envelopes to the couple, and Japanese guests give goshugi, in a special envelope with a knot, in crisp new notes and amounts in odd numbers. In India a shagun envelope is given, often with a one-rupee coin added, and in the Gulf and Jewish weddings, guests also give cash.

Dances, sprays and who pays

At Philippine and Polish weddings, guests pin cash to the bride or pay for a dance, and at Nigerian weddings, spraying notes is common. In Greece the couple may have money pinned to their clothes. In many places the bride's family or the groom pays, or both, and weddings are a heavy cost. Registries and honeymoon funds are an alternative, and some couples ask for a donation to charity instead.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Money and envelopes (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
🇲🇲 MyanmarMarriage in Myanmar A blend of Buddhist rites, astrological timing, and family negotiations that defines union across Myanmar's diverse ethnRite · Finding a match 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaithil Vivahमैथिल विवाह The arranged Hindu marriage of Maithils in the Mithila region, guided by Vedic texts and local customs.Betrothal · Finding a match 🇿🇦 South AfricaUmemulo The Zulu coming of age ceremony that marks a woman as ready for marriageRite · The weeks before 🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreBride price Wealth paid by the groom or his family to the bride or her kin to formalize a union.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇭🇺 HungaryVőfély The Hungarian wedding host who guides the couple through rites, speeches, and traditions.Family role · Finding a match 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreBride buying The exchange of money or goods for a woman to become a wife.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreBadchenבּדחן (badkhn) The Ashkenazi Jewish wedding entertainer and master of ceremonies who guides the couple through ritual stages with song Performance · Engagement and betrothal 🇳🇬 NigeriaYoruba traditional weddingIgbeyawo The multi-day Yoruba marriage ceremony featuring traditional attire, family introductions, and the Eru Iyawo gift list.Attire · Engagement and betrothal 🇦🇿 AzerbaijanAzerbaijani wedding traditionsAzərbaycanın toy adətləri The multi-step family rituals of Azerbaijani weddings, from matchmaking to the henna night.Rite · Finding a match 🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreLobololobola (Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele), mahadi (Sesotho), mahari (Swahili), magadi (Sepedi), bogadi (Setswana), lovola (Xi The livestock or cash payment from a groom's family to a bride's family that formalizes a customary marriage in SouthernGift custom · Finding a match 🇬🇷 Crete, GreeceSoustaΣούστα A Greek courtship dance performed at weddings to display romance and agility.Performance · Procession and arrival

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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