Wedding traditions with the colour red

Red is the colour of weddings in much of Asia.

Red is the colour of weddings in much of Asia. It stands for luck, joy, fertility, life and protection, and in China, India, Vietnam and Korea it is the colour of the bride. In the West it is often avoided, which shows how much meaning a colour can carry.

Red in Asia

Chinese brides wear red qipao or qungua, the wedding hall is hung with red double-happiness characters, and guests give hongbao, red envelopes. Indian brides wear red lehengas or silk saris, and the sindoor in the parting of the hair is red. Vietnamese brides wear a red ao dai, and Korean brides wear red dots, yeonji gonji, on the cheeks. In Japan the uchikake may be red, and the bridal umbrella is also red.

Red elsewhere

Red also appears in Armenia, Georgia and Turkey, where the bride may be wrapped in a red veil or have a red ribbon tied at her waist, called the kirmizi kusak in Turkish custom. In the Balkans red and white cloth were used in traditional dress, and in Central Asia red wedding robes and headdresses were common. In Europe white took over in the nineteenth century.

About this page

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

🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreBaju Kurungباجو كوروڠ The traditional blouse and skirt worn by Malay women for weddings and religious ceremoniesAttire · The weeks before 🇵🇦 PanamaTamborito A Panamanian courtship dance performed in a circle with drums and female chorusPerformance · The wedding feast

🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanMizuhiki水引 The knotted paper cord that adorns Japanese wedding gifts and envelopesAdornment · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇳 IndiaMadisarமடிசார் (Madisar) The nine-yard sari drape worn by Tamil Brahmin women during weddings and religious rites.Attire · The ceremony

🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 3 moreAso ebiAsọ-Ẹbí Matching outfits worn by groups to show solidarity at Yoruba weddings and other ceremoniesAttire · The weeks before

🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 2 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄ A hand-woven brocade cloth patterned with gold or silver threads for traditional weddings in Southeast Asia.Attire · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇩 IndonesiaUlosᯥᯞᯘᯬ᯲ The hand-woven textile that binds Batak couples in marriage and symbolizes warmth.Attire · The ceremony

🇲🇦 Imilchil, MoroccoImilchil Marriage FestivalAgdoud N'Oulmghenni A Berber marriage festival in Morocco where tribes gather to arrange unions and celebrate with music and dance.Betrothal · 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

🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreʻIe tōga Prestige woven mats exchanged at Samoan weddings to honor family ties and chiefly status.Attire · The ceremony

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic) A pledge ceremony where a couple joins hands to make a binding marriage contract or engagement.Rite · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇳 IndiaSakharpuda The Maharashtrian engagement rite where sugar and coconuts seal a verbal promise between families.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 IndiaMehndi The henna body art applied to brides and guests before a South Asian wedding ceremony.Adornment · The weeks before

🇫🇷 Paris, FranceGlobe de mariée A glass bell jar used in France to hold the bride's bouquet and preserve family memories.Adornment · The weeks before

🇮🇳 IndiaVaramalaवरमाला (Varamālā) The exchange of flower garlands that marks mutual acceptance in a Hindu wedding.Rite · The ceremony 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLeirum Pheeꯂꯩꯔꯨꯝ ꯐꯤ A traditional Meitei shawl given as a wedding gift from parents to daughtersAttire · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding clothes Traditional garments worn by Indian couples and guests across multiple days of celebrationAttire · The weeks before

🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo traditional marriageIgba Nkwu The multi-stage Igbo marriage process that formalizes a union through family negotiations and the wine-carrying ceremonyRite · Finding a match

🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 2 moreOchipokочіпок The embroidered cap that covers a Ukrainian bride's hair to mark her new status as a married womanAttire · The ceremony 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreGhost marriage冥婚 (mínghūn) A union arranged for deceased individuals to ensure harmony in the afterlife and care in this one.Rite · Finding a match

🇻🇳 VietnamTraditional Vietnamese weddingLễ cưới truyền thống Việt Nam The multi-stage ceremony of betrothal, engagement and union that marks a marriage in Vietnam.Attire · Finding a match 🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · Finding a match

🇨🇳 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 🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding The sequence of ceremonies that mark the engagement and marriage of Brunei Malays.Rite · Finding a match

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMangalsutraमङ्गलसूत्रम् (maṅgalasūtram) The sacred necklace tied around the bride's neck to mark her marriage.Adornment · The ceremony

🇨🇳 China and 4 moreChinese wedding door games堵门游戏 (dǔmén yóuxì) Challenges set by bridesmaids for the groom at the bride's home to prove his devotion.Play · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 4 moreSindoorसिंदूर (Hindi) The vermilion powder a Hindu husband applies to his wife's hair parting to mark her marriage.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇪 Ireland and 3 moreBachelor's Day The custom that lets women propose to men on Leap DayBetrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇫🇷 France and 1 moreAcrostic ring A jewelled band where gemstone initials spell a secret romantic word.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 2 moreKarva Chauthकरकचतुर्थी (Karakachaturthī) A Hindu festival where married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their husband's health and life.Betrothal · The weeks before

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 2 moreKimeshekкимешек (Kazakh/Karakalpak), элечек (Kyrgyz) The traditional white headgear worn by married women with children in Central AsiaAttire · After the wedding

🇹🇳 Tunis, TunisiaTunisian jebbaجبة A loose traditional tunic worn by Tunisian men and women for weddings and festivals.Attire · Procession and arrival 🇷🇴 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 🇰🇷 South KoreaChaesang채상 (Chaesang) Woven bamboo boxes used to store dowry items in traditional Korean weddingsGift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇯🇵 Kyoto, Japan and 5 moreTeeth blackeningohaguro A traditional practice of dyeing teeth black to signal adulthood and beauty in parts of Asia and Oceania.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal

🇭🇺 Hungary and 2 moreEaster sprinkling in Hungaryhúsvéti locsolás An Easter Monday custom where boys sprinkle water or perfume on girls and receive painted eggs in return.Betrothal · The weeks before 🇺🇬 UgandaNaleyo A courtship dance of the Karamojong people where men and women jump facing each other to find partners.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇦🇿 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

Photo credits on this page

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

Chinese wedding door games: elfgoh, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Kelaghayi: Urmen19, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Aso ebi: SUPREME LACE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mehndi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Globe de mariée: Alain Amet, CC BY 4.0, source
Tunisian jebba: Touzrimounir, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Imilchil Marriage Festival: Zakaria ElQotbi, CC BY 2.0, source
Varamala: Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Karva Chauth: Iamwiki001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kimeshek: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjfnjy/, CC BY 2.0, source
Easter sprinkling in Hungary: Matyófolk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Songket: Rijksmuseum, CC0, source
Teeth blackening: momo, CC BY 2.0, source
Indian wedding clothes: Lee Jordan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mizuhiki: User:FA2010, Public domain, source
Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Sindoor: Masum-al-hasan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Acrostic ring: Jlblackmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ochipok: Unknown author, CC0, source
Baju Kurung: Ministry of Information official photographer, Public domain, source
Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ulos: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Traditional Vietnamese wedding: Gabrielle M. Vassal, Public domain, source
Chinese pre-wedding customs: Anonymous ( China ) Unknown author, CC0, source
Mangalsutra: Ackroydman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
ʻIe tōga: Sarah Kelemen, CC BY 2.0, source