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.

🇺🇦 UkraineSong about the RushnykПісня про рушник (Pisnia pro rushnyk) A Ukrainian song that celebrates the embroidered cloth used in weddings and family life.Performance · The ceremony

🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 moreCsárdás A Hungarian folk dance that begins slowly and ends with a fast spin.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyWeddings in ancient Rome The religious ceremonies and attire that marked a union in the city of Rome before the rise of Christianity.Rite · The weeks before

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreRushnykрушник (Ukrainian), ручнік (Belarusian), ручник/рушник (Russian) The embroidered linen cloth that marks life stages and guides the couple through the wedding ceremony in East Slavic culAdornment · The weeks before

🇮🇪 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreWedding dress The ceremonial garment worn by the bride during her marriage rite.Attire · The ceremony

🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 1 moreVyshyvanka DayДень вишиванки The annual celebration where people wear embroidered shirts to show national unity and identitySetting

🇫🇷 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · 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

🇺🇦 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCare cloth A linen or silk cloth held over the heads of a bride and groom during a Christian wedding blessing.Attire · The ceremony

🇺🇦 UkraineTraditional Ukrainian weddingТрадиційне українське весілля A multi-day sequence of folk rites, bread baking and church vows that marks the transition from maidenhood to married liRite · Finding a match 🇮🇪 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

🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreCălușariCălușarii A traditional Romanian spring dance and male society known for acrobatic leaps and ritual healing.Performance · The weeks before

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreAnastenariaΑναστενάρια (Greek), Нестинарство (Bulgarian) A barefoot firewalking ritual performed by Orthodox Christian communities in Greece and Bulgaria.Rite · 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

🇩🇪 GermanyLandshut WeddingLandshuter Hochzeit A four-year historical pageant in Bavaria re-enacting the 1475 royal marriage of George and Hedwig.Setting · Engagement and betrothal

🇵🇱 Poland and 3 moreEaster palmPolish: palma wielkanocna; Lithuanian: verba A decorated willow or juniper bundle blessed on Palm Sunday to protect homes and crops.Blessing · The weeks before

🇬🇷 Corfu, GreeceBotidesμπότηδες The throwing of clay pots filled with water from balconies in Corfu on Holy Saturday to mark the Resurrection.Blessing · The ceremony

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreLenten veilFastentuch A large painted or embroidered canvas that covers the altar during Lent to create a period of visual penance.Rite · The weeks before

🇮🇹 Viterbo, ItalyMacchina di Santa Rosa The annual procession in Viterbo where men carry a towering structure to honor their patron saint.Blessing · Procession and arrival

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 3 moreMartenitsaмартеница White and red yarn charms worn in the Balkans to welcome spring and wish for good health.Adornment · 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

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreDożynki A Slavic harvest festival where farmers bring the last sheaf of grain to the village in a ceremonial wreath.Feast custom · After the wedding 🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreMărțișor The red and white string charm worn in early spring to welcome the new year.Adornment · The weeks before

🇭🇺 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

🇩🇪 GermanyBollenhut A straw hat with woolen pompoms worn by women in specific Black Forest villages as part of their traditional dress.Attire · The weeks before

Photo credits on this page

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

Csárdás: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Landshut Wedding: Oktobersonne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Globe de mariée: Alain Amet, CC BY 4.0, source
Wedding dress: Statens historiska museer, CC BY 2.5, source
Vyshyvanka Day: Vasily Andreevich Tropinin, Public domain, source
Macchina di Santa Rosa: Amras Carnesîr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lenten veil: Plutowiki, CC0, source
Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source
Botides: Gkaridis0, CC BY 4.0, source
Easter palm: Evaldas Liutkus, CC BY 2.0, source
Bollenhut: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Easter sprinkling in Hungary: Matyófolk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dożynki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Care cloth: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Acrostic ring: Jlblackmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ochipok: Unknown author, CC0, source
Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Martenitsa: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Traditional Ukrainian wedding: Пимоненко, Николай Корнильевич, Public domain, source
Wedding superstitions: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Călușari: El bes, CC BY 3.0, source