Wedding traditions with sweets, sugar and honey
Sweet things are given at weddings because they promise a sweet life.
Sweet things are given at weddings because they promise a sweet life. Sugar, honey, dates, nuts and syrup are handed to the couple, thrown, sent as a box or eaten from a shared dish. Sweets are also the thing most often sent home with guests.
Sugar and honey
In Iran a sugar cone is rubbed over the couple's heads to sweeten the marriage, and the sofreh aghd has honey, sugar and sweets that the bride and groom feed each other. In India a box of mithai is exchanged when the match is agreed. In Greece the bride may put a sugar cube in her glove, and the koufeta, sugared almonds, are given to guests. In Italy the confetti are sugared almonds in odd numbers, usually five, for health, wealth, happiness, long life and fertility.
Sweet gifts
In Morocco and Egypt guests are welcomed with dates and milk and trays of pastries. In Turkey and the Arab world baklava and other sweets are sent to relatives, and in Lebanon a candy table is set. In Chinese weddings, sweet lotus seeds and dates stand for children, and in Korea candy and dates are given.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Sweets, sugar and honey (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha)
A symbolic Hindu wedding uniting the holy basil plant with a stone representing Vishnu.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreKenduri
A communal feast and prayer gathering held by Javanese and Malay communities to mark life events.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇮🇳 Goa, IndiaHaldi Kumkum
A gathering of married women in southern India who exchange turmeric and vermilion to celebrate their status.Blessing
🇧🇩 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
🇸🇪 SwedenKrokan
A multi-tiered almond pastry tower joined by caramel and decorated with marzipan roses, served at Swedish weddings.Feast custom · The wedding feast
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage
The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match
🇻🇳 VietnamPhu Thê CakeBánh phu thê
A Vietnamese mung bean cake exchanged by the couple to wish for a happy marriageFeast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaAyyavazhi wedding
The sacred rite of Ayyavazhi that treats marriage as a spiritual sacrament and family life as the highest austerity.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇹🇭 ThailandKhanom Si Thuaiขนมสี่ถ้วย
A Thai wedding dessert of four sweet cups symbolizing harmony and lasting love.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇺🇸 Pittsburgh, United States and 1 moreCookie table
A display of assorted homemade cookies served alongside the wedding cake at a reception.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇶 Mosul, IraqWedding traditions in Iraq
The arranged courtship, religious rites and multi-day celebrations that mark marriage in Iraqi society.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇨🇳 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
🇮🇷 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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kenduri: Andreasprasetya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tulasi Vivah: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Krokan: Hansgustavsson, Public domain, source
- Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
- Phu Thê Cake: JeanFousrou52, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khanom Si Thuai: Siripitch Chaiyabutra, CC0, source
- Cookie table: Chris Winters, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chinese wedding door games: elfgoh, CC BY-SA 2.0, source