Wedding traditions with trees and plantings

Trees are rooted, long lived and fruitful, so they are natural symbols of a marriage. At weddings they are planted, danced around, decorated or married to. Tree customs differ widely, and some are among the most unusual in the world.

Planting and marrying a tree

In Germany a couple may plant a tree or saw a log together, the Baumstamm sägen, as a first shared task. In Sweden, birch branches decorate the church. In Hindu communities, a marriage between a girl and a tree such as the banana or peepal has been used in some traditions to avert astrological harm, and in Bengal and Odisha the bride and groom may be wed to a tree before the human wedding. In Tulsi Vivah, the holy basil plant is married to Vishnu.

Trees and the unity ritual

The unity tree planted at the end of a ceremony is a modern ritual that leaves a living memory. In Ireland the wedding tree may be planted at the door. In Korea, the bride's room had a pair of wooden ducks, and in Japan pine, bamboo and plum are used in decoration to stand for fidelity and longevity. In Slavic countries, the bride's wreath is made of tree leaves, and in the Czech lands a pine or birch tree decorates a bride's house.