Wedding traditions with water and washing
Water cleans, blesses, cools and joins.
Water cleans, blesses, cools and joins. At weddings it appears in baths, in libations to ancestors, in the pouring of a sacred vessel and in the simple act of offering a guest a drink.
Washing and bathing
The bridal bath is a very old rite. Greek brides once bathed in water from a sacred spring, and Moroccan and Turkish brides visit the hammam. In Indonesia, the Javanese siraman is a bath with flower water poured by elders, and in Hindu weddings turmeric and oil are washed off in a bath. In Jewish tradition the bride may visit the mikveh before the wedding.
Pouring and joining
In Thai and Cambodian weddings the couple's hands are poured with water from a conch shell by guests, in the rod nam sang. In Sri Lanka and India water is poured to seal a gift, and in Hindu weddings a kalash, a pot of water topped with a coconut and mango leaves, stands for the sacred. In many African weddings water is poured as a libation to ancestors, and in Igbo weddings palm wine is used for the same purpose.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Water and washing (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇹 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
🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceLoutrophorosλουτροφόρος
An ancient Greek vessel that carried water for a bride's bath or marked an unmarried death.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Bengali)
Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment · 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
🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha)
A symbolic Hindu wedding uniting the holy basil plant with a stone representing Vishnu.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ
The turmeric ceremony that prepares the Bengali bride and groom for marriageRite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMayian
A pre-wedding cleansing ritual in Punjabi culture where turmeric paste is applied to the couple.Blessing · The weeks before
🇸🇩 SudanJirtigالجَرْتِقْ
A Sudanese rite where the groom is symbolically crowned as king before the wedding procession.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChuraचूरा (Hindi)
The red and white bangles that mark a bride's new status in Indian Hindu weddingsAttire · 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
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluBommai kolu (Tamil), Bommala Koluvu (Telugu), Gombe Habba (Kannada)
A tiered display of dolls and figurines arranged in South Indian homes during the Navaratri festival.Feast custom · 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
🇮🇳 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
🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreTugging rituals and games
A rope-pulling game played across Southeast and East Asia to mark the farming season and build community bonds.Play · The weeks before
🇧🇷 Salvador, BrazilPuxada de Rede
A Brazilian dance that reenacts the tragic retrieval of a fisherman's body from the sea.Performance · The weeks before
🇷🇸 Serbia and 3 moreLazariceлазарице (Serbian), лазаруване (Bulgarian)
A South Slavic procession of young unmarried women who bless homes before Palm SundayBlessing · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source
- Loutrophoros: Picture taken by Marcus Cyron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Puxada de Rede: SebáNeto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Karva Chauth: Iamwiki001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tugging rituals and games: Steve46814 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mayian: Rakzika, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tulasi Vivah: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jirtig: Alzain Mohammed, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lazarice: Svetlina bov at Bulgarian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source