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RitesGrooms redefine wedding wardrobes with comfort, tradition, and reusability in mind LawColumn: Va. conservatives should vote for marriage equality amendment Dowry and giftsDLSA Secretary calls for wider student awareness on Dowry Prohibition Act Mass weddingsWhy South Africans won't stop spending on celebrations Dowry and giftsNow Solar Panels given as dowry in Pakistan RitesFrom brides’ hands to a Starbucks cup: Meet Manii Basran, the mehendi artist who turned her art into a vi RitesJefferies Sees A Reason for Indian Hotels To Cheer Louder In The Upcoming Wedding Season LawSamuel Alito blames marriage equality for America’s ‘decisive’ turn ‘against religious liberty’LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says marriage equality turned US "against religious liberty"LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Calls Marriage Equality Ruling a Turn 'Against Religious Liberty'RitesGrooms redefine wedding wardrobes with comfort, tradition, and reusability in mind LawColumn: Va. conservatives should vote for marriage equality amendment Dowry and giftsDLSA Secretary calls for wider student awareness on Dowry Prohibition Act Mass weddingsWhy South Africans won't stop spending on celebrations Dowry and giftsNow Solar Panels given as dowry in Pakistan RitesFrom brides’ hands to a Starbucks cup: Meet Manii Basran, the mehendi artist who turned her art into a vi RitesJefferies Sees A Reason for Indian Hotels To Cheer Louder In The Upcoming Wedding Season LawSamuel Alito blames marriage equality for America’s ‘decisive’ turn ‘against religious liberty’LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says marriage equality turned US "against religious liberty"LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Calls Marriage Equality Ruling a Turn 'Against Religious Liberty'

EveryShaadi

All wedding traditions

674 traditions so far, best known first. 108 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and stage of the wedding.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

🇾🇪 Yemen and 4 moreKafa'ahالكفاءة (al-kafā'ah) The Islamic legal principle of social and religious equivalence between spouses in marriage.Vow · Finding a match

🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in KoreaKorean marriage (결혼) A look at how Korean weddings blend ancient Confucian rites with modern legal practices.Rite · Finding a match

🇮🇳 IndiaOppanaഒപ്പന A circle dance and song tradition of the Mappila Muslim community in Kerala weddingsPerformance · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇹 ItalyFescennine VersesFescennina carmina Bawdy wedding songs from Ancient Rome that evolved into satire and comic drama.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreWaist beads Strands of glass or seed worn around the hips to mark womanhood and track body changes in West and North Africa.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreKazakh wedding ceremonyҮйлену тойы (Üilenu toiy) The multi-stage Kazakh marriage process featuring the face-revealing feast and the Islamic religious contract.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanMizuhiki水引 The knotted paper cord that adorns Japanese wedding gifts and envelopesAdornment · Engagement and betrothal

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreGimmal ring A betrothal ring with separate hoops that join to form the wedding band.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal

🇲🇲 MyanmarMarriage in Myanmar A blend of Buddhist rites, astrological timing, and family negotiations that defines union across Myanmar's diverse ethnRite · Finding a match

🇮🇩 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 🇱🇰 Sri LankaBeena marriage A pre-Islamic Arabian custom where the husband moves to the wife's home and she keeps her own tent.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇲🇦 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

🇮🇳 IndiaShankha White conch shell bangles worn by Bengali Hindu married women as a symbol of their husband's well-being.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal 🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWedding customs in Ethiopia A collection of diverse marriage rites across Ethiopian tribes and the Orthodox Christian community.Rite · Finding a match

🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreBride price Wealth paid by the groom or his family to the bride or her kin to formalize a union.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMarriage proposal The moment one partner asks the other to marry them and marks the start of an engagement.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreSvayamvaraस्वयंवर (svayaṃvara) A ceremony where a bride selects her husband from assembled suitors or through a public contest.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreJewish wedding The ceremony and laws that bind a couple in Jewish marriage, from the canopy to the glass.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 2 moreAla kachuuала качуу A Kyrgyz custom of taking a woman for marriage, ranging from consensual elopement to forced abduction.Betrothal · Finding a match

🇮🇪 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

🇮🇱 IsraelErusinאירוסין The first stage of a Jewish marriage that consecrates the bride to the groom.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇨🇳 ChinaTraditional Chinese marriage婚姻 (hūnyīn) A union between two families governed by Confucian rites and the exchange of gifts.Rite · Finding a match 🇵🇪 Peru and 4 moreBride service Labor provided by the groom to the bride's family as part of the marriage arrangement.Gift custom · Finding a match

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea and 5 moreSister exchange A marriage arrangement where two brothers each take a sister from the other family as their wife.Betrothal · Finding a match 🇬🇧 United KingdomKnobstick wedding A forced marriage arranged by local authorities to shift the cost of a child onto the presumed father.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 IndiaBride buying in India The forced purchase of women from impoverished regions for arranged marriages in Northern India.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreLobololobola (Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele), mahadi (Sesotho), mahari (Swahili), magadi (Sepedi), bogadi (Setswana), lovola (Xi The livestock or cash payment from a groom's family to a bride's family that formalizes a customary marriage in SouthernGift custom · Finding a match 🇮🇩 IndonesiaNgerorod A traditional Balinese Hindu elopement where couples marry by mutual consent despite family opposition.Betrothal · Finding a match

🇮🇪 Galway, Ireland and 2 moreCladdagh ringFáinne an Chladaigh A traditional Irish ring featuring clasped hands, a heart, and a crown to symbolise friendship, love, and loyalty.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal 🇸🇸 South Sudan and 1 moreGhost marriage in South Sudan A union where a living brother stands in for a deceased groom to secure lineage and wealth.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇳🇬 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 🇵🇭 PhilippinesPamamanhikan The formal visit by the groom's family to ask the bride's parents for her hand in marriage.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 🇳🇬 NigeriaMoney marriage A practice in southern Nigeria where a girl is given in marriage to settle her family's debts.Gift custom · Finding a match 🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoOaxacan wedding A multi-day Catholic celebration in Oaxaca featuring mole, mezcal, and communal dancing.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇳 IndiaTree marriage A symbolic proxy marriage between a person and a tree to bypass restrictions on remarriageBetrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United KingdomLuckenbooth brooch A Scottish heart-shaped silver token of love and protection worn at weddings.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBridesmaid A female attendant who supports the bride during a Western wedding ceremony.Family role · Engagement and betrothal 🇰🇪 KenyaKoito A Kalenjin dowry negotiation ritual that marks the formal agreement between families.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇹 Sicily, ItalyFuitina A Sicilian elopement custom used to force family consent for marriage through presumed sexual intercourse.Betrothal · The weeks before 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLeirum Pheeꯂꯩꯔꯨꯝ ꯐꯤ A traditional Meitei shawl given as a wedding gift from parents to daughtersAttire · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇸 United StatesPre-Cana The Catholic Church course that helps engaged couples prepare for the sacrament of marriage.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران A multi-stage celebration rooted in Zoroastrian tradition and adapted by Islamic customs across Iran.Rite · Finding a match

🇹🇼 Taipei, TaiwanSame-sex marriage in Taiwan The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Taiwan, the first in Asia.Modern · Engagement and betrothal 🇨🇦 Montreal, Canada and 2 moreMarriage à la façon du pays The customary union between European fur traders and Indigenous women in North AmericaBetrothal · Finding a match

🇱🇹 Lithuania and 1 moreLithuanian wedding songsvestuvinės dainos The polyphonic songs and weeping rituals that mark a Lithuanian bride's transition to her new family.Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇳🇱 NetherlandsKnottekistje A silver Frisian box that replaced a knotted cloth as the token of engagement.Betrothal · 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
Bridesmaid: Photographer not credited; relative or work for hire of relative., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Jewish wedding: Jozef Israëls, Public domain, source
Svayamvara: Nandalal Bose, Public domain, source
Claddagh ring: Royalcladdagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lithuanian wedding songs: Gailė Paštukaitė, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Marriage in Myanmar: Thant Zin Myint, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Pre-Cana: Jebulon, CC0, source
Same-sex marriage in Taiwan: Guy of taipei, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Gimmal ring: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bride buying in India: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Imilchil Marriage Festival: Zakaria ElQotbi, CC BY 2.0, source
Shankha: Salil Kumar Mukherjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Luckenbooth brooch: Walker14806, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Oaxacan wedding: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Lobolo: Iwuala Lucy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sister exchange: Wilses, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Knottekistje: mwibawa, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Waist beads: Amuzujoe, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Traditional Chinese marriage: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Marriage proposal: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Erusin: LGJMS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mizuhiki: User:FA2010, Public domain, source
Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source
Songket: Rijksmuseum, CC0, source
Oppana: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Marriage in Korea: Jérôme Banal ( Eden2004 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kazakh wedding ceremony: jerome taylor, CC BY 2.0, source
Ala kachuu: Illus. in: Turkestanskii al'bom, chast' étnograficheskaia: ..., 1871-1, Public domain, source
Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.