All wedding traditions
650 traditions so far, best known first. 440 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and stage of the wedding.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇺🇸 United StatesGroom's cake
A second dessert served at the wedding reception or rehearsal dinner to reflect the groom's tastes.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇻🇳 VietnamPhu Thê CakeBánh phu thê
A Vietnamese mung bean cake exchanged by the couple to wish for a happy marriageFeast custom · The ceremony
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBonbonniere
A small decorative container holding sweets given as a wedding favor in several countries.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreKhata
A ceremonial scarf offered to show respect and welcome at weddings and other gatherings in Tibet and Nepal.Adornment · Reception, dance and gifts
🇦🇺 AustraliaWishing well
A decorated box where guests leave cash or small gifts for couples who already have a home.Gift custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAyie
The Luo bride price ceremony where the mother accepts payment and agrees to the marriage.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 ChinaPlace card
A small card that tells a wedding guest where to sit and who sits next to them.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandWedding of the Weddings
A Polish annual gathering for couples who chose alcohol-free wedding receptions.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ (Yajña)
A sacred fire ritual central to Hindu weddings and other rites of passageRite · The ceremony
🇲🇦 Morocco and 5 moreMimounaמימונה (Hebrew), ميمونة (Arabic)
The Maghrebi Jewish feast held the day after Passover to welcome leavened bread and good fortune.Feast custom · After the wedding
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 7 moreVechornytsiвечорниці
A Ukrainian courtship gathering where young people meet, dance and practice matchmaking rituals before the wedding seasoBetrothal · 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
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇩 IndonesiaSlametan
A communal Javanese feast that brings neighbors together for peace and social unity.Feast custom · 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
🇬🇧 Newquay, United KingdomTroyl
A Cornish barn dance or social gathering featuring music, song, and communal dancing.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇹 Gubbio, Italy and 1 moreSaint Ubaldo DayFesta dei Ceri
A procession where runners carry massive wooden pedestals with saint statues through the streets of Gubbio and Jessup.Blessing · Procession and arrival
🇭🇺 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
🇬🇷 Crete, Greece and 1 moreSyrtosΣυρτός
A traditional Greek line dance where partners hold hands and follow a leader through slow and quick steps.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates and 1 moreNadbaالندبة
A ceremonial battle cry and dance performed by the Shihuh tribe of the Musandam Peninsula.Performance · The weeks before
🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti
An annual barrel rolling race in Montepulciano that replaces a medieval horse race.Play · Reception, dance and gifts
🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
The instrumental wedding music of Ashkenazi Jews, blending Eastern European and Jewish ritual melodies.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreRadonitsaРа́доница (Russian), Прóводи (Ukrainian), Ра́даўніца (Belarusian)
The Orthodox memorial day that lifts fasting restrictions and officially opens the wedding season.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
The instrumental dance music played by Ashkenazi Jewish musicians at weddings in Eastern Europe and beyondPerformance · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United KingdomWassailing
Singing and drinking to bless trees or homes during the Christmas seasonFeast custom · The weeks before
🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreMărțișor
The red and white string charm worn in early spring to welcome the new year.Adornment · The weeks before
🇿🇦 South AfricaUkusina
An energetic Zulu dance where performers kick and stamp to drums during weddings and ceremonies.Performance · The ceremony
🇵🇱 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
🇭🇷 Croatia and 2 moreBećarac
A humorous folk song sung at weddings and village parties in Eastern CroatiaPerformance · The wedding feast
🇲🇷 MauritaniaT'heydinnالتهيدين (al-T'haydīn)
A Mauritanian Moorish epic performance of poetry and music kept by griot families.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreMeat raffle
A pub tradition where tickets are sold for a chance to win meat prizes for local teams or charity.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇭 Ghana and 1 moreBorborbor
A lively drumming and dance tradition of the Ewe people in Ghana and TogoPerformance · The wedding feast
🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreČočekčočек (Serbian/Macedonian), кючек (Bulgarian), çyçek/qyqek (Albanian), sistemul (Romanian), Tsifteteli (Greek)
A Balkan wedding dance with a distinctive nine-beat rhythm, kept alive by Romani musicians and village celebrations.Performance · The wedding feast
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreQaytarma
A Crimean Tatar folk dance of cyclical motion performed at weddings and holidays.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLuddi
A circle dance of Punjab performed at weddings and celebrations by men and women.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇹 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
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreKarsilamaskarşılama (Turkish), καρσιλαμάς (Greek)
A face-to-face folk dance in 9/8 time that marks the joy of wedding gatherings across the Aegean.Performance · The wedding feast
🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary and 5 moreTáncház
A Hungarian folk dance gathering that keeps traditional music and steps alive in homes and community halls.Performance
🇵🇭 Hungduan, PhilippinesPunnuk
A post-harvest tug of war held in the Hapao River to ensure a plentiful rice harvest.Play · After the wedding
🇩🇿 Algeria and 3 moreSebibaسبيبة (Arabic), ⵙⴱⵉⴱⴰ (Tifinagh)
The Tuareg New Year dance and festival held in Djanet to mark the end of a chaotic transition period.Performance · The weeks before
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic and 2 moreBachata
A social couple dance from the Dominican Republic known for its eight-count step and hip movements.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain and 5 moreTwelve Grapeslas doce uvas (de la suerte)
Eating one grape per midnight bell strike to welcome the New Year with good luckFeast custom · After the wedding
🇰🇭 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
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelBirkat Hamazonבִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן (Birkat Hamazon)
The Hebrew blessings recited after a Jewish meal to thank God for the food and the land.Blessing · After the wedding
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWhite tie
The highest level of formal Western evening attire for men and womenAttire · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Meat raffle: ef80, CC0, source
- Landshut Wedding: Oktobersonne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ukusina: Vulane Mthembu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wassailing: Joss Smithson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bachata: Salsauom, CC0, source
- Dożynki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Qaytarma: Gottfried Heinrich Geißler, Public domain, source
- Borborbor: Noahalorwu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tugging rituals and games: Steve46814 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Twelve Grapes: Ralf Roletschek, GFDL 1.2, source
- Klezmer: Syrena Records (Warsaw), Public domain, source
- Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Klezmer: Unknown artist identified as "M.D.", Public domain, source
- Nadba: Saeeddon1, CC0, source
- Saint Ubaldo Day: Marco Riccardini, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Syrtos: Muriel Pécastaing-Boissière pour Cédric Boissière, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- White tie: jonlo168, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Čoček: Модернист, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Macchina di Santa Rosa: Amras Carnesîr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mimouna: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Place card: Elizabeth Sullivan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source
- Karsilamas: Maximilian Dörrbecker ( Chumwa ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Slametan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Punnuk: Bernardguerrero, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sebiba: Abderrahmane boudjenane, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Easter sprinkling in Hungary: Matyófolk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Radonitsa: Perohanych, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vechornytsi: Гейслер, Кристиан Готфрид Генрих, Public domain, source
- Birkat Hamazon: Peggy Greb, USDA ARS, Public domain, source
- Wishing well: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ayie: SteveRwanda, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khata: Wiki-uk, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bonbonniere: TitineH, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Groom's cake: Derek Key, CC BY 2.0, source
- Phu Thê Cake: JeanFousrou52, CC BY-SA 4.0, source