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
🇺🇬 UgandaLarakaraka
An Acholi courtship dance where young men display agility to attract a partner.Play · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 morePantunڤنتون
A Malayic oral poetry form used in wedding greetings and daily communication to express ideas through rhyme.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United KingdomWassailing
Singing and drinking to bless trees or homes during the Christmas seasonFeast custom · The weeks before
🇺🇬 UgandaNaleyo
A courtship dance of the Karamojong people where men and women jump facing each other to find partners.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreLenten veilFastentuch
A large painted or embroidered canvas that covers the altar during Lent to create a period of visual penance.Rite · 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
🇮🇷 Bojnord, Iran and 1 moreTurkmen embroidery
Intricate silk embroidery on wedding and daily wear that marks territorial identity and family skill.Attire · The weeks before
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreLaternelaufen
A lantern procession held by children in Germany and Austria on St. Martin's Day to celebrate sharing and light.Blessing · The weeks before
🇭🇷 CroatiaŽudijeŽudije (čuvari Kristova groba)
Catholic guardians who stand watch over a replica tomb of Christ in Dalmatia until Easter Vigil.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreNose jewelNath
A nose piercing ornament that signals marital status and social standing in South Asia and beyond.Adornment · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Wassailing: Joss Smithson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pantun: Nurmalinda Maharfar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Larakaraka: Tabwoch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lenten veil: Plutowiki, CC0, source
- Lazarice: Svetlina bov at Bulgarian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Laternelaufen: Heinrich Hermanns, Public domain, source
- Nose jewel: Etan Doronne @ www.myindiaexperience.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, source