221 Curious Customs Practices and Traditions Around the World

Wearing a crown of wreath is a wedding custom in Switzerland. Do you know: The wreath crown is said to symbolize the bride’s virginity. The crown made of wreath in itself is a wedding custom in Switzerland that represents maidenhood. After the wedding ceremony, the crown is taken off and the bride is meant to […]

Saat Phere and  Jaimala are a part of Hindu wedding customs. Do you know: When it is the husband’s turn to garland his wife, very often her brothers lift her off the ground. Saat phere is one of the most important aspects of the Hindu wedding customs. Saat phere, meaning seven circles around the holy

Bread, salt, coins and wine are all a part of a wedding custom in Poland. Do you know: In every Polish wedding, the wedding toast known as ‘StoLat’ meaning a 100 years is performed. During their wedding feast, a small table is placed before the bride and the groom with the slices of bread, salt,

Placing a child in the bed of a newly wed couple and planting a tree are the wedding customs of people in the Czech Republic. Do you know: It is customary for the bride’s friends to plant a tree a day before her wedding. The tree planted by the friends of the bride is decorated

There are various wedding customs amongst the people in Slovakia. Do you know: In Slovakia it is customary for the groom to swing his bride over one shoulder and take her away from their wedding reception. The Moravian people, who live in the parts of Slovakia and Czech Republic, have a custom where a large

Cutting the Groom’s Tie is a wedding custom amongst the Italians. Do you know: The groom’s tie after his wedding is actually cut into small pieces. Once the tie is cut into many pieces, the friends of the bride and the groom walk from table to table at the reception, circulating the pieces of the

Both Charivari and Coup de Marriage are French wedding customs. Do you know: When the bride and the groom leave their reception, the guests place laurel leaves in their path. During the wedding, it is customary for the bride and the groom to drink wine from a two-handled cup, known as Coup de Marriage. Charivari

Customs involving gold and silver ornaments are very popular among the Hindu customs. Do you know: A woman wearing a toe ring on the second toe has a healthy Ayurvedic effect on the body. According to the Hindu customs, a married woman must wear a toe ring on her second toe after marriage. This custom

The Tree-Marrying custom is also prevalent amongst people in the south of Thailand. Do you know: Men specifically at the age of 21 are married to a tree in Thailand. Young men at the age of 21 years are married to a tree in Thailand as a sign of vitality being bestowed on the young

This custom is a wedding custom in Vietnam. Do you know: A night prior to the wedding, the bride’s mother will make her hair neat with many combs, each serving a different purpose. In Vietnamese weddings, the groom’s mother is meant to carry pink chalk and betel nuts to the bride’s home. Both these items

Shaving their heads is a common custom amongst the Lahu tribe from the Yunnan province in China. Do you know: Being bald is considered a sign of cleanliness and beauty amongst the Lahupeople. While this custom is not very common in today’s day and age, those who observe it shave their heads completely once they

Shooting Arrows at the Bride is a Chinese custom practised by the Yugur people. Do you know: During the wedding, the groom has to shoot three arrows to the bride. The Yugur custom has a unique wedding ritual where the groom shoots arrows without any arrowheads at the bride three times. However, the arrow does

Sending the bride 12 presents is a wedding custom in Taiwan. Do you know: The objects chosen to give as gifts have words that sound similar to Chinese words for ‘plenty and fast boy’. The custom dictates that the groom gifts the bride 12 presents, which may include shoes, jewellery, pagoda-shaped candies, etc. After the

Carrying bread, salt and grains is customary in German weddings. Do you know: The Germans also hold a ‘Paube’, a sort of engagement party, many days before the wedding, at the future house of the couple. On their wedding day, couples in Germany are meant to carry items in their pockets to the wedding. The

Baumstamm Sägen is a post-wedding custom in Germany. Do you know: After their wedding, fir branches are laid before the bride and the groom as they leave to pave their life with hope, luck and fertility. After the bride and the groom have walked over the fir branches, they carry out a custom known as