10 Most Bizarre Wedding Traditions From Around The World

So, most of us have been to, or at least seen, a wedding. And every family has a different tradition. Like, how someone's uncle always seems to end up plastered and owns the dance floor. But, traditions vary from culture to culture, too. Like in North America, for example, we have the bouquet and garter toss. Which is really weird if you think about it. I mean, the groom throws something that was wrapped around his wife's leg, and the bride throws flowers to which everyone clamors for and screams "I'm getting married next." But those are still nothing compared to what other areas of the world do when they get married. Toilet buffet, anyone?

These are the 10 most bizarre wedding traditions from around the world.

No. 1: The Blackening in Scotland.

emlii.com

In Scotland, it's tradition to capture the bride and/or groom days or weeks before the wedding, and then dump countless things on them. I'm not talking about nice things like water or confetti, no, it wouldn't be something simple as that. No, no, I'm talking about spoiled food, rotten fish, curdled milk, tar, garbage, you name it. The dirtier the betta'. Once that deed is done, the victim is then paraded around the city for all to see, then taken out for a night of drinks. Which, they're definitely gonna need. The belief is, if the person can withstand that embarrassment, of being covered in filth and shown around the community, they can cope with anything in marriage.

No. 2: Tree marriage in India.

ibtimes.co.uk

Many countries believe in curses, and have countless ways to rid themselves or their family members of those curses. In certain areas of India, a specific curse is removed through a wedding. But, not just any wedding, it's about to get weird. Some women, who were born under a certain astrological period, are called "mangliks." These women are thought to be so cursed, that if they are married, that they will cause their husband to die early. So what logical thing do they do first? Well, to remove the curse, the woman is first married to a tree. A tree. Once the nuptials are over, the tree is cut down and destroyed, and the curse is considered gone.

No. 3: Feet beating in Korea.

emlii.com

While some traditions are just weird, others like this one are downright painful. Like, walk into a door painful. In Korea, once the wedding is over, it's a tradition that the groom's feet be beaten with a fish or a cane. I prefer the fish, I mean, isn't that softer? The shoes and socks of the groom are removed, and the legs are tied together while the friends just (imitates caning) go at it. This is to ensure that he doesn't disappoint his new wife during their first night together as a married couple. Yeah, I don't understand the logic of that one. If his legs don't work, and they're all bruised, and he's hurt, I mean, that doesn't make him more likely to perform later, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying, no, it doesn't.

No. 4: No bathroom breaks in Indonesia.

talesmaze.com

In Indonesia, once the wedding celebration is over, and the newlywed couple take off to enjoy their alone time, AKA the honeymoon, that's where the real challenge begins. The family keeps watching over the couple to make sure that they don't use the bathroom for three days. That's right, not a single bathroom visit for three days after the wedding. It's actually said to bring good luck to the couple, and ensure that they have a long and happy marriage full of healthy children. I don't know about a long, happy life, but I can think of a long, happy something else they're gonna be releasing. Yeah, I don't know about you, but 72 hours without a single bowel movement just sounds ouch-y. That's frigging disgusting,

No. 5: Chicken liver in China.

opposingviews.com

This is another instance of a tradition that takes place before the wedding itself. You see, in order to set a wedding date, a couple from China or inner Mongolia must hold a knife together and cut the cake. Ops, I'm sorry, did I say cake? I meant a baby chicken. Upon doing so, the couple must inspect the chicken's liver. If it's healthy, then they can set a wedding date. If it isn't, then they must continue killing chicks until they find a suitable one. Otherwise, no wedding date can be planned. Oh my God, you're murdering chicks to determine the wedding date? I don't have a joke for that; I'm just very sad.

No. 6: The war of the shoes in India.

quora.com

Okay, imagine a game of capture the flag. Two teams are doing whatever they can to grab on to a piece of cloth, keeping it away from their opponents. Well, that's pretty much what this tradition is all about. In India, right before the groom arrives at the altar, he removes his shoes. And upon doing so, the chaos begins. The bride's family instantly rushes over to try to take the shoes, while the groom's family tries to protect them. If the bride's family is successful, the groom must pay a so-called "ransom." to try to get them back. Well, all is fun in love and war, and the shoe is stealing? I don't, this one's weird.

No. 7: Shooting arrows in China.

ubizarre.com

Let's go back to China for a moment; they're fun. In the Uyghur culture, a groom shoots his bride with three arrows. Yes, arrows. But, no need to worry, these arrows don't have arrowheads on them, so they aren't deadly. However, they are very painful nonetheless. Once the arrows are shot, the groom picks them back up and breaks each one of them. This is supposed to be a gesture of love, in that he will take care of her for the rest of his life. Well, at least they don't use real arrowheads, but I'm gonna be completely honest with you, based on the other things on this list, I would not put it past them.

No. 8: Sex lessons in Africa.

wikipedia

Okay, now this gets awkward. In some villages in Africa, once the wedding ceremony is over, and the honeymoon begins, so do the lessons. Wait, lessons, yeah, well, once the newlyweds start their fun, they're not alone. Usually, the village elder lies under the bed after instructing the new bride on how to satisfy her husband. The reason she stays in the room is in case there are any complications and her support is needed again. She's strictly there for instructing the new couple on how to, you know, enjoy their new time together. And here I thought watching Titanic with my parents was awkward, yeah, no.

No. 9: Tears of joy in China.

dailymail.co.uk

Weddings are such a joyous occasion. Such beautiful ceremonies and parents giving away their children may cause many tears of joy amongst the guests. However, this tradition gives us a slightly different situation. In China, a month before the wedding, the bride to be is required to cry at least an hour a day, every day. After 10 days, the mother is then to start crying. 10 days after that, the grandmother joins in the tears. By the end of the month, every female in the family is crying as well. Since all the ladies cry in different tones, it's considered to be an expression of happiness, with tears of joy. How do you force yourself to cry that much? I mean, are they just, like, punching each other in the leg, or pinching each other, or just eating entire onions.

No. 10: The toilet buffet in France.

sheknows.com

It's the moment you've all been waiting for. In France, it's tradition for the bridal party to gather leftovers, whether it be food, drink, or pretty much anything edible, and put it all into a toilet bowl replica. This includes basically whatever the party guests find absolutely disgusting. Once that's done, they bring the toilet bowl into the room of the newlyweds, and will not leave until the couple drinks everything out of it. This is supposed to provide fuel, you know, for the wedding night.

Hey guys, thanks a lot for reading this article. If you enjoyed this, I would appreciate nothing more in the world than for you to leave a comment on this article and, of course, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter. Thanks again for watching, guys, I'll see you next time. Bye.