These 10 weird marriage rituals are bound to shock you!

Are you familiar with wedding rituals and customs? Of course you are! You might have been to numerous weddings throughout your lives where singing, dancing and merrymaking mark the union of a couple. Well, below we have compiled a bizarre and totally unique list of wedding celebrations practiced around the world. Read on to amaze yourself. Who knows, you might adopt one for your lucky day!

1. Husband for a tree!

In rural India, if someone is born a Manglik, (an astrological combination when Mars and Saturn are both under the 7th house) it is believed his/her marriage is bound to suffer! So if a girl is Manglik, it is deemed that her groom-to-be will perish soon. Hence, to cure her of this curse, she is first wed to a tree and after the wedding rituals conclude, the tree is chopped off by an axe!

 

2. Man’s best friend or wife?

Many tribes of India follow the superstition that marriage to an animal (especially a dog) can alter bad luck for good! Hence, in order to ward off any impending misfortunes, people readily marry dogs. From pet to spouse, in an instant!

 

3. Indonesian house arrest!

Every couple and their respective families want healthy offspring. In order to make sure of that, the husband and wife are locked in their house for a good three days. Watched over by the adults, they are refrained from using the washroom and supplied with minimal food. This practice is common in Indonesia. The difficulties parents endure for the sake of their children!

 

4. The all familiar Joota Chupai

All hailing from the sub-continent are extremely familiar with this fun-oriented ritual. The groom’s shoe is the center of attraction and if captured by the bride’s family, is bargained for a hefty sum! Shoe-napping for ransom, as some would call it!

 

5. Bride-nappings!

In Romania, the best way to propose is eventually to kidnap the bride! If a suitor successfully kidnaps the bride and convinces her to stay for 2-3 days, they are declared legally as man and wife. So eventually the girl does get to have a say in the matter, only after being kidnapped for a couple of days!

 

6 Shooting the bride with arrows!

In Chinese weddings, it is a popular tradition for the groom to shoot the bride with a minimum of three arrows. Don’t worry, the arrows don’t have arrowheads, taking away their ability to pierce and kill. The husband then breaks the arrows to ensure an everlastingly happy marriage. Need I state the importance of removing the arrowheads from each arrow before the shooting begins?

 

7. Tears of joy?

Chinese brides of tribe Tujia celebrate by crying an hour everyday one month from their wedding! As the clock starts to tick and only ten days are left for the bride to tie the knot, she is joined by her mother and grandmother in the crying activity. This bizarre practiced is looked upon as a sign of joy, as women cry in various tones.

 

8. Beat the feet!

In Korea, it is an age-old custom to have your feet caned or beaten with dead fish before commencing your first night as a groom. This can be quite discomforting for the man but is viewed as a test of his strength and character. Nothing confines a man within his house like swollen feet!

 

9. Trash the bride!

The Scots show affection and give their well wishes to the bride by trashing her with dead fish, sauce, tar, eggs and mud. Not only this, the helpless bride is then fastened to a tree! This is a fun activity that prepares the bride for all difficulties she would have to endure after marriage. So you mean to tell me, Scottish brides actually look forward to their wedding day?

 

10.Smash the dishes!

In German weddings, couples have to smash dishes and cutlery gifted to them by their wedding guests. It is common belief there that sounds arising from the smashing of the dishes scares evil spirits away.