19 Of The World's Most Strangest And Creepiest Wedding Traditions Ever Recorded In History

The world do have lots of odd traditions and superstitions when it comes to wedding. I thought I heard them all but upon digging deep a little more, I was surprised with the facts and data about odd and a bit dirty and gross wedding traditions. What I have below are some of the many wedding rituals, traditions, beliefs and superstition that are, for me, really interesting to know. You might find them gross and a bit over the top, but they are the tradition that few people still follows and respect at this kind of generation. So if you are ready to be amazed, read on.

Scotland - Blackening Of The Bride

Blackening And Humiliating Of The Bride

Initially the bride to be was the one who was blackened by her friends but now the groom is also blackened in many cases. The bride and the groom are taken by surprise or may be by shock and covered with foul and disgusting substances. The friends cover them with any gross they can think of. It can be curdled milk, rotten eggs, spoiled curry, smelly fish sauces, molasses, mud, flour, sausages, syrups and feathers.

After being blackened he or she or both of them are either tied to a tree or taken to the local streets and the pubs with the friends clanging the pots to announce the wedding. Scots believe that this humiliation prepares them to face all the difficulties and humiliations that may come across them as nothing would be more humiliating through out their life.

Here is a link to the video of this Scottish wedding tradition wherein the bride is getting bombarded with different type of liquids you can think of. :)

Inner Mongolia - Chick Liver Inspection

Group of people called the Daur that live in Chinese Inner Mongolia do have this one of the most bizarre pre-wedding ritual or tradition. For the wedding date to be finalized, the couple must kill a chick while holding the knife together. When the chick is lifeless, thew will cut it's body and and inspect it’s liver. If liver is healthy and looking good, then a wedding date will be announced, if not, they must do it again until they find a good and healthy chick liver.

1 Hour A Day Moment Of Crying

China - Crying Ladies

Women, including the bride to be of Tujia people in China do have this crying wedding tradition. At this kind of tradition, the bride must cry 1 hour everyday 1 month prior to the wedding date. After 10 days, her mother must join the crying session and after 10 more days, her grandmother must do the same. At the end of the month, her aunts and other females on the family must do the same crying ritual. According to them, the crying ritual or tradition is an expression of joy and happiness of family members because of the wedding that is about to happen.

Congo - Smiles Not Allowed

Jokers and comedians are not allowed to enter the premises where a Congo traditional wedding is being conducted. Why? the bride and groom are not allowed to smile or even grin from start to finish of the wedding ceremony. According to the locals of Congo, this kind of tradition is practiced to show how serious the wedding ceremony is. So if you wanted to ruin a Congo wedding, hire a comedian and make him or her perform in front of the bride or groom.

Africa - Mothers Knows Best

Some villages in Africa do require an older woman, preferably the bride's mother, to accompany the bride into the bedroom at her first night or honeymoon with her husband or groom. According to some records, this is practiced so the elder women can “show the bride the ropes”. I know, it is an uncomfortable feeling both for the bride and groom.

India (And Other Countries) - Animal-Human Wedding

An Indian Man And His Bride - A Dog

No countries in the world really accepts and recognizes this kind of wedding tradition. But based on history books that contains old wedding beliefs and superstition, there are few people or some parts in India (along with other countries) that practices human and animal marriages. This is one way of them to ward off and drive away bad luck and spirits.


Maruesas Islands of French Polynesia - Human Rugs

Immediately after the wedding reception is over, relatives of the bride all lay side by side in the dirt, face down. The bride and groom then walk across them like some sort of human rug. Disgusting? depends on what kind of dirt or place the relatives of the bride are facing with.

Yugur (Ethnic Chinese Minority) Culture - Shooting The Bride With Bow And Arrow

First and foremost, the bride won't die at this kind of wedding tradition (because the arrows don't have arrowheads), but surely, pain will be felt all over her body. At this kind of Yugur culture, the husband-to-be must shoot his bride with a bow and arrow before the wedding 3 times in a row. After 3 consecutive, not-deadly-but-surely-painful shots, the groom will break the arrows which shows and ensures that they will love each other forever, even in pain.

France - Toilet Bowl Drinking

When the bride and groom is officially married or the wedding ceremony and reception is complete, the guests or friends of  the couple will collect all of the leftovers (food and drink), a bit of dirt or trash and anything else that is gross enough and pour them all in a toilet bowl. Bride and groom will then be FORCED to drink out at that (sorry for those who eating while reading this one) gross toilet bowl. These days (for people who still practice this tradition), the trash and leftovers are often substituted with chocolates and alike. But still, drinking something out from the toilet bowl is gross, period.

Female Shaved Head
She's Not Spartan, She's Natalie Portman

Spartan Culture - Shaved Skin Heads

In Spartan culture, women will shave their heads and dress up like men. After doing that odd ritual or tradition prior to the wedding, they will wait to get stolen away by their husband to be. The reason behind this are all stated at this page.

Kenya - Saliva Blessing

At a Massai wedding in Kenya, a really odd wedding tradition is practiced. Before the bride leaves the village with her husband, the father of the bride bless his daughter by spitting on her head and breasts. After that spit blessing, the bride must walk away and shouldn't look back or else she will turn to stone (based on their beliefs).

Tidong Community in Northern Borneo - Holding That Poo and Pee

For three consecutive days and three consecutive  nights after their wedding, married couples are not allowed to use the bathroom or comfort room. Couples are required to be confined to their house while not emptying their bowels or urinating for three days and nights. To ensure that traditional rules are followed, family members guard their bathroom 'round the clock.  The reason behind this is that, if the couple survived that "semi-torture" wedding tradition, they will live a  happy life and can get through all the problems as a couple living together. Also, it is said that by doing this, couple will be blessed with lots of kids (makes sense to me!).

Trobriand Islands - Will Bite For Marriage

To choose the man of their life or the groom they want, the women of the Trobriand Islands near Papua, New Guinea, will simply go up to the man of their choice and bite him on the arm.

Solomon Islands - Bride (Not Bird) in Cage

Bride to be who lives and resides at Solomon islands are kept in a cage, closely guarded, and not released until the time of the wedding.

Lahu Ethnic Minority

Lahu People in Yuman Province - Bald Is Beauty

Most of the Lahu people live in Yunnan province in the far southwest of China. For them and their culture, only single girls must grow their hair. If a woman is married or after marriage, the woman must keep a lock of hair on top of the head. This lock or hair ritual is called as “hunmao” or “hair of the soul”. According to the people who still practices this odd wedding tradition, being and staying bald is clean and a great sign of beauty.

Gelao (GELO) People In Guizhou Province - Virginity Is Bad Luck

For the Gelao people, a girl it is not good to be a virgin for a certain or long period of time. For them, marrying a virgin girl is a bad luck for the future husband and to her family as well. Virgin women of their community will knock their teeth out to become lesser attractive to local guys, thus preventing the "still virgin" marriage that might bring bad luck. Very very odd I might say.

Scottish Law - 19th Century

Scottish law required brides to certify their productivity by being pregnant on their wedding day. The law was enforced.

Miss Big World Nigeria 2012

Nigeria - Get Fat Or No Wedding

When Nigerian young girls reach puberty, they enter fattening houses, where they spend their time eating almost constantly. After they reach a heavyweight status, they will be then considered truly fit for marriage.



City Of Corinne Utah (1870s) - Divorce Papers Via Slot Machines

Here in the Philippines, legality of divorce is still on debate, as far as I know. We all do know that divorce is pretty expensive and a bit hard to get nowadays but back in 1870, in the city of Corinne, Utah, divorce was made so simple that any man could obtain one instantly. With just $2.50 gold coin inserted into a machine and turning a crank, any man can received divorce papers already signed by the local judge.  At that time, that instant divorce paper slot machine is quite popular, but that popularity died down almost immediately.

When Utah statutes failed to back up these slot machine divorces, they were declared illegal and as a result many men found they had unwittingly become bigamists. For sure, there are men or even women out there who kinda wish that this kind of slot machines do still exists. Sad but true fact of today's world.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article from head to toe. I know some of the information above are not the ones you wanted to know. But who knows, they might become helpful and useful for you in the future.

If you have something to add or to say, leave me some comments below. If none, please consider sharing, tweeting, stumbling or liking this article for your friends and relatives to read and know.

Image Credits:

gned140303culturesandtravel.blogspot.com
chinadaily.com.cn
weddingunveils.com
en.cnci.gov.cn
biyokulule.com

Pin It