ABNORMAL MARRIAGE TRADITIONS

Scotland

In a pre-wedding tradition of Scotland, the bride-to-be and probably even her grooms, are pelted with all dirty things like rotten eggs, treacle, fish etc and paraded through the streets. The Scots take this humiliation to better prepare the couple for a married life.

South Korea

South Korean grooms are subjected to a ritual before they leave with their new wives. The family members remove the groom's shoes and bind his ankles with rope before taking turns to beat his feet with a stick or dried fish. The beating is really painful. The beating of feet is meant as test of the new husband's strength and character.

Kenya

It is customary among Maasai community for the father of the bride to spit on his daughter's head and breasts before she leaves with her new husband. In Maasai culture spitting is seen as a symbol of good luck and fortune. Maasai tribesmen spit on their hands before shaking hands with elders as a sign of respect. As a tradition they spit on new born Maasai babies to ward of bad luck.

India

In Northern India women born under Mangal Dosha are thought to be cursed with bad luck. As a remedy for this, a kumbh vivah, a ceremonial marriage is performed before the actual marriage. These so called cursed women are asked to marry a peepal tree or a banana tree or an idol of God Vishnu. Former Miss World 1994 winner Aishwarya Rai Bachchan underwent a kumbh vivah before her marriage with Abhishek Bachchan.

Germany

In some German weddings, guests of the couple will gather at the house of the bride and smash pieces of crockery to bring good luck to the newly wed. The couple are then required to clean up the debris to demonstrate that by working together can overcome any challenge faced in married life.

(Indebted to an article by Helen Armitage on unusual wedding traditions around the world.)

KV George

kvgeorgein@gmail.com