Weddings, as we know them, is where the bride and groom stand at the altar and take their vows promising eternal love for one another, but not all countries do the same as us. The cultures and beliefs of countries around the world differ greatly in the way they celebrate their wedding night.
Did you know that after a marriage has taken place, some couples ‘wedding night never goes as planned due to all the activities concocted by friends and family in a quest to disrupt the newlyweds’ plans to become one in the matrimonial suite as soon as they would? like.
In the United States, it is customary after the reception for the couple to get into the waiting vehicle to take them on their honeymoon only to find that the back of the car is fully stocked with noisy tin cans.
The tradition of Gaelic culture is where close friends and family set out to delay the consummation of the couple in a fun way. In good times, the married couple spent their wedding night in a haystack. Close friends of the bride dressed her for bed and invited all the male species attending the wedding to kiss her good night. What they did in the old days to add fun to the evening were disturbing things that made it difficult for the groom to reunite with his new wife. When the couple finally got together, the noises came from outside the barn with its (peephole) thus adding more embarrassment to the newlyweds.
It’s only a matter of time before the alcohol puts the pranksters to sleep. It is not surprising that in those days the destination of the honeymoon was kept secret.
Other Scottish Celtic rituals performed on the wedding night was the sprinkling of water on the bed, which was considered to bring good luck.
The people of Germany and France maintain similar traditions where their wedding night riots are called Chiverie. America spells it Shivaree, they also wreak havoc by decorating the bridal suite with balloons or placing food all over the bed just for fun. A love surrounded by crumbs is not very romantic.
They say that when you are in Rome, do what the Romans do, but whatever you do, do not fall, as it looks like bad luck if the bride falls when entering the first house of the newlyweds. After the Roman wedding, all the male friends of the married couple would lead the bride across the threshold. But times have changed in which the groom has the pleasure of saying that; You may need to ask for help if your girlfriend is the size of Bessie Bunter.
In West Africa (Benin), virginity is highly valued. The mother of the bride compensates her with money if the man still does not touch her on their wedding night! This may sound alarming, but the sheets are checked for blood stains the next morning after the wedding night. I said that things were done differently in other countries and that this is the custom in Benin. Sometimes the sheets flew like flags from the window to show that the daughter never gave in to temptation by submitting her body to another.
A Chinese wedding night consists of beautifully designed candles shaped like a phoenix and a dragon to drive out evil spirits. The wine is drunk in glasses tied with a scarlet red sash while at the same time the newlyweds have their arms intertwined. It is now that the bride is given half-raw meatballs that denotes prosperity.
Wait till there is no ration of passion for the Marquesas (Polynesian) brides who are expected to have sex with all the male guests. Heaven is available if the numbers are large, the groom finally sleeps with his bride at the end.
Depending on the number of male guests this could surely go on for quite some time, but at the end of the day I suppose the wait will be worth it because it is the groom who sleeps with her for the rest of her life.