A wedding is one of the important Marry A German events in the life of every person, it symbolizes a new stage in life, the beginning of a life together of two loving people, the birth of a family. Each nation has its own customs, its own superstitions associated with this event. We have repeatedly noted that in Germany YourLoveMeet.com review they treat history, culture and traditions very carefully.
The Germans have a number of wedding customs (die Hochzeitsbräuche), which refer to the time before the wedding (die Hochzeit), directly to the marriage ceremony itself and the time after the wedding. Some wedding traditions are common in a certain area and less popular in other regions of the country. We will talk about several wedding customs that are familiar to every German.
Evening before the wedding / Wedding Eve (der Polterabend)
The day before the wedding, it is customary to beat old dishes. Relatives, friends, colleagues, and sometimes neighbors of future newlyweds get together and break old dishes. The noise of broken dishes should drive away evil spirits, and the fragments should bring happiness to the couple. According to custom, glass or mirrors cannot be broken – this is a symbol of failure. Sweeping the pieces is a task for future spouses – this symbolizes harmony in the family.
Bride’s shoes – Marry A German
It is customary to pay for the bride’s shoes in small change (a large number of coins of 5, 10, etc. cents). This old tradition was born at a time when German families began to save money in advance for their daughter’s wedding. The bride (die Braut), who has been putting aside money DilMil for the purchase of wedding shoes for a long time and pays for them with a large amount of change, is considered especially frugal and faithful.
The mystery of the wedding dress – Marry A German
The groom (der Bräutigam) must not see the bride’s dress before the wedding – this will bring bad luck. Nowadays, many adhere to this custom and hide the dress from the eyes of the groom until the very last moment.
Awakening the Bride – Marry A German
This custom is typical for the countryside. The night before the wedding, the bride spends at her parents’ house. According to tradition, on the morning before the wedding, friends wake her up with screams and the noise of firecrackers. Sometimes even a whole brass band is invited 🙂 Noise symbolizes the beginning of a new life stage and drives away evil spirits.
“Etwas Altes, etwas Neues, etwas Geliehenes, etwas Blaues” – new, old, borrowed, blue
This old English tradition is also popular in Germany. On the day of the wedding, it is customary for the bride to wear something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue.
“The old thing” means the life of the bride before the wedding. As a rule, as an “old thing” the bride puts on old family jewelry.
The “new thing” is the future family life – the bride’s dress and shoes.
“Borrowed” is an item borrowed from the mother of the bride or a close friend of the bride (usually a married friend who is happily married). AmoLatina.com review A borrowed thing should bring happiness in family life. It can be a scarf, shoes or jewelry.
The “thing of blue” is a symbol of fidelity: a blue ribbon, a blue garter for stockings, or a blue button on a dress.
Coin in the bride’s shoe
A coin placed in the bride’s shoe should bring material well-being to the young family. Often, a coin is attached to the sole or sewn into the hem of a dress, since keeping a coin in a shoe throughout the entire wedding ceremony and subsequent celebration is quite inconvenient for the bride.
Together, the newlyweds cut out a heart in a large sheet, after which the young husband must carry his wife through this “passage” in the shape of a heart. This action symbolizes the “entrance” into a happy family life, where all difficulties will be overcome together, and the husband (der Ehemann) will carry his wife (die Ehefrau) in his arms.
Sprinkling newlyweds with rice – Marry A German
When spouses go outside after marriage, it is customary to “sprinkle” them with rice – this is a symbol of well-being. It is also believed that how many grains of rice are stuck in. The hair of the bride, so many children will the couple have.
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Rose bush and log sawing
On the day of the wedding, the newlyweds must plant a rose bush together and cut a log. Planting a tree by newlyweds symbolizes the beginning of a new life together. And sawing a log is the support. That young spouses will provide to each other.
Bridal Veil
In the old days, it was customary to remove the bride’s veil only at midnight. The veil was designed to protect the bride from evil spirits and bad luck. After removing the veil, it was torn into many small pieces and thrown into the crowd of guests. Whoever gets a piece will soon have a wedding too.
