Photos Of Bizarre Wedding Traditions Around the World

Polterabend in Germany

A wedding tradition where families and friends gather together night before the marriage. It is like a bachelor party or a wedding shower. It's normal to have these gatherings before the wedding. What's not normal is what they do during the party. Guests break porcelain to bring luck to the couple's marriage. From dishes to flowerpots, tiles, toilets, or anything there is to break except for glasses or mirrors. Then the bride and groom must clean everything up as a symbol of working together through future difficulties. 

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Blackening the Bride and Groom in Scotland

Blackening in Scotland

A pre-wedding tradition where the friends of bride takes her by surprise and throws anything disgusting at her like rotten eggs, mud, flour, syrups, spoiled curry, smelly fish sauce or anything foul and disgusting. This does not only apply to brides but to grooms as well. After being blackened, either the bride or the groom is tied on a tree or taken to the local streets or pubs with friends clanging the pots announcing the wedding. The purpose of this custom is to prepare the bride or groom for marriage because after going through this, any future marital problems will seem like nothing.

Ransom of the Bride in Russia

Ransom of the bride. Groom must do everything to get his wife-to-be.

Grooms in Russia must pay the ransom in order for him to see his bride. The bride’s family members block the pathway to her home while they challenge the groom to a series of riddles, questions or ridiculous feats. If he answers or performs correctly, he’s allowed to move one step closer to his wife-to-be. Sometimes, the family members will bring out another woman, or even a man wearing a wedding veil in good humor for the groom.

No bathroom breaks for three days in Northern Borneo

No bathroom breaks for three days during honeymoon.

Honeymoons are full of fun and excitement but not for honeymooners from the tribe of Tidong in North Borneo. The newly wed couple should stay at home and are not allowed to have bathroom breaks for three straight days. To make sure they follow the rules, their families guard their bathroom round the clock. You know how it feels when you really want to pee or take a dump but you can't. The essence of this tradition? If the couple can make it through 72 hours of torture together, then they can get through anything in the future. 

Inspecting Baby chick's Liver in China

Where Chinese couples keep on slaughtering innocent chicks for a brighter future.

The Daur people of China base their happy-marriage predictions on the liver of a baby chick. As the couple is about to set their wedding date, the two share a knife to slice open a chick to inspect its liver. A healthy liver means they can set a date and the marriage will flourish. A bad liver means setting a date at that moment would doom the union. Thus the couple keeps slaughtering chicks until they find one with a suitable liver that ensures a bright future.

Wedding tradition on the Island of Java

25 rat tails and you're married.