Here Comes the Bride: Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Wedding Customs

As it is “wedding season” here in the United States it seems fitting to address this topic.  Weddings and marriages are a cross-cultural phenomenon that occurs almost universally, but the specific wedding customs practiced around the globe do vary.  This blog post will explore some of these wedding customs, some of which are unique and others are shared among various cultural groups both regionally and worldwide.

Ransoms at the Wedding

Various cultural groups capture and hold either the bride or an aspect of the wedding paraphernalia for ransom.  It is customary to “ransom the bride” in Chinese and various Eastern European cultures.  In these situations either the bridesmaids or the bride’s family will keep the groom from seeing and marrying his bride until he passes a series of tests.  These can be answering a series of questions or riddles or performing silly tasks, like goofily dancing.  Ultimately, the purpose of this ritual is to determine the groom’s desire and commitment to be married.  In Pakistan and India, the groom’s shoes are held for ransom, which is done out of good fun.

Warding Off Evil Spirits

Newlyweds are considered at great risk for misfortune as their blissful day can come under scrutiny by malevolent spirits.  Various wedding rituals have been put in place to distract or deter such supernatural mischief.  In Norway a bride wears a crown with hanging charms, and as the charms make noise it is believed that it is enough to scare away evil spirits.  Jewish grooms smash a glass under their foot, which is met with cheers of “Mazel tov!” (good luck) by the wedding guests.  Balancing bread covered in honey on their shoulders and eating a spoonful of honey is considered the most effective way of warding off evil spirits among Armenian newlyweds, while German guests smash ceramic dishes to scare them away.  Among the Masaai the bride’s father will spit on her as she leaves with her husband.  This act is meant to represent some doubt in the marriage so as not to tempt fate and guarantee its failure.  Lastly, among the Irish it is believed that if both of the bride’s feet leave the floor while she dances she will be taken away by evil fairies.

Promoting Happiness and Fertility

Marriage is typically the most common socially acceptable means for having children.  Therefore it should come to no surprise that there are a series of rites and rituals performed before, during, and after the wedding to ensure the newlyweds have many children.  In America it is customary to throw rice (although it is better to throw bird seed) at newly weds as they leave their wedding ceremony.  Among the Czech it is customary to put a baby into the marriage bed.  This is meant to encourage fertility between the newlyweds.  They are also showered with rice, lentils, or peas on their wedding day as an additional means of ensuring their reproductive success.

Predicting the Next to Get Married

If you have been to an American wedding then you are most likely familiar with the tossing of the wedding bouquet or the bride’s garter.  The individual who catches either of these items is believed to be the next one to marry.  While this is the standard among various Western cultures it is not in Peru.  Instead they practice the “pulling of the cake” ceremony.  The wedding cake is baked with various charms attached to string inside of it.  One of the charms is a replica of a wedding ring.  When it comes to eating the cake the wedding guests select a string and pull the charm out of the cake.  Whomever finds the wedding ring is the next one to be married.

To all those getting married this year or in the future we wish you many blessings and years of happiness.

Works Cited

Buckley, Erica. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Weddings throughMedia and Ritual: Analyzing Indian and NorthAmerican Weddings." McNair Scholars Journal (2006): 13-28. Document.

Lewak, Doree. "Different Rules for Different Cultures: Be Prepared." New York Times 8 December 2008. Electronic.

Mattia, Nancy and Andrea Park. "47 Fascinating Wedding Traditions From Around the World." Brides 18 February 2019. Electronic.

Pappas, Stephanie. "10 Wedding Traditions from Around the World." 1 November 2011. Livescience. Electronic. 20 May 2020.

From Myth to Reality: How Archaeology Supports Ancient Greek Legend

Figure 1: Turkish mosaic depicting a battle with an Amazonian warrior (Image Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen)

Archaeological discoveries provide great insights into the past, particularly in uncovering pasts that have long been forgotten.  This is what archaeological fieldwork is most known for, but it can and often does also validate forgotten or discarded histories.  Today’s blog post features one of those examples of a piece of history that historians thought was a myth but was actually a reality: the tale of Amazonian warriors (Figure 1).

Earlier this year popular media outlets were abuzz with a news about a remarkable discovery in Russia: a partially intact tomb of four women warriors.  These women, ranging in age from early adolescence to elderly, were interred 2500 years ago.  While two of the women’s graves had been previously looted two remained intact.  They were discovered to be wearing horse riding gear and armor and were buried with a series of iron weapons, including points and knives, and animal bones, which were provided as meals for the deceased.  These women were part of the Scythian culture, a nomadic group that claimed territory between the Black Sea and eastern Mongolia. 

The Scythians were well known for being fierce warriors that employed both men and women.  This recent discovery accompanied a mount of evidence of 300 previously excavated tombs also containing women warriors.  Together, the evidence demonstrates that the Greek tales about fierce warrior women were true.  Scythian women of all ages trained and fought alongside their male counterparts and were equally successful in their roles. 

While this evidence does demonstrate that the Greek myth of Amazon warrior women is true it does not support variations of the myths.  There is no evidence that the Scythian women/Amazons were lesbians or hated men.  In fact, the evidence negates that variation of the myth all together.  Also, there is no evidence that Scythian women cut off one of their breasts to make it easier to draw their bows and arrows.  In fact, the Scythians created and used the recurve bow, a small but very effective bow and arrow that was used by all Scythian warriors.  This work demonstrates that not all tales passed down through the generations are completely false.

References

Machemer, T. (2019, December 30). Tomb Containing Three Generations of Warrior Women Unearthed in Russia. Smithsonian Magazine.

Mosley, T. (2020, January 14). New Russian Gravesite Proves Amazon Warrior Women Were Very Much Real. Retrieved from WBUR: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/14/amazon-women-archaeology-myths

Schuster, R. (2020, January 2). Tomb With Three Generations of ‘Amazon’ Warrior Women Found in Russia. Retrieved from Haaretz: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-amazon-warrior-women-russia-archaeology-scythian-greece-1.8327358

Weekend Edition Sunday. (2020, January 12). Remains Of Ancient Female Fighters Discovered. Retrieved from National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/2020/01/12/795661047/remains-of-ancient-female-fighters-discovered