When I was a Boy Scout I learned that there was more than one way to tie a knot. When this phrase applies to marriage, a travel around this old globe proves this eminently true.
In short and simple terms when we all get married we don't do it the same way.
By way of example what is different about the marriage ceremony in places such as China. In this country of the Great Wall, a couple goes to a local park and has a video made before the evening party begins. The bride and groom then exchange a handkerchief and wish each other good luck. The handkerchief has to be the color red and have a picture of mandarin ducks stamped on its surface. The reason for this? Ducks always stay together.
Variety is what makes the world go round and more interesting in its journey. In Eastern Europe one month before the wedding, the groom asks the girl's father for permission to take her out of her family's home. He goes to her house early in the morning accompanied by a band and music is enjoyed by one and all.
During wedding preparations in Germany broken pottery brings you luck or so it is believed. This old German custom is given life when friends and relatives, a few days before the wedding, bring old porcelain and kitchenware to be broken on the ground in front of the bride and groom.
In India where white signifies death, the bride wears red while the groom wears a traditional cream-colored long coat. The father of the bride joins the bride to the group by handing her one part of a cloth that is held by the groom. The groom then leads the bride four times around a holy book with the help of the bride's brothers and cousins. Then priests can give proper blessings and advice on how to live and love in this new adventure together. As in all weddings she is surrounded by family and friends. It is typically a magnificently choreographed undertaking that lasts for up to five days or more.
In Japan the bride wears a white hood to hide what are called her "horns of jealousy "that it is assumed she feels toward her mother-in-law. This displays her resolve to become a gentle and obedient wife. At the close of the ceremony the couple drinks sake together. This symbolizes their union. Giving the reception the bride changes into a red kimono and then finally into Western style attire.
The night before a marriage ceremony in Iran, three or four unmarried girls place a clean white cloth on the heads of the bride and groom. This is done while they are sitting on a sofa on the ground. Then one of the girls begins to grind large nuggets of sugar together while asking God to repel all evil spirits from the young couple’s new life.
An old Scottish tradition is called the blackening of the bride. The bride and groom are covered from head to foot by everything from curdled milk to rotten eggs. It emphasizes the importance of this day. Meanwhile the well-wishers are filling the room with as much noise as they can possibly make. It certainly makes this day a day not easily forgotten.
Like my Boy Scout knots were meant to be long-lasting, the purpose, hopes and wishes are that each marriage be long lasting and filled with love. Everyone wants to remember this important day. The means to improve their memory do sometimes seem a bit off the wall.