wedding customs essay

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Weddings in the italian renaissance.

Feste nelle nozze de don Francesco Medici gran duca di Toscana; et della ... sig. Bianca Cappello, Florence, October 14, 1579

Written by Raffaello Gualterotti

Polychrome velvet with a variation on a Medici emblem

The Story of Esther

• Marco del Buono Giamberti

Roundel (tondo)

possibly workshop of Giovanni Maria Vasaro

Armorial dish: Supper at the House of Simon the Pharisee

workshop of Maestro Giorgio Andreoli

Deborah L. Krohn The Bard Graduate Center

November 2008

Many official descriptions of weddings between wealthy or important people survive. Wedding celebrations could go on for several days, involving a succession of parades, processions, spectacles, performances, games, and meals. Beginning in the fifteenth century, the ancient Roman practice of declaiming custom-written poems celebrating the union was revived. Wedding poems, called epithalamia, are full of references to the purpose of marriage: to perpetuate the civic and political institutions that maintain a stable society. The humanist writers of the wedding poems generally shared the “family values” expressed by Leon Battista Alberti and others who extolled the civic virtues of marriage.

The wedding procession was the most public part of the marriage , and provided an opportunity for the entire community to share in the celebration and thus ratify the marriage. The ritual actions of the father handing the daughter to the husband, expressed in the Latin phrase tradere filiam suam (to hand over his daughter), and of the husband taking the woman into his house, uxorem ducere (to lead a woman), were the essence of the ceremony. Like the many gifts exchanged before and after the ceremony, the bride herself was an object handed from one owner to another.

Wedding processions became more elaborate during the Renaissance period. Marriages, which were also mergers, were potentially explosive moments, and lavish festivities may have diffused some of the tensions that might arise between families over dowry arrangements and other touchy subjects. The bridal procession might even face dangers from hostile mobs or individuals, as suggested by a Florentine statute from 1415, which forbade the throwing of stones or garbage at the home of the couple. Wedding processions were often compared to ancient triumphal processions. The idea of the wedding as a triumph is reflected in the imagery on cassoni (marriage chests) panels such as Apollonio di Giovanni’s Triumph of Scipio Africanus , known in several versions.

Descriptions of fabulous scenery and floats for the great Medici weddings of the sixteenth century are well known through Giorgio Vasari’s Lives and other sources. In his account of the life of the versatile designer Il Tribolo, Vasari describes the 1539 wedding, in Florence, of Cosimo I de’ Medici and Eleonora di Toledo: “Tribolo was given the charge of constructing a triumphal arch at the Porta al Prato, through which the bride, coming from Poggio, was to enter; which arch he made a thing of beauty, very ornate with columns, pilasters, architraves, great cornices, and pediments. The arch was to be all covered with figures and scenes, in addition to the statues by the hand of Tribolo.” Vasari catalogues the allegorical figures on this arch as well as the decorations in the Medici palace, in the Piazza San Marco, and the scenery for theatrical events staged during the wedding festivities. Other descriptions of entire cities being transformed into stage sets for the performances of great court weddings tantalize the imagination, yet little visual evidence remains.

Wedding feasts were among the most lavish of meals, featuring entertainment as well as many courses of specialty foods for both eating and beholding. When Eleanor of Aragon arrived in Ferrara in 1473 for her multiday wedding, she was greeted by a parade of allegorical floats, followed on subsequent days by a fifty-six-course feast, and dances and jousts, during which sugar sculptures were displayed. The humanist Filippo Beroaldo reported that the 1487 wedding of Lucrezia d’Este and Giovanni Bentivoglio in Bologna featured giant sugar sculptures of castles, ships, people, and animals , and a flaming wheel of fireworks that accidentally ignited some of the wedding guests. Contemporary handbooks provide specific instructions on wedding planning and menus, such as Domenico Romoli’s 1560 Singolare dottrina , which contains a section instructing the steward on how to lay the tables with embroidered tablecloths. In his spalliera painting The Banquet in the Pinewoods , one of four grand panels for a wedding chamber based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s dark moralizing tale, in The Decameron , of Nastagio degli Onesti, Botticelli illustrated a feast gone awry. The potential bride being wooed by the hapless Nastagio has been invited to a banquet, where she bears witness to a spectral reluctant bride pursued to the death by her spurned lover —a knight—and his dogs. As the naked woman is nipped by dogs in the foreground prior to being eviscerated at the hands of the knight, the carefully laid table is thrown into disorder by the agitated guests, overturned glasses staining the tablecloths and gleaming vessels clattering to the ground. In its remarkable detail and psychological poignancy, this image conveys both the highest aspirations and the greatest fears of any bride on her wedding day.

Krohn, Deborah L. “Weddings in the Italian Renaissance.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wedd/hd_wedd.htm (November 2008)

Further Reading

Blumenthal, Arthur R. Italian Renaissance Festival Designs . Exhibition catalogue.. Madison: Elvehjem Art Center, University of Wisconsin, 1973.

Brucker, Gene A. Giovanni and Lusanna: Love and Marriage in Renaissance Florence . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.

D'Elia, Anthony F. The Renaissance of Marriage in Fifteenth-Century Italy . Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004.

Dean, Trevor, and K. J. P. Lowe, eds. Marriage in Italy, 1300–1650 . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Krohn, Deborah L. "Marriage as a Key to Understanding the Past." In Art and Love in Renaissance Italy , edited by Andrea Bayer. Exhibition catalogue.. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008. See on MetPublications

Additional Essays by Deborah L. Krohn

• Krohn, Deborah L.. “ Birth and Family in the Italian Renaissance .” (November 2008)
• Krohn, Deborah L.. “ Courtship and Betrothal in the Italian Renaissance .” (November 2008)
• Krohn, Deborah L.. “ Nuptial Furnishings in the Italian Renaissance .” (November 2008)

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Cultural India

Rediscovering India

The Timeless Traditions of an Indian Wedding: A Rich Cultural Significance and Celebratory Rituals

Welcome to the world of Indian wedding traditions! You are in for a treat if the fascinating heritage, culture, and history of India captivate you. The Indian wedding is one of the world’s most elaborate and joyful celebrations, and the subject of this blog is its intricacies. We hope to provide you with a comprehensive and engaging guide to the pre-wedding rituals, wedding day customs, and post-wedding ceremonies that make up a traditional Indian wedding, whether you are a groom-to-be, a bride-to-be, or just a curious reader. Therefore, unwind, unwind, and get ready to embark on a journey that is brimming with vivid colors, beautiful music, and a wealth of symbolism.

Table of Contents

Pre-Wedding Ceremonies

Traditional Indian weddings include pre-wedding ceremonies that are often as exciting and elaborate as the wedding itself. The families of the bride and groom can come together and celebrate the upcoming union during these ceremonies. Here are some of the most common practices before getting married:

Engagement: A small ceremony typically marks the engagement, which is a formal announcement of the couple’s intention to get married. Close friends and family are typically present. The couple exchanges rings and frequently receives blessings from their elders during the engagement.

Haldi: A paste made of turmeric, sandalwood, and other ingredients is applied to the bride and groom’s skin in the Haldi ceremony, a Hindu pre-wedding ritual, to purify and brighten their complexion. Additionally, it is believed that this ceremony will protect the couple from evil spirits and bring them luck.

Mehndi: The bride’s henna body art is honored during the Mehndi ceremony. It is believed that the bride’s hands and feet are decorated with intricate designs that bring fertility and good fortune. To celebrate the bride, friends and family frequently gather to apply henna to their own hands.

Sangeet: A fun-filled evening of music, dance, and celebration is the Sangeet ceremony. The bride and groom’s friends and family get together to sing, dance, and celebrate their union. The ceremony is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to bond and have fun, and the bride and groom frequently take part in special dances together.

Indian wedding traditions include these pre-wedding ceremonies, which provide a glimpse into the country’s extensive cultural heritage. Families use them as a way to celebrate the couple and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness.

Wedding Day Rituals

The rituals performed on the wedding day are the main part of an Indian wedding and are full of symbolism and tradition. A closer look at some of the most common practices on the wedding day:

Jaimala: The bride and groom exchange flower garlands during the Jaimala ceremony. The couple’s acceptance of one another and commitment to a life together are symbolized by this ritual.

Baraat: The groom’s arrival at the wedding venue on horseback or in a decorated vehicle with family and friends is known as the Baraat. The energetic and joyful procession that precedes it sets the tone for the remainder of the wedding day.

Kanyadaan: In the Hindu ritual known as the Kanyadaan, the groom’s father gives his daughter’s hand in marriage to the bride. This is a sacred act that represents the bride’s father’s passing on of responsibility to her husband.

Phere Saat: The bride and groom exchange seven vows during the Saat Phere ceremony. The couple makes seven vows to love, respect, and cherish one another for the rest of their lives during this ceremony.

Dan Sindoor: The groom applies sindoor, a red powder, to the bride’s hair parting in the Sindoor Daan ceremony, the final wedding day ritual. The bride’s marriage and devotion to her husband are symbolized by this.

Vidaai: The bride’s final goodbye to her family and departure with her husband is marked by the Vidaai ceremony, which is a bittersweet moment. The bride’s new life, her dedication to her husband, and their future together are all represented by this ritual.

As a way for families and communities to celebrate the couple and wish them a lifetime of happiness and love, these wedding day rituals are an essential component of the Indian wedding tradition.

Post-Wedding Ceremonies

A traditional Indian wedding’s post-wedding ceremonies serve to strengthen the couple’s bond and establish their place in the community. Some of the most common post-wedding rituals are as follows:

Grihapravesh: The bride’s arrival at her husband’s house is marked by the Grihapravesh ceremony. The bride is greeted by her mother-in-law and frequently receives blessings and gifts as part of this custom.

Bidaai: In the Hindu bidaai ceremony, the bride says her final goodbyes to her parents and moves out of their home as a single woman. This is a touching moment that frequently results in the bride’s family wishing her well and crying.

Reception: Friends, family, and members of the community attend the reception, which is a celebration held in their honor. This is a chance for the couple to show off their wedding attire and celebrate the couple’s union with everyone.

Shaddi: The Shaddi ceremony, which marks the end of the marriage and is regarded as private, is considered to be between the bride and groom.

Vidaai: The bride’s parents bid her farewell during the Vidaai ceremony, which is a symbol of the bride’s entry into her new life with her husband.

These ceremonies after the wedding are an important part of the Indian wedding tradition. They serve to celebrate the couple and bring the community together to support them. They serve as a reminder of the love and commitment that the bride and groom have made to one another and are a time of joy, happiness, and celebration.

Cultural and Religious Significance

The Indian culture’s values and beliefs are reflected in the cultural and religious significance of traditional Indian weddings. The following are some important cultural and religious aspects of an Indian wedding:

Hinduism: The rituals and traditions of Hindu weddings are deeply rooted in religion and tradition, and they have been handed down through the generations. The seven vows and many of the wedding day rituals, like the exchange of flower garlands, are taken from Hindu scripture and are regarded as sacred acts.

Family: Indian weddings are a time to celebrate not only the couple but also their families. The Kanyadaan and the Bidaai, among other rituals, serve to unite the bride and groom’s families by transferring responsibility for the bride from her father to her husband.

Community: Friends and community members gather to celebrate the couple’s union at Indian weddings, which are also a celebration of the community. The reception is a particularly significant chance for the community to unite and express their congratulations and support to the newlyweds.

Symbolism: Indian weddings are full of rituals and symbolic actions that help the couple feel more committed to one another, as well as to their families and communities. The Sindoor Daan ceremony, for instance, represents the bride’s commitment to her husband and her married status, while the Grihapravesh ceremony marks the bride’s entry into her new home and integration into her husband’s family.

These cultural and religious elements help to reinforce the Indian people’s values and beliefs and are an important part of the Indian wedding tradition. They are a testament to the rich cultural heritage of India and serve as a framework for the couple to celebrate their love and commitment to one another, as well as to their families and communities.

Legends Behind the Rituals

There are fascinating legends and stories behind many of the traditional Indian wedding rituals, which explain their significance and origins. A few examples include:

Haldi Ritual: The Haldi ceremony, according to Hindu legend, was created to shield the bride and groom from evil spirits and negative energy. It is believed that the turmeric, sandalwood, and other ingredients in the paste will bring the couple luck and blessings.

Ceremony of Mehendi: It is believed that the Mehendi ceremony was started in ancient India as a way to bring luck and prosperity to the bride. It is said that the bride and groom’s love and commitment are represented by the intricate designs on the bride’s hands.

Seven oaths: The seven vows, also known as the Saat Phere, are a crucial part of the Hindu wedding ceremony. The Vedas, the Hindu scripture, are said to have inspired them. The bride and groom take the seven vows as a sign of their commitment to one another as well as to their families and communities.

Kanyadaan: It is believed that the Hindu epic Mahabharata is the source of the Kanyadaan ceremony, in which the bride’s father proposes to the groom. In the story, the prince Arjuna weds the princess Draupadi, and her father, King Drupada, performs the Kanyadaan ritual to show his support for the couple and his blessing.

The cultural and religious significance of the traditional Indian wedding rituals are bolstered and the couple’s connection to their heritage and traditions is strengthened by these myths and legends. They also strengthen the bonds of love and commitment that are at the core of a traditional Indian wedding by bringing the couple, their families, and their communities together.

Love, commitment, and a couple’s cultural and religious heritage are all celebrated at traditional Indian weddings. From the pre-wedding Haldi and Mehendi ceremonies to the wedding day Seven Vows and Kanyadaan, the various rituals and ceremonies reinforce the couple’s love and dedication to one another, as well as to their families and communities. The couple’s connection to their heritage and traditions is strengthened by the legends and stories behind these rituals, which also provide a rich cultural and religious context for the wedding celebration. The Indian wedding custom is a sign of India’s rich cultural heritage and the long-lasting power of love and commitment in forming unified families and communities.

1. How does an Indian wedding typically look like?

Pre-wedding events like Haldi and Mehendi, the Seven Vows ceremony on the wedding day, and post-wedding events like the Grihapravesh and the reception are all part of a traditional Indian wedding, which lasts for several days. The wedding is a celebration of the couple’s love and commitment, as well as their families and communities, and it is steeped in cultural and religious significance.

2. How long does an Indian wedding typically last?

Depending on the family and community’s customs, a traditional Indian wedding can take anywhere from two to seven days.

3. What does the Haldi ceremony mean to you?

A paste made of turmeric, sandalwood, and other ingredients is applied to the bride and groom in the Haldi ceremony, a pre-wedding ritual. It is believed to shield the couple from evil spirits and negative energy and to bring them luck and blessings.

4. What does the Mehendi ceremony mean to you?

The Mehendi ceremony is a pre-wedding ritual in which henna paste is used to create intricate designs on the bride’s hands. The designs are said to bring the bride luck and prosperity and to represent the love and commitment between the bride and groom.

5. What are the Seven Vows’ implications?

The bride and groom take the Seven Vows, also known as the Saat Phere, as a sign of their commitment to one another, as well as to their families and communities, during the Hindu wedding ceremony. The vows are regarded as a sacred act and are said to have originated in Hindu scripture.

6. What significance does the Kanyadaan have?

The groom’s father gives the bride his hand in marriage during the Kanyadaan ceremony. It serves to unite the bride and groom’s families and is a representation of the father’s blessing and support for the union.

7. What is the Grihapravesh’s significance?

The bride’s arrival in her new home is celebrated in the post-wedding ceremony known as the Grihapravesh. It represents the bride’s new role as a wife and member of the family as well as her integration into her husband’s family.

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Home — Essay Samples — Arts & Culture — Chinese Culture — Traditional Chinese Wedding Customs

Traditional Chinese Wedding Customs

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What to know about vietnamese wedding traditions and customs.

The wedding is one of the most important traditions of Vietnam , with many customs. Like other countries, this ceremony is one of the happiest events of one’s life. To understand more about Vietnamese weddings, have a look at the What to Know about Vietnamese Wedding Traditions and Customs guide.

Vietnamese Wedding Ceremonies

Proposal ceremony (cham ngo).

As one of the most traditional wedding customs in today’s Vietnamese society, the proposal ceremony is the meeting of the two families where the groom’s family will visit the bride’s family to ask permission to get married. This ceremony often takes place without complicated rituals, and the gifts the groom’s family brings to the brides are expected to be the betel and the areca. The primary purpose of this meeting is to help both families understand the upcoming marriage. A proposal ceremony is a good start for a successful marriage.

Vietnamese Traditional Gender Roles

Engagement Party (Dam Hoi)

Engagement is an official wedding announcement that often takes place half a year or a few months before the wedding. In the past, the parents arranged almost all marriages, and the children had no choice but to follow their parents’ arrangement. Thus, this ceremony is considered more important than the wedding, as it marks the start of the relationship between two families.

The engagement is a ceremony and a milestone of the bride’s life, in which she officially becomes the groom’s fiancée. Traditionally, the date for the engagement is often chosen carefully by both families based on the couples’ birthdays and the time they were given birth according to the Lunar calendar. In today’s society, engagement is not as essential as it used to be, as the bride and groom often try to reduce unnecessary customs. Many couples celebrate their engagement a few days or a month before their wedding.

The gifts usually include betel and areca, husband-wife cake (Banh phu the), wine, tea, an engagement ring, and a roasted pig. They usually go in pairs, representing the couple. The fiancé’s family prepares these gifts before the engagement, placing them in an odd number of trays and covering the whole thing with red cloth. The odd numbers and red color are believed to bring the young couple luck and happiness.

There are 5, 7, or 9 males from the fiancé’s family bringing the trays of gifts and the same number of females from the fiancée’s family receiving them. The requirement for those who bring or receive engagement gifts is that they haven’t married. These people are often the bride’s and groom’s relatives or friends.

On the engagement day, the fiancé’s family will bring their gift to the fiancée’s family. After that, the couple will pray in front of the fiancée’s family altar to ask for approval from the ancestors. After that, the fiancé can give his fiancée the engagement ring with cheers from both families. On this occasion, the bride and sometimes even the groom will wear ao dai , the traditional Vietnamese dress.

Wedding Reception (Dam Cuoi)

The date of the wedding, and also that of the engagement, is chosen carefully and usually decided by a Buddhist monk or a fortune teller. Before the wedding, the groom’s family will return to the bride’s home with betel and areca as a gift, officially asking to receive the bride. The bride’s family will confirm the wedding and other proceedings one last time.

On the wedding day, the groom’s family and some of their close friends will come and receive the bride at her house. After a formal tea and candle ceremony and some speeches, the couple will turn to their parents, receive their advice, and bow to them. The groom’s mother will give the bride jewelry for good fortune.

The wedding reception will occur at the groom’s house or a restaurant. Some weddings in the countryside often last for 2 to 3 days with many guests. Before the main ceremony, the couple will stand by the door, welcome the guests, and take pictures. As the couple walks onto the stage, the ceremony will start with the announcement of the host, followed by many cheers from guests.

After that, the couple will go from table to table to thank their guests for their attendance. Karaoke is almost essential in every Vietnamese wedding, especially in the countryside. During the reception, Vietnamese guests often enjoy signing up to sing and dance on stage to celebrate this special event.

Dos and Don’ts at Vietnamese Weddings

• Don’t bring anyone along if your wedding invitation doesn’t have a “+” sign or other names next to yours.
• Don’t get drunk at the wedding. Vietnamese often enjoy drinking beer during the wedding, and some do get drunk, but being overly drunk would annoy other guests.
• Don’t complain to the bride or the groom about the food or the quality of the wedding.
• Don’t go to a wedding if there is someone in your family who has just passed away. Vietnamese consider this an unlucky thing for the bride and groom.
• Do wear suitable clothes. Smart casual is highly recommended. You should avoid overstanding colors or clothes and let the couple have their day.

Learn more about Vietnamese superstitions

What Gifts to Bring to a Vietnamese Wedding

Money is always a welcome gift for weddings in Vietnam as it helps the bride and groom offset the cost of the wedding. You should put the lucky money into the envelope which contains the wedding invitation card. At the wedding reception, you will see the bride and groom’s relatives or friends standing next to a table with a small decorated box where you can put the envelopes. The average amount is about VND 500,000, but you can put more or less depending on how close you are with the newlywed. As that is the standard wedding procedure, if you prefer to present other gifts, you should tell the bride and groom in advance that you want to give them a present instead of money.

Other Wedding Customs in Vietnam

As a country with diverse cultures, Vietnam also has other wedding customs that are specific to certain ethnicities and religions. For example, Catholics usually hold a ceremony in the church before the wedding reception. Additionally, arranged marriages are still prevalent in some minority ethnicities. Or, in a matriarchal society like Tay Nguyen, the girl can choose her future husband and ask for his hand in marriage. If you are to attend these weddings, make sure you have the locals fully explain the traditions.

Summary of What to Know about Vietnamese Wedding Traditions and Customs

Like many other Asian countries, the Vietnamese wedding is vital for the bride, groom, and family. In modern life, the traditional wedding has gradually changed to save time and money. However, the main customs, like paying gratitude to the parents and asking for one’s hand in marriage, are still preserved.

More Vietnam Travel Guides

Our guide for expats in hanoi, what locals do around turtle lake in district 3, ho chi minh city, shopping malls in ho chi minh city, vietnamese clothing: ao ba ba, lao cai to hekou – vietnam to china border crossing, weird things you might come across in vietnam.

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Wedding Essay | Essay

Wedding Customs

First difference in wedding customs between a traditional Korea and Polish is symbolic food and drink. At the Korean wedding ceremony, the couple shares three spoonfuls of rice, which represents the meals that they will share for the rest of their lives. Also, they pour Korean liquor made of rice into two cups. This symbolizes the union of their souls. However, bread, salt, and wine are important features at polish weddings. The parents of the newly married couple will present them with bread, salt, and...

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9 Egyptian Wedding Traditions and Rituals

Egyptian wedding traditions are as diverse and unique as the culture itself.

From engagement to post-wedding festivities, each of these rituals has its own set of customs that have been passed down through generations.

Whether you’re looking for ways to honor your heritage or want an exotic twist on traditional nuptials, exploring Egyptian wedding traditions can help make your special day even more memorable.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common engagement, ceremony, reception, and post-wedding traditions so you can plan a truly extraordinary celebration.

Egyptian Wedding Traditions

Engagement traditions.

Engagement traditions vary from culture to culture. In Egypt, engagement traditions involve a proposal ritual, the exchange of gifts between families, and celebrations to mark the occasion.

1. Proposal Rituals

In Egyptian proposal rituals, it is customary for a man to present his future wife with a gift before asking her parents for permission to marry her.

These gifts may be something simple like flowers or chocolates but often include more expensive items such as jewelry or money.

Once he has presented his intended with a gift, he will then visit her parents and formally ask them for their blessing on the union by offering them a token of appreciation such as money or food items like dates and nuts, which symbolize fertility and prosperity in Egyptian culture.

2. Exchange of Gifts

The exchange of gifts is also common during Egyptian engagements.

The groom’s family presents items such as gold jewelry or clothing to the bride’s family as a sign of their commitment and acceptance into each other’s lives.

These items are typically chosen carefully according to tradition and symbolize the love between two families coming together in marriage.

3. Celebrations

Engagement traditions in Egypt are steeped in culture and history. Proposal rituals involve the groom’s family visiting the bride’s family with gifts such as jewelry or money.

This is usually done to ask for permission from the bride’s parents to marry their daughter.

The exchange of gifts between families is also common, with the groom’s family presenting items such as gold jewelry or clothing to the bride’s family.

Celebrations are held after an announced engagement and can include feasts, music, dancing, and other festivities.

Engagement traditions are a significant part of Egyptian weddings. As the wedding approaches, it is important to understand these customs to ensure that all aspects of the ceremony are properly observed.

4. Wedding Traditions

Egyptian wedding ceremonies are full of traditions and customs that have been passed down through generations.

Pre-wedding rituals such as henna parties and bridal showers are often held in the days leading up to the wedding day.

At a henna party, guests apply intricate designs made from henna paste onto each other’s hands for good luck.

Bridal showers involve female relatives giving gifts to the bride as a sign of love and support.

Blessing ceremonies may also be performed for good luck before the big day arrives.

5. The Ceremony

On the actual wedding day, processional and recessional traditions are observed, with both families walking down the aisle together before taking their seats for the vows.

The couple then exchange rings during this part of the ceremony, symbolizing their commitment to one another forevermore.

Some couples may also choose to perform a unity ceremony, such as lighting a candle or pouring sand into a jar together; these symbolic gestures represent two lives becoming one in marriage.

The wedding ceremony is the heart of a traditional Egyptian wedding, full of ancient rituals and customs that will help to create beautiful memories for years to come.

Reception Traditions

Reception Traditions in Egypt are an important part of the wedding day.

6. Food and drinks

What is served at receptions varies by region, but typically includes traditional dishes like koshari (rice with lentils), molokhia (stewed greens), mahshi (stuffed vegetables) and ful medames (fava beans).

Desserts such as baklava or basbousa (semolina cake) are also popular. 

7. Music and Dancing

Traditional choices often involve family members joining in on the fun. Traditional dances such as “baladi”, “saidi”, and “tabla baladi” are usually performed by guests while music is playing.

Couples may even perform a special dance together for their guests. Though music played during receptions can range from traditional folk songs to modern pop songs from Egypt or abroad.

8. Cake Cutting Ceremony

This is another important tradition that symbolizes fertility for newlyweds. After dinner, couples cut into a multi-tiered cake while holding hands to signify their union.

This custom has been around since ancient times and is still practiced today.

Other customs include exchanging gifts between families after the ceremony, blessing ceremonies for the couple, and honeymoon rituals that involve traveling to different places around Egypt or abroad.

No matter what traditions you choose to incorporate into your reception celebration, it is sure to be an unforgettable experience filled with love and joy.

From the traditional food and drinks served at the reception to music, dancing customs, and cake-cutting ceremonies, there is a rich array of Egyptian wedding reception traditions that couples can incorporate into their special day.

As the newlyweds prepare for life after marriage, they should also be aware of post-wedding rituals such as honeymoon customs, gift-giving to families, and blessing ceremonies.

Post-Wedding Traditions

9. post-wedding traditions.

Post-wedding traditions in Egypt are a unique and important part of the wedding celebration.

Honeymoon customs vary by region but often involve visits to holy sites like mosques or churches, followed by special activities like camel rides on beaches near Alexandria or Luxor.

This is an opportunity for newlyweds to spend time alone, away from family and friends, as they start their new life together.

Gift giving is also common after weddings, with both families exchanging presents such as jewelry or money as tokens of appreciation for attending their wedding day celebrations.

These gifts can be given at any point during the wedding festivities, from the engagement ceremony all the way through to the reception dinner.

Blessing ceremonies are usually performed by religious leaders or elders who offer prayers for health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity for newlyweds throughout their marriage life together.

In some cases, these blessings may take place before or after a meal shared between families, while in other cases, it may be done privately with just close family members present.

The blessing ceremony is an essential part of ensuring that newly married couples have a successful union and a happy future ahead of them.

These post-wedding traditions provide couples with meaningful ways to celebrate their love and commitment to each other while also providing support from family members and friends who will continue to play an important role in their lives even after they have tied the knot.

The beauty of Egyptian wedding traditions is that they are steeped in history and culture.

From the engagement to the reception, each step of a traditional Egyptian wedding is full of meaningful symbolism and celebration.

Whether you’re looking for something unique or simply want to honor your heritage, incorporating these customs into your special day can make it even more memorable.

No matter what type of ceremony you choose, embracing these Egyptian wedding traditions will ensure that your big day will be remembered.

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Total eclipse of the heart: Lucky couple can get married on eclipse day April 8 in Akron

• Akron will offer a wedding for one lucky couple on April 8, the day of the solar eclipse.
• The winning couple will be chosen through an essay contest.
• The deadline to apply is March 5.

This won’t be a white wedding. 

In fact, it will be the opposite. 

Akron Municipal Court and the Cascade Locks Park Association are teaming up to offer a wedding for one lucky couple as the region goes pitch black on April 8, the day of the solar eclipse . 

The wedding will be at 1 p.m. at the Mustill Store Museum at 57 W. North St. in Akron, and will be followed by an eclipse party that will last through the moments of complete darkness until 4 p.m. 

The park association will distribute free eclipse glasses and host additional activities. 

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. During this time, the sky will become very dark and the temperature may drop 10 to 15 degrees. 

Summit County will be in the “path of totality,” a 115-mile-wide path that will start in North America in Mexico and continue through Maine. The eclipse will begin at 1:59 p.m. as a partial eclipse, and will last until 4:29 p.m. The total eclipse will be visible in Summit County from 3:13 p.m. to 3:17 p.m., according to the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau . 

Winning couple to be chosen through an essay contest

The winning couple will be chosen through an essay contest. The essay must be no more than 248 words, which is the number of earth years it takes Pluto to take one trip around the sun, and explain why the couple wants to get married on the eclipse day. 

Essays must be written in English and a panel will choose the winning couple based on the uniqueness of their story, creativity and enthusiasm for astronomy. 

The deadline to submit an entry is March 5. The chosen couple will be notified by March 15. 

Couples can enter the contest by filling out a form at https://akronmunicipalcourt.org/programs/out-of-this-world-couple-contest/ . The website also includes the contest rules. 

The wedding contest is open to all legal residents of the United States. There is no entry fee. 

Judge David Hamilton will officiate the wedding. 

Akron court often offers off-site weddings

The Akron court often hosts off-site weddings to mark special occasions and in conjunction with local businesses and organizations. Past venues have included Swenson’s and the Soap Box Derby.  

For information on other upcoming unique wedding opportunities in February and March, visit https://shorturl.at/CJPSV

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at [email protected] , 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj. 

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The day I returned home after being kidnapped by Islamic terrorists

Beth Rodden is a professional rock climber who, along with three other climbers, was kidnapped and held hostage by Islamic militants in 2000 while on a climbing trip in Kyrgyzstan. The following is excerpted from her new memoir, “A Light Through the Cracks,” about the day she returned home to the U.S. 

Amsterdam, August 2000

By the time my boyfriend, Tommy Caldwell, and I made it to Amsterdam’s gleaming, sterile airport, we had been passed along a half dozen times, like an important but increasingly well-worn package. Military helicopters had brought us and our other two climbing partners from base to base. We’d endured a surreal ride on a private jet from the last military base to the capital, Bishkek, traveling alongside the tipsy and jovial president of Kyrgyzstan. He’d patted us on the shoulders like a grandfather and claimed us long enough for a photo op and a speech to local media in a language we couldn’t understand. Then he handed the four of us off to the American embassy, which scrambled to find us flights home. A few days later, Tommy and I drove across the Kazakhstan border, in a hired car with a diplomatic escort, to the international airport in Almaty, and finally a commercial jet took us from Central Asia to the edge of the Atlantic. Now we had just one more flight to go.

Our tickets were a last-minute mess, and we needed to check on our connection. As we crossed the terminal, I carried a brown paper gift bag from the airport candy shop — despite what we’d been through, I still wanted to bring my older brother a present from this trip. I watched the families clustered around the gates, the lone business travelers perched at the bars, scanning each face around me. I’d been on edge through practically every step of the journey: The embassy in Bishkek had felt almost safe, but at the hotel where they’d sent us to get some sleep, I’d felt vulnerable and stayed vigilant.

In the airport, I was hungry again. When we’d made it to the second army base, the one that felt like a cluster of portable classrooms set down on a vast brown plain, we’d stuffed ourselves with barley and warm buttered bread, but I could not stay full. I had just eaten two chocolate croissants. Still, my stomach felt like a cavern. My brother didn’t really need a present, did he?

I ate half the chocolate in the bag before we got to our gate.

The line at the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines counter felt so orderly. The whole airport did. Just existing there felt like getting a big, soothing hug. When we’d boarded the flight in Kazakhstan, the passengers had formed no line. Everybody just pushed in a scrum toward the plane. Tommy and I stood frozen, like the good, shocked scouts that we were, and got lost in the flood. I felt so fragile, so extremely fragile, and so resigned to that fragile state.

We weren’t safe. That was obvious to me. No line, no order, no rule of law. I loved rules. People smoked openly on that first plane.

“Next,” the flight attendant said as we arrived at the counter. Her voice was as professionally cheerful as her uniform: light blue skirt, light blue jacket, white blouse underneath.

“We’re here to check in for our flight,” I said.

“Wonderful. May I please have your boarding passes?”

I mumbled something apologetic and handed her a few crumpled, dirty sheets of paper. “I think we have to get our seats and stuff from you.”

She pinched her brow as she read our mess of documents. She typed vigorously. I was sure this meant we weren’t going to make it home.

“Can you wait one second?” she asked, flashing a strained smile. She disappeared behind a wall.

I looked at Tommy. He stared into the blank space where the woman had just been. I couldn’t tell if he was as scared as I was, if he was also monitoring the people pooling and flowing around us for any threat. I felt like I had grown an invisible antenna that vibrated continually, never at rest. Never letting me rest. A memory tried to surface inside me: a body in silhouette, sailing off a dark cliff. A crunch, and an exhale. I forced it back down.

Two blond attendants now appeared where there had been one.

“Can you tell me: Was it something KLM did?” the new flight attendant asked.

I looked back at Tommy. Did he know what she was talking about? Did she know what had happened? Tommy shrugged.

“Wait, what?” I said. “What was something . . . ?”

“Well, um, how to say this,” the flight attendant said. “It says on your tickets, ‘Emotionally distressed passengers, please take care.’ So, we are just wondering if it’s something KLM did.” She looked concerned and defensive in her caring, like a hospital billing manager. She didn’t want to know the answer, but she had to ask.

I didn’t want a stranger to try to comfort me, but I did feel the need to comfort her. So I said, “Oh no, definitely not. We were just kidnapped and we want to go home.”

I couldn’t believe how easily the sentence came out. We were just kidnapped . . . I’d never said it so plainly before.

The flight attendant exhaled all her breath at once, stunned and relieved. “Well, good,” she said.

Well, good?

“KLM does our best. How about business-class seats for you two?” She printed our fresh, flat boarding passes. Tommy and I boarded the plane.

We ate every meal and every snack that was offered to us on the long ride home. My hunger was like a portal opened into a galaxy — infinite, absolute. When I was in middle school, I used to watch my older brother, David, eat, stunned by the mountain of food he could consume. Now, it felt strangely freeing to eat with that type of abandon. I hadn’t done that since ninth grade, when I became obsessed with climbing.

I could eat, but I still couldn’t sleep. My anxiety kept me wide awake, and my wakefulness in turn meant I had nothing but space and time for the anxiety to spin itself tighter in my body. I kept wondering if the plane would crash. That seemed possible, maybe even probable, given how the rest of our trip had gone. An appropriate ending, in a way. I wondered if I’d be scared. What would Tommy say to me before impact? Would it hurt? Our backpack, stuffed at our feet, was filled with souvenirs purchased in a blur during our strange interlude in Bishkek, between our flight with the president and our diplomatic drive across the border. I had stuffed the paltry remains of the airport chocolate into our bag alongside the rest of the things we’d acquired: a hand-carved wooden chess set, a wool hanging. Proof that we’d done something major and been somewhere cool. What were we thinking?

The backpack that sat at our feet had been lost in transit when we’d first landed in Kyrgyzstan, full of hope for our climbing adventure, and was waiting for us, perversely intact, at the hotel in Bishkek after our escape. We’d left San Francisco with 20 expedition duffels, and all I had left was this backpack filled with trinkets from a country to which I’d never return. Maybe that was why we’d bought them, with the money Tommy had wadded up in his sock just before we were marched away from our camp at gunpoint. Maybe it was some attempt to fabricate a decent memory of the place.

My hands trembled the whole 12 hours to San Francisco. I knew I needed sleep, but if the plane did crash, wasn’t I supposed to be awake for that? I had no idea how to act, what to do or say or who to be when we saw our parents. I’d left as a 20-year-old girl full of herself, ready for the world, sure I was doing something extraordinary. I was living out the dream I’d stared at in the posters I hung on my bedroom wall: climbing to incredible heights in far-off places. My mother had hardly traveled, certainly not by my age. I’d felt so awfully superior as I’d walked down the jetway when we left. I didn’t even turn back to wave.

My parents had given me everything — pride, freedom, confidence. They trusted me. They trusted my decisions. They trusted the world. Now I was returning home a broken mess. I’d spoken to them a few times from the embassy in Bishkek, the words mainly drowned in my tears. I wanted to be small again, so small I could crawl through the phone into their arms, where they’d hold me and shush me and stroke my head. I wanted my mother to say, “Mama’s here, Mama’s here,” just like she always did when I was a girl. I wanted to shrink back into that little-girl body and lay my head in her lap and cry.

How was I supposed to carry myself getting off the jetway? Was the idea to act strong, like I was fine? I was weirdly good at that. Or should I literally run into their arms?

Now — how to do this? How was I supposed to carry myself getting off the jetway? Was the idea to act strong, like I was fine? I was weirdly good at that. Or should I literally run into their arms, like I had been dreaming of doing for the past eight days? I’d never spoken easily with my parents about feelings. They were so kind, so present, and gently but firmly on my team. But inside, I always felt nervous, like there was a line I was afraid to cross, like I needed to be tougher, solid, unbreakable. And even if I could lay my head in my mother’s lap and have her say, “Mama’s here,” would that still work to soothe me? I was not the same person I had been when I left. My thoughts flapped like the loose end of a film in an old-fashioned movie projector, the front reel spinning empty.

I looked over at Tommy. Maybe he’d know what to do. His head was slumped at a 45-degree angle to his chest, his mouth dropped open, snoring. He was sick. His brain was more lucid and less spastic than mine, but his body was breaking down. He had a fever. I envied Tommy’s oblivion. I felt so alone.

We landed. My palms were sweating, but Tommy’s hands felt strong. That felt like a plan: I’d hold his strong hand and we’d present a united front, though I hadn’t told him about my looping, flapping mind. I was trying to stay composed — for him, for me, maybe for my parents too. We collected our bag of souvenirs from under the airplane seats. The souvenirs promised our trip was normal. We were normal. I grabbed a free chocolate bar and a package of cookies from the plane’s galley as we exited. I never did anything like that, but now instead of saying, “Don’t eat that, Rodden,” I thought, “Just in case we don’t have any other food.”

I didn’t race off the plane like I had seen people do in movies, straight into their loved ones’ arms. Instead I walked so slowly that other passengers started passing us. I was desperate to return home, to the narrow twin bed in my parents’ house, on our quiet block filled with minivans and white Honda sedans, to replant myself in the flat farmland around Davis, California, to recommit to the safe wide sidewalks. I just didn’t know how. I wondered if people could tell we’d changed: if we walked differently or stood slightly less straight, if we’d absorbed so much fear and terror that we now emitted it.

Excerpted from “A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber’s Story,” by Beth Rodden. © 2024 Published by Little A Books, May 1, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Beth Rodden is the author of “A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber’s Story,” out May 2024. 

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My first wife and I combined last names when we married. I waited 13 years after we split to change mine back.

• When John Dutton married, he and his wife legally combined their last names with a hyphen.
• They divorced, but he decided not to go back to just Dutton.
• Ten years later and remarried, he dropped his first wife's name. He didn't want to confuse his kids.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John Dutton. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My name change story began in December 1985 when I was a 19-year-old student living in my native UK .

My girlfriend, Sylvie Bourassa, then 18, was French-Canadian, and we visited her family in Montreal for a two-week Christmas vacation.

Everything was fine until we returned to Heathrow Airport in London , where a customs officer questioned Sylvie and me. She didn't have a visa, and he said they would send her back to Canada on the next plane.

"But we're in love," we said, desperate to appeal to his good nature. I don't know whether he took pity on us because we were so young, but he gave us some advice.

"She can enter the UK if you guys get married within three months," he said. "If not, she'll be deported ."

We decided to hyphenate our last names when we got married

We couldn't imagine being apart, so we started planning our wedding. It took place on March 8, 1986, near my parents' home in southwest England.

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Sylvie and I had discussed changing her last name when we got married. We thought it was unfair that women changed their names and men didn't.

So we decided to hyphenate them and become Mr. and Mrs. Bourassa-Dutton. We did it through the British system of deed poll , which cost about $50. It was relatively straightforward because we only needed a witness's signature. It felt romantic and symbolic.

Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last long. We amicably separated after two years. I know it works out for some people, but I guess playing at being grown-ups was too hard for us both.

We officially divorced in 1991, but I didn't revert to John Dutton. By then, I was living and working in French-speaking Quebec. I'm convinced that keeping a bit of French in my last name helped my career, first in media production and then in writing .

I got married for a second time in 1992. By law in Quebec, women keep their maiden names after marriage. Even if she'd wanted to, my new wife couldn't have changed her last name to Bourassa-Dutton.

We divorced six years later when I was 31. We didn't have any children.

Next, I got into another serious relationship. We decided to try for a family together.

My children's last names are now Dutton

Then, it struck me that if and when we had kids, they would have my last name, Bourassa-Dutton. It seemed awkward to have my first wife's name as part of their identity , and I could foresee some embarrassing questions they would have as they got older.

So, in 2001, I went through the legal process of changing my name back to Dutton. It cost hundreds of dollars — much more than the amount we paid 15 years earlier in the UK. I also had to announce my intentions in an ad in the newspaper.

Our son was born in 2003. He was 3 when his mom and I got married. We went on to have a daughter in 2008. The children's last names are, of course, Dutton.

It's a bit of a saga but quite funny — a good story to tell at dinner parties .

Do you have an interesting story about your name that you'd like to share with Business Insider? Please send details to [email protected] .

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