My Lebanese cousin and his beautiful Tunisian bride being showered with
rose petals after being married in Paris, France in 2013.
The temperature is changing, leaves are falling and we are knee deep into Pumpkin Spice Latte season. This can only mean one thing…
Brace yourself ladies and gentlemen: it’s officially cuffing season.
A very credible source (Urban Dictionary) defines cuffing season as, “the Fall and Winter months [when] people who would normally rather be single or promiscuous find themselves along with the rest of the world desiring to be "cuffed" or tied down by a serious relationship.”
In fact, two of my Facebook friends announced just last week that they were engaged. Cuffing season is in full swing, people.
Now that “save the date” cards are in the works, it’s time to talk weddings. Marriage is a sacred part of many cultures across the globe. Some traditions still practiced today are ones that date back hundreds of years.
Here are three interesting wedding traditions from every corner of the Earth.
1. Tunisia
Perhaps the most unique aspect to the traditional Tunisian wedding is the days leading up to it. Before the wedding, there are about three days of parties and preparation ceremonies.
Preparations begin when the bride and groom buy household items for their new home, but the wedding officially begins with a symbolic contract signing between the two. This is completed with witnesses gathered round to ensure its legitimacy. The henna ceremony takes place in the days following this. Surrounded by women in her family, the bride dresses in a traditional red dress and all of the fine jewelry she owns, and a woman paints her hands in feet in henna.
2. Lebanon
One day of celebration certainly isn’t enough, so Lebanese people party it up for 3 consecutive days. The most exciting aspect of the celebration, in my opinion, is the Zaffe. This tradition is one where a group of dancers bring the bride to her wedding party. They have drums and other instruments with them to play traditional music, and they are always loud and energetic. Over the years, Zaffe performances have become very advanced and have adapted to modern practices. For example, these performances can now be customized to fit the theme of the wedding.
This is a video of the traditional Lebanese Zaffe.
3. Russia
Russian wedding practices are very similar to those in western cultures… except for the abduction aspect. Just an hour or so before the wedding, the bride’s parents pretend to steal the bride, demanding a ransom from the groom for her release. After he pays, typically jewelry or money, he gets the bride back.
So, as some of my peers plan their upcoming weddings, you can find me cuddled up on the couch in a blanket burrito. Ain't nothin’ wrong with that.
