Wedding traditions with superstitious origins for good luck

You may not be superstitious yourself, but did you know many wedding traditions have their origins in superstition? It’s no wonder – the significance of this big day is, of course, huge, and anyone would want to wish good luck on the happy couple to be.

Here are some wedding traditions and superstitions from different cultures:

1) In Hindu culture, if it rains on your wedding day, this represents good luck!

2) To grant fertility and a dose of luck to newlyweds in the Netherlands, a pine tree is planted outside the couple’s home.

3) In Greek tradition, a sugar cube is inserted into the bride-to-be’s wedding glove. This is said to “sweeten the union,” according to The Knot.

4) Alhough many people are afraid of spiders, in England, finding a spider in the bride’s wedding dress is said to be good luck!

5) Also in English culture, Wednesday is the best day to marry for good luck, with Monday being the best for wealth and Tuesday being optimal for health.

6) In Egypt, the bride is pinched by other women for good luck.

7) Saturday is the worst day to get married according to English culture, though it is also the most popular day to marry. This is not surprising, considering so many people have Saturdays off from work!

8) It is bad luck, according to Roman tradition, for bridesmaids to dress differently than the bride. Matching mother of the bride dresses, grandmother of the bride dresses, mother of the groom dresses, and bridesmaid dresses are said to confuse spirits and ensure a lucky, prosperous marriage.

9) Romans would also dress the bride in a red veil to scare off the same spirits and prevent bad luck from occurring.

10) The throwing of the bouquet originated in a tradition of grabbing the bride’s dress – yes, tearing it – to obtain a little bit of her good luck. In the interest of modesty, it was later modified to catching the bouquet as it flew through the air.

These wedding traditions are intended not only to appease the spirits and bring good luck but ultimately, to ease the anxiety the bride notoriously experiences. If it gives you any comfort, put a sugar cube in your glove or marry on a Wednesday!

Sources:

https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-traditions-superstitions-facts-trivia

http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/10-wedding-traditions-with-surprising-origins.htm#page=4

http://mentalfloss.com/article/18915/bizarre-origins-8-wedding-traditions