What Is a Wedding Holiday Custom?

A wedding holiday custom refers to the tradition of celebrating a wedding as part of a multi-day festivity, often resembling a holiday. These customs can include pre-wedding rituals, post-wedding gatherings, family feasts, music, travel, and rest days dedicated to joy and togetherness. In many cultures, weddings are treated as communal holidays, where daily routines pause so everyone can participate.

Cultural Roots and Traditions

Wedding holiday customs vary widely depending on culture and region:

• Mediterranean countries often celebrate weddings over several days with shared meals, dancing, and open-door gatherings for friends and relatives.
• Asian wedding traditions may include multiple ceremonies spread across days, each with symbolic meaning, such as honoring ancestors, family blessings, and prosperity rituals.
• Balkan and Eastern European weddings are famous for long celebrations, traditional music, folk dances, and customs that can last an entire weekend or longer.

These traditions reinforce the idea that marriage is not just about two individuals, but about the unity of families and communities.

Modern Wedding Holidays

In modern times, the wedding holiday custom has evolved into what many now call a destination wedding or wedding weekend. Couples invite guests to travel to a special location where the wedding becomes a mini-vacation. Activities such as welcome dinners, group excursions, spa days, or farewell brunches turn the event into a shared holiday experience.

This approach allows couples and guests to relax, connect more deeply, and create lasting memories beyond the ceremony itself.

Why Wedding Holiday Customs Matter

Wedding holiday customs carry emotional and social value:

• They allow more time for meaningful interaction.
• They reduce stress by spreading events over multiple days.
• They create stronger bonds between families and friends.
• They honor tradition while allowing personal expression.

In a fast-paced world, these extended celebrations encourage people to slow down and fully experience the significance of marriage.

Blending Tradition and Personal Style

Today’s couples often mix traditional wedding holiday customs with modern elements. A classic ritual might be followed by a contemporary party, or a traditional family meal paired with a relaxed beach day. This balance allows couples to respect heritage while designing a celebration that reflects their values and lifestyle.

Conclusion

A wedding holiday custom transforms a wedding into a shared journey rather than a single event. Whether rooted in centuries-old traditions or reimagined through modern travel and experiences, it celebrates love, unity, and the joy of taking time to be together. In the end, these customs remind us that marriage is not just a moment—it’s a celebration meant to be felt, remembered, and shared.

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In Morocco, the journey to marriage often begins with a formal proposal, known as the “Khoutba.” The groom’s family seeks the bride’s family’s consent and discusses the terms of the marriage. Once both families agree, the engagement is officially sealed, and preparations for the wedding commence.

The Henna Night

Henna plays a significant role in Moroccan weddings. The bride and her female friends and family members gather for a night of intricate henna designs. These designs, applied to the bride’s hands and feet, are not only beautiful but also symbolize protection and warding off the evil eye. The henna night is a lively celebration filled with traditional music and dance.

The Kaftan and Traditional Attire

The bridal attire is a visual feast in Moroccan weddings. Brides often wear a stunning kaftan, a traditional, elaborately embroidered gown. The groom dons a traditional Moroccan attire, such as a jalabiya. The richness of their outfits reflects the cultural significance of the occasion.

One of the most visually striking aspects of Moroccan weddings is the traditional procession, known as the “Zaffa.” The Zaffa involves musicians, drummers, and often horse or camel riders escorting the bride and groom to the wedding venue. The procession is a colorful and lively spectacle that captivates all in attendance.

The Berber Tradition

In rural areas, Berber wedding customs are distinct. The “Ammariya” ceremony, for instance, involves the couple being wrapped in a blanket and given milk and dates as a symbol of the couple’s unity.

Moroccan weddings are renowned for their sumptuous feasts. Guests are treated to a variety of traditional dishes, including tagines, couscous, and pastries. A highlight of the feast is the presentation of the “seffa medfouna,” a special dish of steamed semolina adorned with butter, almonds, and spices.

Gift-giving is an integral part of Moroccan weddings. The bride and groom often exchange gifts, symbolizing their love and commitment to each other. Guests also bring gifts for the newlyweds, typically in the form of money or household items.

Music and Dancing

Moroccan weddings are synonymous with music and dance. Traditional Moroccan instruments like the oud and the darbuka create a captivating atmosphere. Guests join in the celebration with energetic dances, making it a joyous and lively affair.

Moroccan wedding customs are a reflection of the country’s rich cultural heritage and the profound significance placed on marriage. From the vibrant henna night to the elaborate processions and splendid feasts, Moroccan weddings are a mesmerizing blend of tradition and celebration that exemplify the splendor of this North African nation.

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Whale’s tooth for the father-in-law – in Fiji, men are required to ask a woman’s hand from her father before the marriage. In order to do so, they are required to present the future father-in-law with an unusual gift – a whale’s tooth.

The blackening of the bride – there is a quite nasty wedding tradition in Scotland, intended to put the happy couple on a sort of a test. Food trash, including even fish and rotten eggs, is splashed all over the couple. The belief says that, if they can withstand this process, then they will withstand anything in the marriage.

The wall of bridesmaids – in some parts of China, before the groom is allowed to get his bride, there is one obstacle for him to beat. Bridesmaids form a “wall” and do their best to prevent the groom from getting the bride, while he is supposed to outsmart them and pass the wall. This ceremony serves as a symbolic test for the groom to show how strong his love is.

Marrying a tree – in some parts of India, if a bride is born during a certain astrological period, she is considered to be cursed. The curse is broken before the wedding by marrying the girl to a tree first, and the tree is then cut down and destroyed. After the curse is broken, she is allowed to marry her groom.

A different kissing ceremony – while many wedding traditions in the world involve kisses between a bride and a groom, in Sweden this tradition takes a twist. At Swedish weddings, if the bride leaves the room during the reception, all the female guests are allowed to kiss the groom. The same goes for the men kissing the bride in case the groom leaves the reception.

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The first Notting Hill Carnival took place in St. Pancras Town Hall in 1959, and it was organized as a response to the race relations in the UK at the time. It was organized by a journalist and activist from Trinidad, Claudia Jones, and although the first carnival was held indoors, it was considered a great success. The first carnival to be held outdoors occurred in 1966, inspired by hippie movement and with the aim of promoting cultural unity. Thanks to this carnival, a steel pan band played music on the streets of England for the first time.

From a relatively small event, Notting Hill Carnival rose to become the second largest carnival in the world, promoting Caribbean culture, music and the unity of different people and cultures. Nowadays, it gathers around 2 million attendees, and 20 percent of them are tourists from all parts of the world. Aside from being the second largest carnival, it is the largest street festival in the world. There are 70 performing stages, ten steel pan bands and around 40 static soundsystems, playing music of all kinds – reggae, salsa, calypso, soca, dub, funk and house. A procession of costumed performers takes place, displaying around 15,000 costumes, each of which is colorful, flamboyant and – handmade! Sunday is more family and children-friendly, while Monday is more rowdy and reserved for the young and wild. One of the traditions that take place on this carnival is slapping anyone near you with a handful of chocolate, which creates great mess and loads of fun. In addition to music and costumes, there are around 300 food stalls with jerk chicken and pork; corn, rice and peas, as well as drinks such as rum, Guinness punch and carrot juice.

For those enjoying carnivals and Caribbean music and culture, this is an event that definitely should not be missed.

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Got stomach cramps from eating too much chocolate? It’s nothing compared to the pain some Catholic Filipinos feel at Easter time. As penance for their sins, participants in one public event whip their backs with bamboo sticks and sharp blades as a form of worship leading up to Easter. Parading through the streets half-naked and barefoot, performing this act is meant to replicate the suffering of Jesus and is believed to cleanse the soul, and even cure illnesses.

Greece

Celebrations are a bit more light-hearted in Greece. Traditional Mass is held on Easter Saturday night and, come midnight, a colourful fireworks display marks the start of Easter Sunday. Mind you, you can forget hot cross buns for breakfast: once the service is over, everyone goes home to enjoy a bowl of steaming lamb’s stomach soup, mayiritsa or_patsas, while the rest of the animal is roasted for dinner. Many of the Greek islands have their own unique Easter commemorations, including the hurling of clay pots out of the window on Easter Saturday (Corfu) and an epic battle between two churches using firework rockets (Chios).

Seville, Spain

Easter processions are common in central and southern Spain, but Seville’s Semana Santa, or Holy Week festival, is one of the most impressive. Lavish floats, adorned with candles and religious statues, sail through the streets, accompanied by marching bands and crowds of worshippers who have come to see the dramatic event. But it’s the masked penitents or nazarenos that are perhaps the strangest looking members of the procession, dressed in habits with pointed hoods. The best place to watch the processions culminate on Good Friday morning is Seville Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace, the final stages of the route, although you will have to get up early – processions start at midnight and continue into the early hours!

Bermuda

Food and kite flying are top priorities over Easter weekend in Bermuda. On Good Friday, locals across the island look to the skies to watch kids (big and small) fly their home-made kites, which are often huge, intricately patterned and made up of every colour under the sun. Apparently, this tradition began when a British school teacher in Bermuda made a kite in order to explain Christ’s ascension to Heaven to his Sunday school class. Being a British territory, they do like tuck in to the obligatory hot cross bun here, but Bermudians are also known for breakfasting on salted cod fishcakes on Good Friday.

Texas, USA

Originally settled by Germans, the small ex-cowboy town of Fredericksburg, Texas, is set alight every Easter, as residents build Easter Fires the night before Easter Sunday. These are meant to commemorate a peace treaty with the Comanche Indians, which was signed in 1847. A popular story told to children is that the fires are made by the Easter bunny who uses them to dye eggs. The traditions came over with German immigrants so you’ll still find similar bonfires are also lit in Northern Europe as part of Easter vigils. If you’re lucky enough to be invited round for Easter dinner, many Texan families serve up a rather sweet ‘lamb cake’ – that is, a cake shaped like a lamb, for a more gentle celebration of new beginnings.

Germany

The Bavarian village of Oberammergau is famous for two things: wood carving and its Passion Play, a special performance which depicts Christ’s trial and death. Residents put on this unique Easter show to thank God for sparing them from the plague, which threatened to wipe out the village in 1633. In return for saving them, Oberammergau’s religious leaders promised God to stage the play every ten years. Performed seven days-a-week from May to October, the show lasts a staggering six hours and involves nearly half of the population. You’ll have to wait until 2020 to see the next performance (the last one was in 2010) but its soaring Alpine backdrop and unusual painted houses make Oberammergau a thoroughly deserving holiday spot in the meantime, with Munich Airport just an hour and a half’s drive away.

Vatican City, Italy

You’d expect the seat of the Catholic Church to put on a good show at Easter. On Good Friday, the crowds of worshippers who flock to St. Peter’s Square are treated to Medieval-themed performances, a reconstruction of the Nativity and a re-enactment of Jesus’ life up to and including the crucifixion. Then on Easter Sunday, the Pope himself conducts Mass from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Tickets are free but very limited, in fact you have to apply more than two months in advance – by fax! If you don’t manage to get tickets for Sunday, the Pope also heads to the Colosseum in Rome two days before on Good Friday to perform the ‘stations of the Cross’ procession. Naturally, this is a crowded event as well, but if you find a space up the hill from the Colosseum Metro station on Via dei Serpenti, you should be able to see the big screens and get a sense of the atmosphere.

Indonesia

Portuguese and Dutch missionaries brought Christianity to the islands of Indonesia in the 16th century. Since then, Easter has been celebrated with re-enactments of the crucifixion. Young men are publicly bound to wooden crosses across the country, while statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary are paraded through the streets. The lead role is highly sought after and it’s considered an honour to play Jesus. Visit Larantuka to the east of the island of Flores to witness a procession that draws crowds from across the world but book ahead if you want to secure a hotel – the whole of Holy Week (before Easter weekend) is incredibly busy here.

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It is well known that people in Spain are very dedicated to both their nearest family and extended family, so it is not uncommon for the Spanish wedding ceremony to be attended by as many as 200 guests, often even more. Bridesmaids and groomsmen are traditionally not a part of Spanish wedding ceremony, but this is becoming more common due to the American influence.  What emphasizes the importance of family bonds even more is an interesting custom – the groom in Spain is accompanied to the altar by his mother, where he waits for the bride to arrive, escorted by her father.

The bride traditionally wears a black wedding dress made of silk, which symbolizes that she will be devoted to her husband until death. However, nowadays it is more common for the bride to wear a white gown, together with a veil or a traditional mantilla made of lace. The groom wears a dark suit combined with a shirt which should traditionally be embroidered by the bride before the ceremony.

A traditional wedding custom still common today is that the groom gives the bride a chest containing thirteen golden coins. This gift is interpreted differently – some people consider it as a symbol of Christ and twelve apostles, while some consider it to be the symbol of good fortune and prosperity. The couple exchanges rings and wear them on their right hands, and after leaving the church, the guests throw rice and flowers on them.

Flowers are an important part of Spanish weddings, and the traditional flower for wedding ceremonies in Spain is orange blossom. Its white color represents purity, and the fact that orange tree blossoms and gives fruit at the same time symbolizes joy and fulfillment in the couple’s marriage. The bride’s girlfriends wear flower corsages, and those who are single wear them upside down as a signal that they are available. The girl who loses her corsage during the ceremony is believed to be the next bride, even though no one will ask her how she happened to lose it.

The wedding ceremonies in Spain generally begin around 6-7 p.m. in order to avoid the hottest part of the day. Therefore, the reception also begins quite late and it extends well into the next day. The ceremonies are lively, filled with music, laughter, lots of food and drink, as well as funny games such as cutting the groom’s tie and selling the pieces to the guests for good luck.

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Video production by Vladimir Talijan films.

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The sound is then produced by pulling a bow (usually made of horsetail) over the string[s] with the left hand, which generates the dramatic and sharp sound.
A guslar does not only play the instrument, but also reproduces and composes poems (usually in the decasyllable meter) about heroes and historical events. Gusle is always accompanied by singing; the guslar himself or musical folklore sings epic poetry.

Gusle has had a significant role in the history of Serbian epic poetry because of its connection to the patriotic oral legacy. Good amount of the epics are about the era of the Ottoman occupation, and the struggle for the liberation from it. The first known Serbian guslar was Dimitrije Karaman.

You can hear how it sounds in this You Tube video of Miljan Miljanic. 

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Shamrock is probably the first association most people have with the St Patrick’s Day. In ancient Ireland it was a sacred plant because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. In modern days, it is worn on coats as the symbol of Ireland and Irish descent, and some Irishmen wear it as the symbol of the Holy Trinity. People in Ireland tend to end the St Patrick’s Day by “drowning the shamrock” – placing the shamrock in a glass of whiskey before drinking it.

Another thing most people connect with St Patrick’s Day is green color, which is the symbol of Ireland. People around the world wear green on this day in order to show their Irish heritage, whereas in Ireland itself it is not that common. Although green is the color of Ireland, the color that was associated with St Patrick himself was actually blue.

One of the traditions which are popular around the world (especially in the USA) is drinking green beer on St Patrick’s Day. However, in Ireland it is not something people generally do, even though you can find some pubs where green beer is served.

St Patrick’s Day parades are popular in the USA and they have been held since 1762. However, the first such parade in Ireland had not been held until 1931, and in 1995 the Government of Ireland decided to turn the annual St Patrick’s Day parade into a 5-day festival, in order to boost tourism. Unlike people of other countries that celebrate this holiday, Irish people visit church on St Patrick’s Day.

Even though St Patrick’s Day is more of a religious holiday in Ireland, it is a festive event with lots of music, dancing and fun. No matter if you are in Ireland or some other country where this day is celebrated, you are certain to have a good time.

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Chile – Don’t eat anything with your fingers

Singapore – It is prohibited to feed birds, spit and throw any trash onto the street, or eat on public transportation

India – Don’t kiss in public or you might wind up in jail. No physical contact with people of the opposite sex is allowed.

Japan – No tips. It’s not acceptable there. No hugging.

Mexico – Don’t take things too personally because Mexicans love making jokes. Locals will appreciate if you try speaking their language so don’t be afraid to try new things.

New Zealand – Don’t mix up “aussies” and “kiwis”. Don’t ever make jokes about rugby, “Lord or the rings” or the Queen of the United Kingdom. Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of barefooted people.

Norway – Don’t ask questions concerning church. Do not expect any formalities.

Turkey – Don’t give anyone the “ok” sign. It is considered rude. Try not to drink much because being drunk in public is considered shameful. Don’t blow your nose or pick your teeth at a public place.

United Kingdom – Don’t jump the queue or people will judge you. Don’t ask people about how much money do they make. Don’t invite random people over.

Ireland – Do not try to sound like an Irishmen. Don’t be cheap.

Germany – Don’t use nazi greeting gestures. Don’t stare at people. Don’t try to look overly friendly. Don’t congratulate someone’s birthday before the day itself.

Kenya – Don’t show disrespect for religion. Be patient. Don’t talk about sex in mixed company. Don’t call anyone by his name if he hasn’t referred to you that way.

Russia – Don’t give an even number of flowers as a gift.

Malaysia – Never touch anyone’s head.

Korea – Use two hands when handing over the money. It’s a sign of respect.

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