Scandinavian Wedding Traditions

Marriage is a serious business in the Scandinavian countries and thus it allows ample time to the engaged couple to know each other. The wedding traditions in the Scandinavian countries go back to the ancient past. For instance, in Denmark, an arch of pine branches is to be built in front of the bride's home. This is known as gates of honor. In Denmark, at the wedding reception, it is customary for the groom to disappear during a part of the ceremony so that the young unmarried men could kiss the bride and the same thing is done by the bride when the single girls kiss the groom. The Danish couple is expected to cut the wedding cake together holding the cake to ward off the evil spirit.

In Finland the tradition for the bride is to walk from house to house with a pillowcase to collect her wedding presents. As she walks, an old, married man walks beside her with an umbrella which is a symbol of protection and shelter. Another tradition in Finland is for the bride to wear a golden crown and during the wedding reception she is blindfolded and spun around while all the unmarried girls dance around her. The one whom the bride places the crown on will be the next to marry.

When a couple is married in Norway, their friends and relatives plant two small pine trees on either side of the young couple's front door which is a sign of fertility. The Norwegian bride also wears a silver crown with bangles making a beautiful music sound which is said to ward off the evil spirits.

Thus the customs and traditions of wedding in Scandinavia are more or less same, although the detailed rituals vary from country to country.

Travour.com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of Scandinavia and around the world.

Here are some Wedding Traditions performed around the world