What Is the German Wedding Tradition?

The roots of the German wedding tradition lie in prehistoric Indo-European custom when a marriage symbolized peace and friendship between clans. Over the centuries, the Germans have done a lot of traveling and have borrowed tradition from many of their neighbors. From the break of old dishes to the carrying of salt and wheat, the past is united with the present. No matter how you look at it, the German wedding tradition looks like fun.

History

German wedding traditions have many of their roots in the distant Indo-European past. The inclusion of various grains and salt in the festivities, mock kidnapping of the bride and vestiges of the dowry still exist. When Christianity became the predominant religion in Germany, it placed a veneer of its belief system over the older underlying traditions, giving them a Christian face. With the rise of European culture, the Germans shared and borrowed traditions with other ethnic groups to create the unique customs of today

Geography

As expected, German wedding traditions are found in Germany. However, a unified Germany came about just before to the First World War. Thus, German wedding traditions today are the result of the mixing of several provinces, principalities, and kingdom customs from near the French border all the way to the Baltic Sea. For this reason, eastern Germany has borrowed a number of traditions from their Baltic and Slavic neighbors, while west German traditions are closer to those of Western Europe in general.

Significance

Not so long ago, the bride's father paid for the cost of the wedding, a distant echo of providing his daughter with a dowry. Today, both sets of parents and the couple divide the expenses. In small villages, it is a custom for the best man (a German innovation, by the way) to kidnap the bride after the ceremony and take her to several pubs where they drink champagne until the groom finds them and pays their bar tab. Bride kidnapping must have been rather prevalent in the past, evidently. A German wedding tradition likely borrowed from the Slavs is "Polterabend," a party at which old dishes are broken by the guests; the bride and groom clean up the mess as a symbol of nothing ever getting broken in their marriage.

Types

Today, German couples must have a civil ceremony first which is attended by close family and friends only. They are now legally married and many couples stop at this point. On the other hand, there are many young Germans who like to include at least a few of the old traditions in a church wedding later. The ceremony can be as simple or elaborate as the bride wishes.

Features

Modern German wedding tradition looks a lot like modern American tradition. There are some delightful differences, though. In addition to the familiar car procession leaving the church and the bridal dance, the newlyweds may have to survive their friends' pranks on the wedding night.
During the ceremony, the groom may kneel on the skirt of the bride's dress as a symbol of his running the house. As they arise, the bride stands on his shoe as a reminder that he needs to adjust his attitude.
The bride may carry salt and bread as symbols of a good harvest, while the groom may carry grain symbolizing future wealth and good luck.