German - an eclectic blend of old and new German marriages mix ancient with modern, creating a colourful celebration brimming with tradition and meaning.

In the past, German wedding ceremonies began with the bride and groom carrying candles decorated with ribbons and flowers to the altar. These two candles were placed next to their unity candle. At the end of the ceremony, these candles were used to light the unity candle to symbolise the marriage that had just occurred. It was considered an ominous sign if any candle was accidentally blown out during the ceremony.

Medieval wedding activities in Germany were heavily centered around superstition. The bride used to embroider five crosses onto her bedspread to protect the couple against witchcraft while they slept. To ensure their farm would be a prosperous one, rural brides placed a hair from every animal on the farm into their shoes; the grooms did the same, using grain instead of animal hair. Dill and salt were also placed in the bride`s shoes to ensure that the marriage would be blessed with good luck.

As an additional precautionary measure, all cracked crockery was tossed out of the window the evening before the ceremony to scare away evil spirits. In the modern version, known as polterabend, friends and family of the bride and groom gather at the doorstep of the couple`s new home on the eve of the wedding to smash crockery. The soon-to-be-married couple are then expected to clean up, while everyone looks on. This is followed by a pre-wedding celebration. In years gone by, children also used to participate in this smashing activity! They would throw plates against the bride`s door to gauge her future happiness. The higher the plates were thrown, the happier she would be.

`Hiding` the bride, the origins of which are found in the Middle Ages, is still included in contemporary German wedding celebrations. Initially, this game was played as the groom arrived to take his bride to the church. Upon arrival he would discover that the bride, as well as her attendants, were dressed in a similar fashion in order to confuse him. He would then have to identify his bride before proceeding to the altar.

The modern version of this custom occurs after the wedding has taken place. Usually, the best man `kidnaps` the bride and takes his hostage to a nearby pub. The groom has to search all the pubs until he finally finds his new wife. When he discovers her whereabouts, he is obliged to pay for all the drinks the two of them, as well as all the accompanying guests, consumed in the meanwhile. The size of today`s urban areas, however, has made the task far more formidable - and, potentially, extremely costly! Nowadays, the groom often enlists the help of his guests to ensure that his search is narrowed down.

Article source: LifeWorld