The Brazilian nation is an insane mix of indigenous people, Africans, Caucasians, and Europeans, so their traditions sometimes are a crazy combination as well. The local wedding customs are the result of a lifestyle, historical events, and religious beliefs – all mixed and stirred. The more interesting to find out what these wedding traditions are. Here are top-10 most interesting and widespread Brazilian wedding traditions and superstitions. Maybe you would like to borrow some of them for your own wedding.
A Brazilian wedding is usually rather cheerful and loud, with lots of music, singing, dancing, laughing, and communication between the couple and the wedding guests. Also, there are many traditions and superstitions regarding a Brazilian wedding, some good-luck rules, and old beliefs that still are important.
Here are 10 popular and curious Brazilian wedding traditions.
1. The groom and wedding guests aren’t allowed to see the bride before the wedding – it is considered bad luck. So, she always is around 30 minutes late for her wedding ceremony.
2. The religious wedding ceremony is held in Portuguese with no translation. It is also done for good luck.
3. The official marriage license is signed by the couple after the wedding ceremony. In most countries, it is vice versa.
4. The couple has a wedding gift for their parents and the parents for them. During the ceremony, they exchange these wedding presents.
5. The bridesmaids and groomsmen are paired for the wedding. Unlike American weddings where bridesmaids play their role separately from groomsmen and everyone is treated as a single person, Brazilian bridesmaids and groomsmen are matched in a pair (either they are a couple already or the bride and groom pair them just for this ceremony). There are 3 couples of bridesmaids + groomsmen from the bride’s side and 3 from the groom’s.
6. The wedding song usually isn’t a slow and romantic one. The Brazilian National Anthem or a traditional samba song called “Pagode” can be used as the wedding song.
7. The groom’s wedding buttonhole isn’t a flower but a small flag of Brazil.
8. Brazilian brides like to wear gold-colored shoes with their wedding gown. And actually, the dress itself is often not worldwide-popular white or ivory but colorful and bright.
9. The groom’s tie is cut into pieces and sold to the guests – it earns the couple some extra money for their honeymoon. This is a popular tradition in Brazil.
10. Another way of getting extra money by the couple is to put a golden shoe at the center of the dance floor during the party. The bride takes off her golden heels and puts one of them on the dance floor for everybody to drop money in it. The wedding guests wish the bride and groom welfare and put bills in the shoe.
