11 Traditions from different countries for a marriage proposal

Engagement, asking for a hand and marriage are a kind of ritual with their own characteristics depending on the country, culture and region. And although the idea of ​​marriage is more or less universal, the customs and traditions connected with it change from place to place.

Love is present all over the world and, on some occasions, the way of expressing or formalizing it can be quite original. Therefore, the awesome.club shows, in this post, how are the traditions in each region.

It is customary for the engagement ring to be delivered at the request to be a family jewel inherited or given by the groom’s parents. Once the proposal is accepted, the bride and groom decide whether to make changes to the ring (for that, they ask for the family’s permission) or, in the case of only the stone being delivered, they choose the design they prefer.

According to Guatemalan tradition, the groom asks the bride’s parents for permission to marry. To get approval, the groom’s relatives gather with some baskets of food or sweets or even other gifts and go to the bride’s house with the suitor to make the official request. If the couple obtains permission from relatives to marry, another ritual begins. The groom gets down on his knees and gets advice from his future in-laws to have a good marriage.

In that country, men needed to prove their worth by overcoming a series of tests during a ceremony known as The Beukin. The tasks and obstacles to be completed were established by the bride’s father and, in case the suitor overcame them, the couple could get married.

According to Russian tradition, the betrothal was considered the most important event—even more significant than the wedding itself. The parents of both families would sit down and sign the contract specifying the date of the wedding. After that, they organized a ball or a party to celebrate the engagement.

During the proposal, the bride’s parents receive a series of gifts or favors from the groom and his family. In case they consider the boy a good candidate, they give them a paper with the girl’s time and date of birth. The suitor’s family then places this paper on an altar for three days. If nothing bad happens during this period, the newlyweds can get married.

The tradition of proposing marriage in this country is quite rigid and a series of protocols and rules must be complied with. The groom must express his intentions and feelings to his own mother, so that, later, she herself will ask the future mother-in-law of her son for the bride’s hand. After accepting the request, the families must agree on the dowry that the bride will receive for organizing the wedding and purchasing the jewelry. The pieces of jewelry, which are usually selected by the bride and her mother, stand out during the ceremony for their opulence.

The ceremony in which the commitment is formalized is traditionally called yuino. and consists of a meeting of both families. During this meeting, nine gifts wrapped in rice paper are exchanged, which symbolize feelings and good wishes for the future couple.

The Irish custom revolves around a ring called the Claddagh, which consists of a crown and a heart held in two hands. This jewel is full of symbolism, as the heart speaks of love, the hands of friendship and the crown of fidelity.

In Mexico (as in most of the countries shown here), the search, in the first place, is for the acceptance of the bride’s father and his family. In addition, it is very common for the groom to make a short speech about the couple’s history, their wishes for the wedding and say a few words about the in-laws.

In Thai culture, it is customary for one of the groom’s best friends to ask his father for the bride’s hand in a ceremony known as thong mun.🇧🇷 or gold pledge. In this case, the dowry comprises a huge amount of jewelry (mainly gold) and money.

The tradition of an Indian wedding requires prior acceptance of the commitment by the bride’s family. In this country, it is common for two families to perform a ceremony known as mangni or nischitartham🇧🇷 Various rituals are performed and an exchange of vows is made as a means of formalizing and establishing the commitment between the bride and groom. It is also common for the bride to get a series of mehndi or henna tattoos two or three days before the wedding as part of the engagement.

What is the tradition in your country for proposing marriage? If you are already married, how was the proposal?