Michael Garcia
Kayla Kossoff
Marina Melkonian
Arabella Vazquez
Period 1
May 23, 2019
Central Africa
Traditional wedding dresses in Central Africa are normally very colorful and include different patterns. In Central Africa, the most favored and used colors are green, gold, and red. Grooms in Central Africa will match traditional clothing, color, and pattern with their bride instead of wearing a suit and tie. Every bride has a unique taste and when it comes to her wedding dress she can be as creative as she wants to make the “perfect” dress. Some people will design their wedding dresses with their preferred symbols or icons which can represent something special or simply their favorite shapes. African wedding dresses are made to order regardless of where they live.
Ghana
Like America, in Ghana, the bride and groom choose their dress based on their religion or preference. In Ghana, most of the wedding dresses are made out of special cloth called Kente which is made by the Akan people. This type of cloth is only used for special occasions. Wedding attire for women differs from everyday clothing by very colorful and geometric long skirts and short sleeve shirts. The groom will either wear a white shirt and a white pair of pants with a matching scarf or a full matching outfit. Most of the wedding dresses are made out of a popular material called Ankara fabric. Most designers will use Ankara fabric because it is made out of 100% cotton fabric and there is a huge variety of beautiful colors and patterns. There are no two wedding dresses that are the same because each one is unique in its own way.
Nigeria
There are many Nigeria tribes that have traditions that go back centuries for example, one popular tribe is Igbo, in order for two individuals to get married, their older siblings have to be married first. The groom also has to bring a bunch of items from a provided list by the bride. If he does not meet the expectations, he may have a chance of losing his soul mate. Couples that choose to follow the Igbo tradition would most likely wear a blouse that has lace on the inside, a bright shirt, matching coral like beads and a matching headpiece. In Nigeria, most couples will have two weddings a cultural one and a religious one. The cultural celebration usually follows the religious ceremony but the bride and groom can choose to have it immediately after the religious ceremony or on another day. In Nigeria, the traditional wedding attire is similar to the Igbo tribe. Most Nigerian families will invite around 1000 guests to celebrate the bride and groom becoming one. Nigerian weddings are very big because everyone is invited no matter if they know them or not.
Zulu
A popular wedding style that a lot of people follow is the traditional Zulu wedding. In a traditional Zulu wedding, the bride usually changes two to three times because she will wear a white wedding dress, a traditional colorful Zulu outfit, and a dress of her choice for the “after party”. The wedding ceremony usually takes place at a nearby church, followed by a gathering at the groom’s home. Here they will celebrate the marriage with dances, gifts, and ancient traditions. Umabo is a very popular ritual that most families follow in the Zulu culture. At some point during the party, the groom’s family will kill a cow to tell the bride that she is now officially welcome into their home. To show that the bride wants to be accepted into his family, she stuffs a pig with money and gives gifts to his family. The killing of the cow is a significant tradition of the Umabo. Most women that like to follow the Umabo tradition will usually wear an isidwaba (a leather skirt), an isicwaya (a special piece of skin that covers their chest), and an inkehli (a hat that is flat on the top). Every family has a different tradition that they choose to follow but no matter what the bride wears she is always the center of attention.
Central Asia
The wedding attire in Central Asia is different and varies quite a lot in each country. In some countries, the wedding attire has colors such as red, whereas other countries use colors like black and white. Some countries have beliefs that certain colors have specific meanings which will lead them to not have that color associated with a wedding. Often times, the groom will match the bride, whether it is with colors or patterns. The brides will most likely wear traditional outfits especially in India. The outfits will have symbols or signs on them to represent something important to them. For some countries in Central Asia, it is said to not wear white or black due to the fact that it is the color of death.
China
India
Japan
In China, the traditional wedding attire is most likely red with gold and or silver accents. If the bride is from the west, they will wear white which is more modern. The bride will also cover her face with a red veil. The color red symbolizes prosperity, good luck, and happiness. The name of the traditional one-piece of wedding attire for the bride is called a Qipao. Brides feel like this adds to their beauty because since the colors represent wealth and happiness, it makes people view them as an ideal woman, and the same goes for men.
Bright colors are encouraged at almost all Indian weddings. The bright colors symbolize. Similar to Chinese weddings, black and white should be avoided since they symbolize death. Often times, it is said to not wear red since it is the color the bride wears. since red signifies fertility, good fortune, and prosperity. There are many traditions in a typical Indian wedding but they are not all necessary. Most often, the brides will wear a Bindi which represents their marital status.
For Japanese weddings, both the bride and groom wear kimonos. Just like modern times, the groom wears black and the bride wears white. The name of the attire for the bride is called a shiromuku. It consists of a robe, a layer underneath the robe, a sash, a head covering, and white shoes. The color white is supposed to represent purity, virginity, and cleanliness. Similar to the previous countries, the brides feel beautiful in their wedding attire because of the colors they are wearing. Another reason why they feel beautiful is because they are not showing very much skin which makes them look modest and that is attractive to a man's perspective.
Central Europe
The wedding traditions in Central Europe slightly differ, but each area has something valuable and special for them. They all have colors differing from black to white to red. The groom's attire is mostly plain. Still, every dress is unique and important. Some dresses have designs that represent symbols and icons.
Greece
Italy
Russia
In Greece, the brides wear a traditional white wedding dress that’s mainly plain and isn’t too revealing as they believe you have to dress your best as it is considered a sign of respect to God. When a couple gets engaged they exchange rings in front of their close friends and relatives. During the wedding, bittersweet Jordan almonds called “koufeta” are served in odd numbers in little bags. They’re served in odd numbers to symbolize hat the couple will be willing to share everything. All Greek weddings require formal and respective wear to church. The bride's friends help her put on her dress, and she writes the names of her unmarried friends on the bottom of her shoe, so if they get erased it means they will get married soon. During dances, money would be at often times thrown at the couple to bring them wealth and prosperity.
For Italian brides the bride wears a garter for good luck; it’s considered bad luck if she sees herself that day without her bridal things on, she will only be allowed if she is all dressed up and has removed a glove or shoe. It is said to be bad luck is the bride wears any gold jewelry on the special day, other than her ring. In Italy, it’s a tradition for the groom to get the bride’s bouquet as the last gift, before they become man and wife. Although most wedding dresses are white and floral that’s not always the preferred color, as some regions have their bride wear a black dress with a white hat. The bride most often saves her best wedding dress for the reception after church. It is very important for the bride’s face to be covered with a veil so the couple won’t see each other before they get married. Italians are careful on what days they chose to get married because some days are thought to bring bad luck. For example, on Friday it was thought of to be the day evil was created. Couples follow the tradition of breaking a vase so the pieces could be counted and indicate the number of merry years they will spend together. Like the Greeks, Italians hand out the Jordan almonds as well. Guests throw petals and confetti at the newlywed couple.
In Russia, the wedding attire was very colorful mainly using reds and whites. In many areas, the bride would have two dresses: one for service and the other for the wedding reception. The first dress was simple and sometimes was all black, the second dress was cheery and red. A wedding dress had the sarafan which is basically a pinafore dress with a white blouse underneath. There were designs stitched that had all types of nature on them such as fruits, animals, and leaves. The blouses were flowy and long. Most of the time, the bride was expected to decorate the dress herself. Then comes headwear. It descended from flower wreaths to a crown with gold thread and beads. In the olden times, they wore neck bands ranging from silver and gold to bronze and other colors, now they were pendants and necklaces with natural stones. Wedding attire for men was close to standard clothing: pants and a long sleeved shirt. The front was richly decorated with embroidery. The belt was decorated as well. The bride has the choice to go to tradition or have a modern type of wedding gown. Her family and friends throw grains of seeds, coins, and candy for happiness and wealth.
Native America
The Native American wedding dresses are very traditional to the Native tribes. After the colonial pilgrims came in and formed the United States, the dresses have been adopted by the citizens of America. They range from any bright color such as white and red. Native Americans believe that white wedding dresses represent purity such as the Navajo, Lakota, and Cherokee tribes believe too. Many couples wear traditional wedding dresses that are called Regalia which is made out of feathers. The bride usually wears a red, yellow, Most weddings in Native America are based on the tribe that they are in or the tradition that they want to follow.. In the Cherokee tribe, the groom usually wears black pants, moccasins which are shoes and a red shirt decorated with ribbons. Northern Californian tribes wear blue, yellow, and black in the wedding attire, which nods to the ocean since their tribes are next to it. Most Native American clothing is made by hand, which makes the wedding dress more special to the person wearing it. If it was made by their mother or if it was passed down through generation.
Lakota
The Lakota people, also known as the Sioux tribe, use mainly white as their main color for the wedding. Brides usually wear regalia (a one-piece robe). The men wear a headdress that is decorated with feathers as a tradition. The main colors they wear are white red and blue as a traditional standard. The traditions of the Sioux have accepted the western culture by wearing white dresses but the colors and traditions have remained the same.
Navajo
In Navajo culture, the bride would wear almost nothing for the traditional wedding. They would wear deer skirts but it soon faded away due to their lack of color. They change how they wear their wedding attire by using mantras, wrapped around blankets. They are mostly blue and black in color. But as western culture started to take over the land the Navajo adapted to their traditions.
The mythology in the colors they wear comes to the blue world, the black world, the yellow world, and the white world. These are the main colors Navajo people wear in their wedding ceremonies. They have branched out to wear orange and not have just one primary color throughout.