![\"Illustration:](\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/illustration-0801-2019-german-village-wedding.png\")
<\/a>While traditions can vary from region to region, there are also a few common customs and traditions you may experience today.<\/p>\n
Ancient German Wedding Traditions<\/strong><\/p>\n Some German traditions begin decades before the groom and bride\u2019s first encounter. Although these might not be nearly as common today, some people still honor them. Examples of these customs include:<\/p>\n German Wedding Customs<\/strong><\/p>\n In the days or weeks leading up to the Hochzeit (wedding), the bride and groom first have to go to their local Standesamt and perform a civil ceremony. This is required to make the marriage legal in Germany. Typically, only a few close friends and family members are present to act as witnesses.<\/p>\n A few days or weeks after the civil ceremony, there\u2019s a much larger and longer official Hochzeit. Typically, this is done at a church and is filled with ceremonies, sermons, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and all the rest.<\/p>\n This is a German wedding tradition that\u2019s still common today. Instead of a stag or bachelor party, the bachelor has the junggesellenabschied, \u201cthe bachelor\u2019s farewell.\u201d Traditionally, the groom and his closest friends go out to the bars and beer halls for drinks. As they go from bar to bar, the bachelor wears a tray and sells drinks, or other potentially embarrassing items, to passers-by. This lets everyone know that the man is soon to be wed.<\/p>\n This is the German equivalent of the rehearsal dinner \u2013 but with a few twists. Translated as \u201cthe eve of making a racket,\u201d this rowdy informal party typically takes place on the night before the wedding. The couple hosts a large bash for friends and family filled with drinking and smashing porcelain for good luck. Once the racket has died down, the bride and groom have to clean up the mess together.<\/p>\n It might surprise you to find out that traditionally engaged German women don\u2019t wear a fancy diamond engagement ring. Instead, newly married couples wear unadorned gold wedding bands known as \u201ceheringe.\u201d Leading up to the wedding, the bands are worn on the left hand. After the ceremony is over, they switch the ring to their right hand.<\/p>\n This tradition is common in many cultures throughout Europe. As the newlyweds make their way down the steps of the church after the wedding ceremony, guests will shower them with rice. The rice is supposed to symbolize fertility and blessings for a long and happy marriage.<\/p>\n After the marriage ceremony is complete, the newlyweds have to work as a team to saw through a log. This symbolizes the importance of working together as a couple to complete tasks now that they\u2019ve been joined together as one.<\/p>\n The Wedding Reception<\/strong><\/p>\n Wedding receptions often turn into all-night affairs filled with dancing, drinking, pranks, and other German wedding customs and traditions.<\/p>\n Learn more about these and other German wedding traditions through the wedding announcements and articles preserved in GenealogyBank\u2019s German-American newspapers.<\/a> The traditions detailed above are but a few of the common German wedding customs. There are dozens of other wedding customs that are more specific to particular regions. All in all, Germans have a rich and vibrant history of wedding ceremonies and traditions that are celebrated in their culture. So, if you ever get the chance to attend a German wedding, you\u2019d best go! They are a raucous good time.<\/p>\n Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n Related Article:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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