The wedding day – this simple phrase is associated with so many emotions in different people’s minds. For parents, it is a proud moment, the day on which their children say their vows and start their life anew, to face new heights of love, challenges and accomplishments together. For the bride and groom, it is the day of happiness and confirmation of their love for one another. For those who have been married for many years, it is a fond memory to look back on with tenderness and to share with friends, relatives and close family members. And for us, at Chocolate ZOOM, it is, of course, the day on which one of the most exquisite and delectable desserts is served – the wedding cake.
We’ve all been to at least one American wedding and remember the bride’s outstanding dress, the outrageously expensive reception, the incredible appetizers, dinner and, of course, the fun and excitement that happens on the dance floor after the newly married couple and the guests have had a few drinks. But have you ever wondered what weddings might look like in other countries and in other customs? The emotions are the same, no doubt about it, but the celebration and the desserts served are worlds apart from the traditional American wedding. This article will tell you a little bit about the customs and traditions associated with traditional weddings in some other countries and cultures and the desserts that are served along with them – whether it be a twist on the usual wedding cake, or a tasty sweet alternative. So if you ever decide that for your wedding you would like to do something…extra, you will be able to pleasantly surprise and educate your guests in a reception that everyone is sure to remember for years to come.
Traditional Indian weddings are very complex, need special preparation long in advance, last for many days and the specific customs vary from region to region and by religion, whether it be Hindu or Muslim. Some of the more enticing traditions that are distinctly attributable to an Indian wedding are the Mehndi and the Barat Nikasi. On the eve of or a few days before the wedding ceremony, a Mehndi ceremony is held at the home of the bride, where she is anointed with turmeric paste in a sort of a spa-like procedure to make her glow on the day of the main ceremony. Then a relative or a professional decorates her hands and feet with mehndi, traditional designs applied with henna paste. According to custom, the bride cannot step out of the house for the next day or few days until the wedding. The Barat Nikasi personifies every Western woman’s dream of a knight on a white horse, because, during this ceremony, the groom leaves for the wedding atop of a decorated horse, with a sword at his side. The traditional outfits worn are very complex and colorful, with the groom dressed in long pants, a colorful tunic and a turban and the bride in a traditional Indian saree wrap. The wedding ceremony itself is very involved and the celebration lasts for a number of days after the wedding is concluded. (Check out Indian Wedding Decors [Deena Singh: 516 449-1213] for Indian wedding decorations, Perfect Bridal Looks for Indian bridal make-up and mehndi services in NY and NJ, Shaadi Ki Shehnai for traditional music, and Save The Date NYC for Indian wedding planners.)
As we all know, wedding rituals are very exhausting and must be accompanied by dinner – this is where most Indian weddings shine, because they don’t only have one wedding reception, but several. The savory dishes are abundant, but what of desserts served in lieu of a wedding cake, you ask? Most desserts are dairy-based with an addition of fragrant spices, honey and sugar. Shrikhand is made of thick and creamy strained yogurt with dried and fresh fruit added to it along with sugar, cardamom and saffron. The Basundi is another dairy-based dessert that is made from thickened condensed and fresh milk, sugar and cardamom powder. It is rich and creamy and has a distinct spicy flavor and a tender sweetness. Sometimes these dishes are served with Jalebis, crisp triangles of deep-fried dough scented with rose and soaked in sugar syrup. A sweet drink called Mattha tops off the lot – it is a type of buttermilk delicately flavored with coriander leaves and salt, served chilled to wash down all that delicious Indian fare.
Traditional Russian weddings are, unlike Indian weddings, not that far withdrawn from traditional American ceremonies. Generally, they tend to be smaller and a lot less showy, conducted in a company of close friends and relatives rather than a large crowd. Although normally Russian weddings aren’t very large, tradition calls that anyone who wishes to attend the first reception and ceremony be welcomed, so the party can get quite big and the newlyweds have to prepare for unexpected guests. The ceremony itself takes place either in an Orthodox church, or a Christian church of another affiliation or, if the bride and groom are not affiliated with the Christian religion, at a government location that validates marriages, such as the civil court. The bride customarily appears in a white wedding gown, while the groom wears a tuxedo or a dark suit to contrast his lovely wife-to-be. In Russian weddings, however, the banquet, or the reception following the wedding, is a large and involved ordeal that lasts for two days. Normally it takes place at either the bride or the groom’s house, and the bride and her family cook for many days prior to the wedding in order to prepare for the reception (more modern Russian weddings may order catering or have the reception at a restaurant or café). The food is always plentiful, as is the alcohol, and all the guests toast to the newlyweds and scream "gor’ko" (meaning bitter) in order to make them kiss and sweeten the wine while their guests are toasting. As for desserts, a single large wedding cake is not as common as a number of different home-baked cakes for all tastes and preferences. These cakes may be accompanied by additional sweets such as chocolates, cookies and candied fruits.
Traditionally, a Japanese wedding is held in the Shinto style at a shrine. A Shinto priest oversees the ceremony, which involves a rather small crowd of the bride, groom and their close family members. The lovers are dressed in traditional kimono, which are very elaborate, complicated and usually antique, featuring hand-embroidered designs and colorful hand-sewn patterns. During the wedding, the couple is purified by the priest and drinks sake as a symbol of their union, after which the groom reads the vows of commitment. Then, the couple offers twigs of the sacred Sakaki tree in worship to the gods to bless their union. The reception follows the wedding, and can range from very elaborate to relatively downplayed, depending on the means and traditions of the families involved. During the course of the reception, the bride may change her dress numerous times, from traditional colorful Japanese kimono to more modern Western wedding attire. Interestingly enough, regarding the reception food, the two main colors utilized are red and white because they symbolize a happy color combination and good luck. Another interesting point is that the Japanese also had a main wedding cake showpiece to celebrate the newlyweds’ bond. However, while American wedding cakes can be three, four, five tiers high, Japanese wedding cakes used to be much taller – sometimes three times taller than the bride and groom (check it out : here). This has now been mostly replaced by smaller, Western-like wedding cakes. More traditional Japanese sweets and confections, called wagashi, are also served at a Japanese wedding reception. These range from sticky rice cake (mochi) filled with red bean paste and green tea to dried sugared fruits and sweet wheat cakes but, regardless of what they involve, they are very beautiful, colorful, detailed and delicate.
Traditional Norwegian weddings, surprisingly, are also quite different from American, and other European, weddings. In this beautiful land of snow-capped mountains whose populace is intimately associated with the Norse folk tales of Loki, Thor, Odin and the beautiful blond, blue-eyed Vikings, the traditional wedding features intricate traditional clothing. The groom wears a bundas - a white silk shirt, short pants and stockings that come up to the calf, a vest and topcoat, all covered in intricate and colorful designs that are unique to his place of origin within the country. The bride wears a white or silver wedding dress, and instead of a veil her head is decorated with a silver or a silver and gold crown with small spoon-shaped dangling bangles. These bangles produce a melodic sound when the bride moves her head, and this sound is said to ward off evil spirits that attempt to inhabit the happy newlywed woman. Music plays a large role in a Norwegian wedding, enhancing the ceremony and the following celebration. The kiss that the lovers share to seal the wedding represents the exchange of a portion of each other’s souls. The Norwegian wedding reception is very lavish and usually follows the ceremony. Guests and family members make speeches to honor new couple, feast and dance to their heart’s content. While a traditional ceremony does have a wedding cake, called a "Brudlaupskling," it is not what you or I would consider one. It is a layer flour cake which is covered with a mixture of cheese, cream and syrup. It is considered special because, historically, white flour was rare in Norway and thus was reserved for special occasions.
Chinese wedding traditions, which are as rich as the culture and history of the country, are very complicated and complex, from the proposal to the wedding and the celebration thereafter. Family and reverence to parents and ancestors play a large part in Chinese culture; so does the wedding symbolize the joining and enhancing of the two families and ensuring a succession of both with numerous descendants. During the wedding, the couple is wished and encouraged to be fertile and wealthy, respectful of their ancestors and caring of their parents and, especially, respectful of the new family that the bride will be joining – her husband’s family. In preparation to the wedding, the bride goes through a hair dressing ritual and the groom – a capping ritual; both symbolize the lovers’ initiation into adulthood. On the night before the wedding, the bride bathes in water infused with a pumelo, a type of grapefruit, to cleanse her of evil influences and spirits. The wedding outfits and ritual objects of the couple usually feature a lot of red, which symbolizes joy and love. It is traditional for the groom to obtain the bride by proceeding to her house with a band of musicians, dancers and guests holding lanters. There, he has to buy her out from her family and friends and, after much haggling and joking arguments, the bride is escorted to the groom’s house with festivities and firecrackers being set off all around her. As for the wedding ceremony itself – the couple is expected to pay homage to Heaven and Earth and the Kitchen God at the family altar and share a drink from the same goblet. The elaborate wedding banquets are provided by the parents of the newlyweds for their respective friends and families following the wedding, but the main reception is that given in the groom’s family on the day of the wedding. As the wedding rituals, the foods served at the receptions are full of mystery and symbolism, such as the whole fish whose word sounds like that for abundance. While traditionally there is no large wedding cake, desserts that contain lotus seeds are often served, as insurance that the couple will have many children. Dried fruits and nuts are also common for the same reason.
There are many other wedding traditions and desserts that cannot be neglected – the Italian wedding with its lavishness, the wedding cake that is made out of biscuits and the traditional sugared almonds, the Bermuda wedding cakes which are topped with a sapling to represent new life for the newlyweds, the Danish almond wedding cake which is a cornucopia of wedding-themed embellishments and decorations made out of marzipan, the French croque-en-bouche - a tall cone of caramel-coated cream puffs, the Hollandaise "bridal sugar" cake for good wishes, the sweet and delectable Hawaiian luau with its spread of fruits and candies…and many, many others. However, I will let you find those out for yourself, because where is all the fun if I tell you everything right now? The most important part is that respecting your heritage’s traditions at a ceremony as important as the wedding will enable you to honor your and your loved one’s roots and pleasantly surprise your guests and relatives. So love, be loved, and celebrate your new beginnings in style and in many different ways, with many different traditions and, of course, with many delectable desserts!
