This is a sequel to the article “Peculiar Marriage Rites in Some Cultural Group.” Supposedly, you were born during the early days and you live in one of these places, how would you imagine yourself as a bride or as a bridegroom?
Ancient Burma
In ancient Burma (modern-day Myanmar), on the night of the marriage, a group of man would gather around the house of the newly-wed couple. They would then hurl stones and other objects on the roof and through the windows, damaging the house sometimes injuring the people inside. All through the night, the attack would go on, and apparently there was no way of escaping the ordeal, once news of the marriage leak out. “It is difficult to conceive any reason for this extraordinary practice,” said a historian.
Ancient Gaul
At one time in ancient Gaul (modern-day France), when a man wanted to marry a woman, he had to pare his nail and send them to the latter. After this, they could already live together as man and wife.
Ancient Peru
In some parts of ancient Peru, when a girl was sought in marriage, the mother, in the presence of the bridegroom's relatives would break her daughter's virginity with a phallic-like object. This was to demonstrate to all present that the girl had been well cared and had preserved her virginity until then. It was a proof of the honor and respectability of the bride. It also signified that the subject had passed from childhood, and had become a woman ready for the responsibilities and duties of a wife. They believed that it was bad for a marriage if the husband would be the one to devirginize his bride.
Borneo
Another curious wedding rite was practiced among the Bornean tribe of Bindjoos. To be eligible for marriage, a young man must kill a member of an enemy tribe, and in the event of his wife dying, a second marriage depended upon a second killing.
South Africa
Among the Hottentots, a primitive tribe in South Africa, an ox will be killed for the celebration. However, they would not only eat the meat, but also smear themselves with the blood and fat, powder themselves with a stuff called bucku and paint their cheeks with red chalk. The priest in the wedding would alternately urinate on the bride and the groom. Afterward, he would bless the couple.
Ancient Persia
The nomadic tent-dwelling tribes of Persia (modern-day Iran) celebrated their nuptials in lonely deserts. As the bride was seeing conducted in solemn silence from the tent of her mother to her future home, the bridegroom would meet her halfway, carrying in his hand an orange or an apple. When he is sufficiently near to make sure of his aim, he would throw it at the veiled maiden with all his force- the harder he hits her, the more fortunate she would be esteemed.
Ancient India
The Punjabs of India once had an interesting marriage ritual for a widower taking his third wife. A sheep dressed up as a bride is led by the groom around the sacrificial fire, while the real bride rested nearby. This act was a precaution against a series of ill-luck which has supposedly caused by the death of two former wives. They did this to ensure the safety of the new wife. It was believed that the malicious jealousy of the first wife had caused the death of the second one, and this ceremony was supposed to to divert such evil influences to the substitute in the mock marriage.
And finally, the most unusual of these all, the Brahmans of southern India had this primitive custom of marriage to a tree. They believed that a younger brother should not marry before an older brother. And to fulfill this requirement, when there was no satisfactory bride in sight for an older brother, he was married to a tree, thereby giving the younger brother a chance to take a wife. They believed that it was actually the spirit residing in the tree to which the older brother was being wed.
