6 Bizarre Wedding Rituals in Various Cultures - Page 6 of 8

The Ritual of Blackening the Bride | Scotland

Blackening of the bride is a very old Scottish tradition. It’s part of a hazing ritual that actually happens before the wedding. The bride is taken by surprise, by hands down the crummiest friends you could have, and covered from head to toe with all kinds of crap. It can be anything: spoiled milk from the back of your fridge right down to tar and feathers. The ritual of covering brides and grooms in treacle, soot and flour used to be carried out to ward off evil spirits. This one of most bizarre wedding rituals still happens in some parts of Scotland.