18 Lebanese Wedding Traditions That Will Make You Awestruck

When it comes to luxuriant and exquisite weddings, no country does it better than Lebanon. Speaking of enchanting Lebanese wedding traditions, ancient customs and modern elegance beautifully intertwine to create a magical  Lebanese celebration like no other.

 

Lebanon, tucked in between the Mediterranean and some rough terrain, is well known for its illustrious cultural history and mouthwatering cuisine. But what really sets Lebanon apart are its exotic and beguiling wedding customs. Explore some of the world-famous and utterly unique Lebanese wedding traditions with us!

 Rich Heritage Of Lebanese Wedding Traditions

1. Rave It up With Pre-Wedding Celebrations

 

You must surely have heard about this one! In Middle Eastern cultures, weddings are a time for jubilant celebration and extravagance, and Lebanon is not an exception. The lavish celebrations kick off well before the Lebanese weddings with the pre-wedding party.

Both families indulge themselves individually in merrymaking with lots of food, music, drinking, and dancing.

2. Henna Party

 

The Lebanese folks are always ready to paint the town red at a Henna party a day before the actual big day. Members of the couple’s immediate family host henna events. Here, a related male member of the couple will draw beautiful patterns using henna on the couple as a sign of good fortune for the marriage.

Although there is no set location for this, it is customary for guests to draw it on the pinkies of the bride and groom and wrap them with cash or gold.

3. The Sparkling Bridal Jewellery

 

There’s a tiny, yet inevitable, custom that also takes place a day before the big, fat wedding. Here, the family of the groom, along with some close relatives, visits the bride’s home and presents them with some lavish and priceless gifts.

Diamond and gold jewellery are part of the wedding gifts and will be worn by the bride on her special day.

4. The Breathtaking Wedding Dress

We all know that the majority of Lebanese brides are Muslim, so their wedding attire is always stunning in its understated grace. The brides resemble princesses and exude unrivalled elegance. The Lebanese brides choose beautifully embellished and elaborate gowns in pristine white.

5. The Cake and the Sword

The Lebanese have an exceptional style of cake-cutting for weddings. Extravagance is not blinked at when it comes to slashing cake at Lebanese weddings. This is one of their most intriguing Lebanese wedding traditions. The cakes used are tremendous and can be as large as 10 tiers.

The happy couple hold hands as they use a sword to slice through the wedding cake, causing everyone to gasp. Swords are passed down through the generations, while the cake represents the sweetness and joy of the marriage. Wheat flour, a representation of fertility, is used to make the cake.

6. Lebanese Zaffe:- The Grand Entrance of the Couple

It is yet again a very popular and astonishing Lebanese wedding tradition—the Zaffe. Most of us are still confused about Zaffe. So begins the wedding march, which travels from the home of the bride and groom to the Lebanese wedding venue where the ceremony will take place.

There is a lot of excitement during the procession, and its splendour leaves us in awe. Exuberant troop musicians, dancers who are getting into the spirit of things, and men with flaming swords make the procession lively. Typically, drums, horns, bagpipers, and car honks accompany the couple as they make their way to the ceremony.

7. Dough the Wall

You might be curious as to what this particular tradition means. Let us break it down for you. Here, the brides are asked to stick a piece of dough on the walls or doors of their new homes. This one is said to foretell the success of the marriage.

If the dough stays where it is, the couple will have the desired happily ever after, and if not, the marriage is said to be one filled with adversities. So good luck on this one.

8. Delectable Cuisines That Leave You Craving for More

Guests at a Lebanese wedding will remember the exotic and delicious food long after the ceremony is over. The Lebanese wedding reception includes an endless variety of food items, such as messe, along with some harmless booze and mocktails.

Foods served are three-course Lebanese meals with kibbeh, sfeeha, manakish, fattoush, and so much more.

9. Zalghouta

We’re sure you found a whole lot of jaw-dropping traditions. There’s this interesting one to add to your list, i.e., Zalghouta. Women in either family voice a shrill cry. Ulls are produced by using the tongue and throat to produce soaring tones.

The act of ululating is not limited to Lebanese wedding culture but is very prominent among Egyptians, Middle Easterners, Asians, and Africans. What sets the Lebanese apart from others is that zalghouta encompasses poetic verses and words.

10. Layileh- The Ethereal Bachelorette

Lebanese Layileh is one of the Lebanon  pre-wedding traditions, and it is precisely a bachelorette wedding tradition. Here again, the families of the bride and groom individually host a splendid bachelor’s party, which is carried out with astounding grandiose gestures.

Not much later, the groom’s family gatecrashes the party and steals the bride away. Isn’t it exciting?

11. The Blazing Fireworks

By now, we all understand that each Lebanese weddings is a luxurious affair with regal attire and majestic traditions. The fireworks are a particularly grand gesture. Elegant and beautiful decorations adorn the halls where the nuptials will take place.

Like any other part of a wedding, the fireworks are not set off merely for the sake of it; rather, they are meant to leave guests with a lasting memory of the celebration. Guests and the happy couple dance until the wee hours of the morning to celebrate the fireworks.

12. Last to Leave

In this tradition, the married couple isn’t allowed to leave the wedding venue until the last of their guests have left. The word has it that it is considered rude for the newlyweds to leave the venue before their beloved guests.

13. Kidnapping of the Groom

This is an age-old tradition, but people still believe in it and make this one happen too. After the groom is abducted by the groom’s family and hidden until the wedding day, the bride and her family are expected to continue looking for him until the ceremony.

14. Wedding Present

At the end of the ceremony, the happy couple are showered with gifts from their loved ones. Luxurious items, beautiful flowers, and more are all included in the gifts. Both sets of parents hand over a monetary gift to ease the newlyweds into their new lives together.

15. Dancing to the Beats of the Drum

Drums are a common sight at Lebanese weddings, but their significance is often questioned. The arrival of the bride and groom at a Lebanese wedding reception is traditionally signalled by the sound of these Lebanese drummers. It is a beautiful way to lure everyone up to the dance floor and get them charged for the vibrant night ahead.

16. Dramatic Photoshoots

Another fantastic practise that has been documented as commonplace at modern Lebanese weddings is the dramatic photoshoot. Wedding albums are not complete without some fabulously snapped, posed, and candid photos. Candid photography has the occasional ability to capture the pure happiness, laughter, and endearingly simple expressions on people’s faces.

Having a wide area of coverage with drone photography for ceremonies such as Haldi and Henna can breathe a great deal of vibrance and colour into your wedding cinematography.

17. Dance: The Inevitable Charm of the Wedding

 

Live, high-energy dance performances are an essential part of any traditional Lebanese wedding. The addition of variety dancers to Lebanese weddings has given the event a special glow. The music is groovy, and the dancers are awesome enough to get you pumped up.

18. Jurn el kibbeh: The Show of Manhood

The decade seems to have lost all of the allure of this custom. But a long time ago, the ritual “jurn el kibbeh, was seen at weddings. “Jurn el” is a big bowl made of stone, and “kibbeh” indicates a meat meal.

Raw meat was moved into a bowl, smashed very well, and then eaten. To get the hand of his beloved bride, however, the groom must first lift this “jurn el kibbeh” right before the wedding. The purpose of this was to demonstrate the groom’s masculinity and strength.

The Significance of Lebanese Wedding Traditions

 

Everybody loves traditions because they add a special touch of colour to any party, but especially a wedding. From the rhythmic beats of the Dabke dance to the sumptuous feasts and heartfelt rituals, Lebanese weddings are a captivating blend of tradition and modernity that captivate the senses and warm the heart.

Get in Touch with Us To Capture Your Lebanese Wedding With All Your Traditions

 

As you immerse yourself in the kaleidoscope of customs and celebrations, it becomes clear that a Lebanese wedding is not merely an event. As the best wedding photographer in Sydney, Riss Photography understands your unique needs for wedding and event photography.

So if you’re someone who’s on the hunt for some awesome wedding videography, book a session with us and learn what sets us apart from the rest.