You’re Invited To A Colombian Wedding!
Weddings are supposed to be a huge affair between two families. We love how heritage and culture shape the personality of an event. It’s amazing to know how uniting families’ heritage can be weaved into so many aspects of a wedding.
The concept of the wedding is the same throughout the world. One person proposes the other which is followed by a great wedding ceremony including friends and family. Now, these ceremonies could go a long way depending on the country or culture you belong.
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Let’s take you to the South American part of the world – Colombia!
Background Check
Bordered by Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, Colombia is the most northwestern country in South America. It is South America’s 2nd largest country and the world’s 3rd largest Spanish speaking country. Home to over 45 million people, before the Spanish arrived in 1499 to colonise the region, Colombia was originally populated by indigenous nations.
The nation remained very ethnically diverse even after Colombia obtained its independence from Spain in 1819, including descendants of the original native settlers, Spanish colonists, Africans brought from Europe & the Middle East as slaves and twentieth-century immigrants. There are metropolitan towns in Colombia, the Andes mountains, the Amazon rainforest, tropical grasslands, and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
Religious Beliefs
Colombia is a largely Catholic nation, so with a few cultural additions, the ceremony is essentially the same. The first difference is the church decor. In improving the beauty of the church and symbolising the special union of marriage, flowers are a key element.
Crazy Hour and The Godfather. Get Ready for a Colombian wedding!
There’s no best man and no maid of honour at a Colombian wedding. There are a godfather and a godmother. The Godfather is on call 24/7 to provide the groom with marriage counselling, as the Godmother is for the bride.
The candle ceremony and the Serenata, among others, are traditional Colombian wedding rituals.
The candle ceremony that happens after the rings are exchanged is one of the most traditional customs. The groom lights the candle to the left, and the bride lights the candle to the right. They bring them together and light the candle in the middle while they both have their candles lit. Then they have to put out their original candles, and for the rest of their lives, they become only one body.
The majority of the Colombian traditions are seen in the reception. Similar to American traditions of the garter toss and the throwing of the bride’s bouquet, Colombians have their own take on these celebrations of the single guests. The first tradition is for all the single men to put their shoes underneath the bride’s dress. The bride then chooses a shoe and that man is the next to be married. Another custom is that all the single men take off their belts. The man with the longest belt “wins”.
All the male guests must wear Guayabera suits, made entirely of white cotton. Colombians are born dancers and have never been afraid to demonstrate their talent or dance moves, to be precise!
And now comes the reception
The reception also contains many Brazilian influences, they also use a celebration called Carnavalito in which masks are bought, colourful accessories are used, and Brazilian music used in the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro is played. Speaking of music, with vibrant Latin rhythms, all Colombians love to keep the party going. Typical music will be vallenatos, salsa, and reggaeton, just to name a few.
The Serenata is another Colombian wedding tradition. It is a pre-wedding tradition in which the bride is surprised by a romantic song that the groom dedicates to her. The Serenata is usually performed with a band, in front of family and friends, and is accompanied by a party that can last several hours.
In Colombia, one common wedding tradition includes the bride placing a coin in her shoe during the wedding. This symbolises her desire to never be in a position where she and her husband would never be without life’s essential necessities. It is also customary for the bride and groom to be covered with a mantilla, or lace veil, in some parts of Colombia, which shows that they are now a family under one roof.
Crazy Hour
You thought the wedding was over?
You’re wrong!
A conga line of drummers charged onto the dance floor and the DJ took over their beats. With beaded bras, mini skirts and feathers fanning out from their faces, salsa queens followed.
Mad Hour, that was it. Each Colombian wedding has a theme of its own.
The Food
The national liquor of Colombia, Aguardiente, is based on sugar cane, tastes like Sambuca, and is used in all kinds of festivities. Empanadas are one of Colombia’s most typical dishes, a meat turnover that can be produced in various ways. The region of Colombia from which an individual is from determines the exact recipes used. Platanos Fritos (fried plantains/ bananas) are also a typical Colombian side dish.
After they are fried, the riper the plantains are, the tastier they will be. Furthermore, Yucca, which is similar to a potato but is more fibrous, is a popular side dish that Colombians like to see at weddings and family events on their plate. Traditional aspects of the receptions are still in places, such as starter food, entry meal and cake, aside from the typical Colombian food.
What matters the most
The most important element is the togetherness of the couple’s family and friends, which is a pretty universal notion, of course.
Thanks for coming and have a nice trip back home!!