Weird Marriage Laws and Traditions from Around the World

Interracial Marriage Law

Until the year 2000, interracial marriage was illegal in Alabama. While the law was not imposed, it is still a little ridiculous to think that it took Alabama until the year 2000 to overturn this law. Seriously Alabama, get it together down there.

Conflict in the Balkans Law

Arising from a conflict in the Balkans, the UN Security Council passed a resolution in 2008 that rape and sexual violence was a war crime and a crime against humanity. Violating women became a weapon during this war, which is why the UN had to step in and created the UN Security Council Resolution No. 1820. It seems like this should have been declared earlier.

Affair in Dubai

If you get married in Dubai, do not have an affair. If you have extramarital affair it could result in jail time, for over a year even. While affairs are not recommended, this law also applies to rape, which is horrible. Both the victim and the perpetrator can be charged with the same crime and end up spending time in jail. Does not seem right for the victim.

Child Bride

Be thankful you do not live in Saudi Arabia, if you do, I’m sorry. There is no minimum age for marriage there. An eight year old girl asked for a divorced from her 58 year old husband in 2008. The court denied her appeal. Wow, can you imagine being eight and having to deal with divorce or being denied a divorce? Even as an adult it is hard. Poor girl.

Illegal to Divorce

There are a few places where divorce is still illegal, so if you ever find yourself wanting to get married in these places, you better be 100 percent sure you are marrying the love of your life. These two places are the Philippines and The Vatican.

Pretend Proposal

Want to pretend propose to your boyfriend or girlfriend as a prank? Are you over the age of 16? Well, in South Carolina there is a no “mock proposal” law. This means if you are over the age of 16, you cannot propose to your significant other if you do not mean it. Who knows if it is still enforced, but it is a law so I wouldn’t test the limits of the law.

Proxy Marriage

Do you want to get married to your significant other but they are overseas serving the country while in the Military? Well, if you head to Montana you can go through what is called a “proxy wedding.” This means a friend can stand in for the bride or groom and you will legally be married to your significant other who is overseas. There have been cases where both the bride and groom have been absent but still get married. What?

Women, Careful with your False Teeth

If you live in Vermont and wear false teeth, you may be violating the law without knowing it. The law says that a wife needs permission from her husband to wear false teeth. Why? Who knows. It’s an antiquated law that is not put into practice. Yet, it still shows the treatment used to be subjected to.

65 and Married to your Cousin

Want to marry your cousin? Unfortunately, you will have to wait until you are 65 and move to Utah. It becomes legal to marry your cousin in Utah once you are over the age of 65. Maybe they figure you have run out of options at that point?

Three Strikes and No More Marriages

You know those couples who get divorced and remarried all the time? They are out there and just can’t seem to make up their mind whether they want to be together or not. In Kentucky, it is illegal for a woman to remarry the same man more than three times. After the third divorce, that couple is no longer allowed to get married. You should have your relationship figured out by then.

Marrying the Dead

Have you considered marrying a dead person? No, me either. Apparently, people in France have tried it because there is a law saying that it is illegal to marry a dead person. Whether it be for money or morbid curiosity, it is probably a good thing you cannot marry dead people.

No Skydiving on Sunday

Divorced or widowed women are not allowed to skydive on a Sunday afternoon in Florida. Why? That is a very good question. The law does not say anything about a divorced or widowed man not allowed to skydive during the same time period. Seems a little sexist.

Two Irreconcilable Differences Do Not Equal Divorce

If you are married in New York and want to cite irreconcilable difference, just make sure you both do not agree you have irreconcilable differences. You will not be able to get divorced if you both agree you have irreconcilable differences. But I would think both agreeing to divorce is a good start.

No Marrying Expatriates

Saudi Arabia male citizens are not allowed to marry women from either Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, or Chad. It has been said this law was to prevent men from marrying expatriates and instead, marry women from their own country. Saudi Arabia has very strict laws in general.

Stealing Your Brother’s Girlfriend

In Japan, they take it to a new level when it comes to stealing your brother’s girlfriend. There is a law that says the older brother can formally ask for the younger brother’s girlfriend’s hand in marriage. They both must agree to it, but it can happen!

Make Sure to Announce Your Marriage

Think announcing your engagement in a newspaper is weird? In Monaco, you must announce your marriage in public. It needs to be one the door of Town Hall for at least 10 days, which includes two Sundays.

Fixed Structure Law

When getting married in the UK, you must get married under a “fixed structure” that has a room. Although, you are still allowed outdoor weddings. The law came into practice because wedding venues and place of worship need to be registered for weddings. I wonder what an unfixed structure looks like.

Salem Laws

Salem, Massachusetts is a name that is synonymous with the Salem Witch Trials. While the trials were held across several towns, this name stuck. So it only seems fitting they have weird laws, so be careful not to get too crazy there. Keep your clothes on while staying the night in a room with your wife. No getting any with your wife in a rented room while visiting Salem.

No Kissing

Most of the original 13 colonies had pretty strict laws. Such as Hartford, Connecticut. Make sure not to kiss your wife on Sundays while you two are out in public because it is illegal. Resist all of your urges and wait until you get home to give her that peck on the lips.

Be Careful Who You Marry

If you are hanging out with your wife in Utah, you are responsible for her actions as a man. Therefore, if your wife gets the crazy idea to go start beating people up around the city, you can be held responsible for it. Think twice about who you marry in this state.

40 Days in France

Want to get married in France? Don’t we all. It’s the ideal destination wedding. To make your special day even more expensive, the bride or groom has to be in France for at least 40 days before the wedding. Then again, I wouldn’t mind spending 40 days in France.

Cheating Law in Hong Kong

Never cheat on your wife in Hong Kong because it could cost you your life. If a wife catches her husband cheating on her, she is legally allowed to kill him. There is a catch as she can only do it with her bare hands. Hopefully, the wife doesn’t know martial arts, but it is a good way to keep your man in line.

Don’t Forget Your Wife’s Birthday

How many times have you forgotten your wife’s birthday? Probably a few more than you care to admit. In Samoa, not only will your wife come after you but the law will too. It is illegal to forget your wife’s birthday in this country. Maybe put a reminder on every single calendar in your house and get it stamped on your forehead.

Can’t Let a Psychic Marry You

Ah New Orleans, the city of fortune tellers and voodoo. If you want your physic, palm reader, fortune teller, mystic, or medium to perform your wedding ceremony, it is illegal. Most likely because they will tell you everyone will live happily ever after, but we all know that isn’t true.

Throwing Trash

Scotland has a pretty disgusting pre-wedding tradition. The bride and groom are hit with trash, which include rotting fish and eggs. Yuck. According to the tradition, if the couple can handle this, then their marriage can handle anything. It’s an interesting way to test that theory.

Find a Good Chicken Liver

If you live in Daur, China, you cannot set a date to get married until you find a chicken with a healthy liver. So just how do you find that out? You and your partner need to dissect chickens until you find one with a healthy liver. If the first one doesn’t have a good liver, you move on to the next.

Angry Wall of Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids can be pretty aggressive at time. In China, a groom has to get through a wall of angry bridesmaids before he can get to his bride. While going through this angry wall, the bridesmaids will demand money from him and make him do weird tasks or performances. If he makes it through, then his love is very strong.

The Courting Hut

Being under the close watch of your parents while dating can be pretty annoying, and stressful to say the least. Tribes in Africa have a solution to that. Women can go into a “courting hut” with suiters so they can get to know their potential spouse. This seems like a much better way to do things.

Eating More Before the Wedding Day

In the United States, many women go on diets before their weddings. In Mauritanian, it is the opposite. In Mauritania, a curvy woman shows prosperity and good luck to the village. Women eat more before the wedding to become much larger. However, they are sometimes force-fed, which is an issue.

Kidnapping for Marriage

Until 1991 in Kyrgyzstan, you could kidnap a girl and marry her. It was considered good luck if the girl was crying on her wedding day, so many parents of the kidnapped girls would allow the marriage to go through. 1991 was when this tradition was outlawed. Seems like it saved a lot of girls heartache.

Extreme Valentine’s Day

Love Valentine’s Day and want to see it every month? Head to South Korea. They love everything that has to do with being a couple. Menus have “couple-sets” and there are many outfits that are sold just for couples. Some even celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th of every month. That might get kind of expensive after a while.

Marry a Tree

If you were born in India under a certain astrological period, then you may be bad luck if you are a female. So much bad luck, in fact you may cause an early death for your husband. It’s okay though, to remedy this all you have to do is marry a tree and then cut it down. Problem solved.

Good Luck Means Not Leaving the House

When you really want good luck on your wedding day in Borneo, you do not leave your room, not even to go to the bathroom. That means you may spend all day waiting inside to use the restroom until you are married. Plan your wedding early in the day.

Weep for One Month

For one hour a day, one month before the wedding, a Chinese Tujia bride must weep. She must do this every day and it is mandatory. The family of the bride is supposed to weep with her as well.

White Day

White Day in Japan is not what you think it means. Exactly one month after Valentine’s Day, women must buy a special gift for their man. This is actually a great idea as there is no holiday in the United States dedicated to giving a man a present, as Valentine’s Day tend to be all about the ladies.

B and S Balls

In the Australian Outback it can be kind of hard to meet a mate. The Australian’s have come up with a solution to this called B and S Balls (Bachelor and Spinster Balls). Basically, it is a bunch of young people getting together, drinking, hooking up, and doing dangerous stunts. As dangerous as it sounds, it is a rite of passage for these guys.

Wife Carrying Competition

Want to see how far your husband can carry you? Head to Finland. There is a wife-carrying competition held there every year and people all over the world can participate. It is an obstacle course, so be prepared to do more than just run. Yet, it will show how strong your bond it if you make it through.

No Age Minimum in Scotland

If you are too young to get married in the UK, head to Scotland. There is no age minimum to get married in this country. Many couples who could not get married in the UK because of their age would head to Gretna Green and elope. About 5,000 couple visit this place every year.

Annulment for a Dare

Dared to get married or was it a prank? It’s not a nice thing to do but in Delaware, you can get the marriage annulled if you both agree that the marriage was a dare or prank. We would hate to be on the receiving end of that prank.

Be Nice to Your Mother-in-Law

Don’t like your mother-in-law? You still need to be nice to her if you live in Wichita, Kansas. If you mistreat her your partner may be able to file for divorce. That is correct, if your spouse mistreats your mother then it is an acceptable reason for divorce. But what if she deserves it?