Polterabend: Breaking of dishes to tackle major tasks in married life

The world is a home of weird customs and unusual rituals when it comes to marriage. Polterabend is one of the strange customs practised in Germany during wedding ceremonies. It is considered as the beginning of a marriage celebration.

Germany, it appears, has some customs/rituals that seem unusual to foreigners. Some of their rituals are found to be truly hilarious and awesome, while some look purely illogical.

Polter Night in Germany

There is something truly interesting about the way Germans do their marriage rituals. Out of such, the tradition of polter night is associated with pre-Christian times. The day before the wedding, relatives of both the bride and groom gather together at one place and violently smash things such as dining sets, vases and porcelain.

It is to be noted that once the craziness comes to an end, the groom and bride ask to clean up all the untidiness.

The people have a firm belief that practising this custom enables them to chase away evil spirits. However, this is not the only reason behind this weird custom; it is also done to let the couple understand that their marriage can also become messy and disturbing sometimes, but they just need to pick up the broken pieces and clear the mess.

It also shows that they can work well together in working through major tasks.

While some people may find it totally nonsense on the other hand, some believe that this is a beautiful message to give to a couple. This tradition is quite common for the people of Germany as some people eagerly wait for this moment during the marriage.

Additionally, in North Germany, polter night concluded with the burning of the groom’s trousers or the bride’s bra at midnight. The practice symbolises the end of bachelorhood.

Noting this, the ashes and remains are buried with a bottle of schnaps, which is supposed to be dug out for a communal round of drinking after a year.