On the surface, it's pretty obvious that the Duggar family from TLC's 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On is a lot different from the typical American family. For one, there are 19 siblings and already more than 20 grandchildren, and that's really just scratching the surface. Their entire family culture is so unlike any other, and that means that the Duggars have their own traditions that don't really make sense to most of us.
Of course, some are nice holiday traditions that, while a little weird, are still kind of sweet and probably fun for the kids. Others involve odd Duggar recipes that most of us would avoid eating at all costs if Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar ever invited us over for dinner. And then there are the traditions that the Duggars employ in their everyday lives — and when it comes to looking for a potential life partner.
Read on for all of the strangest Duggar traditions. Of course, we're sure this list will continue to grow — there's no way this family will let us down in that department!
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Their Take on Deviled Eggs
Given their strong faith, it makes sense that the Duggars don't exactly love mentioning the devil — even when his name is in a food they whip up for the holidays. The Duggars are fans of deviled eggs, which they make for their biggest gatherings, but they refer to them as "yellow angel pocket eggs." Interesting.
Sharing Shoes
If you've seen 19 Kids and Counting, you already know that the Duggar kids' shoes aren't split up by person — they're actually split up by size, and on more than one occasion we've seen the kids take a dive into the shoe pile to find a pair to wear. Remember when Joy-Anna walked around wearing one shoe while searching the house for the other from the pile before leaving for a date with Austin Forsyth?
The Buddy System
With 19 kids in the family, it's no wonder that Michelle needed help — but it's a bit unusual that she turned to her kids to help parent one another. When her children were young, she started a tradition called "the buddy system," pairing up younger siblings with older ones as their "buddies" to look out for them.
The Legendary Chocolate Mess
A Duggar birthday usually calls for a trip to a local restaurant with Jim Bob and Michelle, where the birthday boy or girl gets to order a special dessert called the chocolate mess — and they almost always pose with it for an Instagram post. To be fair, the massive dessert does look pretty good.
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Running Down the Aisle
Though this tradition has died out with the more recent brides, in the beginning, running down the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife was a big thing. Jill and Derick Dillard seemed the most pumped to do it — supposedly showing their excitement for their new union.
J Names, of Course
Jim Bob and Michelle obviously chose names that start with the letter J for all 19 of their children, which definitely meant they had to get creative with a few of them (like the spelling of Jinger's name, which would more traditionally be Ginger).
The only child who carried on this tradition with his own family is Josh Duggar — he and Anna have given all their children monikers that start with "M."
Tater Tot Casserole
Tater tot casserole has long been a beloved dish by the Duggars — even in the earliest days of 19 Kids and Counting, they talked about how frequently they ate this simple meal for dinner. It makes sense: It was quick to whip up, cost-effective, and easy to create giant portions to feed the entire family.
Christmas Snacks
There is exactly one time of year that the Duggar kids are all presented with their favorite snacks, exactly how they like them, and that time is Christmas.
"Almost all of us like pickles, but each one likes a different kind," Michelle has said in the past, according to In Touch Weekly. "Same with the Pringles and the beef jerky. Christmas is the one time of year when every child gets their favorite flavor of each treat."
The Big Gift Exchange
Obviously, when it comes to a family the size of the Duggars (especially today, with the in-laws and grandkids) some sort of method to gift exchanging has to be used. In 2019, Jessa explained that they split up into four groups and pair up that way.
"We draw names, and each person buys for one other family member. We split guys/girls, and adults/kids, so four groups total. It's so fun and makes it where you can buy more meaningful gifts and not just dollar store trinkets for the 40-plus of us," she wrote in an Instagram comment at the time (via In Touch).
Birthday Surprises
On the subject of gifts, Jessa also uses an unconventional birthday tradition with her own kids. Each day of the birthday girl or boy's special week, they get a gift, rather than one pile of presents on the big day. And instead of wrapping them, she usually just hands them the box from Amazon that the gift came in.
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Courtships Instead of Dating
Though the concept of "courtship" is something that a lot of other members of the Duggars' religion take part in, it seems like Jim Bob and Michelle have really taken their version of it to the next level. Their children's potential partners are approved by the parents, and they're required to have chaperones until marriage. Oh, and no holding hands until engagement!
Save the First Kiss
Another unique Duggar dating tradition: They don't kiss until the knot is tied! And for most Duggars, this means sharing that first kiss for the first time in front of everyone they know (plus, in many cases, the viewers at home watching Counting On). Minus Jessa, of course, who elected to have her first kiss with Ben in private on her wedding day.
Praying in the New Year
Instead of counting down to midnight the way many families do when December 31 rolls around, the Duggars do a little something called "praying in the New Year."
"About 15 minutes before the New Year is here, we'll start taking turns going around the room, praying and giving thanks. By the time everyone gets a turn, it's already the New Year," Michelle told TLC, reports Cheat Sheet.
Room Sharing
With a family as big as the one Jim Bob and Michelle have, you'd assume that their house has a lot of bedrooms, right? Not exactly. All the boys share a room, and all the girls share a room — yep, all those people of varying ages, split between just two bedrooms. Sounds like it would be like a sleepover party some nights and an actual nightmare others!
Blanket Training
One Duggar tradition that's a bit disturbing is something that Michelle used on her children when they were very young: blanket training. The controversial practice includes placing an infant on a blanket, holding a toy out of reach, and punishing the child with a switch when the kid tries to leave the blanket. The aim is to teach the child obedience.
Fortunately, it seems as though many of the Duggar kids who have grown up to have families of their own have decided against putting this one into practice with their children.
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