Traditional Indian Weddings
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010Traditional Indian weddings are distinctive in their merriment. Mostly Hindu weddings last for several days. The number of people present in the wedding could be between 500-1000. The ceremony is full of fun, colour, music, dance and delicious food.
The rituals and ceremonies of Indian weddings vary across different ethnic groups. The parents of the groom approach the parents of the bride and formally ask them for the hand of their daughter in marriage for their son. If the parents of the bride accept the proposal, the parents invite a Hindu pundit to make the horoscopes of the bride and groom and see if the match is compatible. The Hindu pundit tells the parents a suitable date for the wedding.
Parsee sister in laws take presents from their brother-in-law during the ritual of hath boravanoo (hand washing) where the bridegroom puts his hands in water and cannot take them out until he pays money to them. Pag dhovanu (feet washing) is another such custom where the bridegroom is threatened with milk being spilt on his shoes, and chhero chorvanu is a custom in which seven fibres of thread tying the couple are detached on payment.
A special set is designed for the ceremony to be performed. A place known as mandap is made either inside the house or outside. Carpets or mats are placed for seating. Sacred fire is also present under the mandap. The groom’s family arrives at the wedding spot. Certain items present in the ceremony are garlands traded by the bride and groom, mangalsutra (form of necklace), kum kum (red colour applied to bride’s forehead), rice and flowers. The bride wears a red and white sari. The groom wears a long shirt with pijamo or dhoti. Use of mehndi or henna is widely popular not only in Indian weddings but also in other Asian weddings too.
The next ceremony that takes place is called “Byaha Hatth” and takes place during the day. Unmarried girls of the bride and family of the groom gather at the place where the ceremony is to be conducted. A paste of turmeric, sandalwood and rose water is made and applied on the face, hands and feet of the bride and the groom. After this, the bride and groom go to their homes and are not allowed to come out of their homes till the day of the wedding.
Food is served which is quite costly. The menu depends on the region where the couple belong to. Sometimes people only prefer vegetarian food. Several games are also an important and fun part of the Indian wedding. One of the most popular one is hiding the shoes that is followed in other parts of the world too.
The bride’s party demands money in exchange for the shoes. A lot of negotiation is done during this activity. This is the part which everyone really enjoys and has a lot of fun.
After the ceremony is over, the bride and groom are moved to the wedding reception hall, where the parents of the bride hold a feast for the guests. After the feast, the bride and groom, escorted by the family of the groom, depart. On the next day of the wedding, a reception is held by the family of the groom and again, a large number of guests are invited. Rice, coconut and flowers are the essential ingredients of a traditional Indian wedding and the rituals and ceremonies can last for several days.
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