Wedding Traditions in India

India is like a rainbow of many colors combining together to give out a beautiful spectrum of multiple customs and traditions. With people of so many religions and languages co-existing hand-in-hand for centuries, India has evolved into a country that truly lives and breathes democratic values. This diversity is also evident in the grand Indian marriage. A marriage in India is a celebration that lasts for days and even weeks and there are many aspects to it. There are many traditions and rituals that are performed before, during and after the actual wedding.
Following are 10 top wedding traditions in India.

Mangni (Engagement)

This is the Indian version of the engagement ceremony. Months before the marriage, the families of the bride and groom together perform some rituals on a mahurat or auspicious moment based on horoscopes of the couple. Gifts in the form of jewelry and clothes are exchanged and the couple is considered to be officially engaged to get married with each others.

Haldi (Beauty Treatment given at home by relatives in a fun way)

Married women apply turmeric with oil and water on both the bride and groom at their respective homes followed by the holy bath.

Mehendi (Henna Application)

Mahendi or henna is applied to bride’s hands and feet with beautiful patterns and designs. It is traditionally believed that deeper the color of the mehendi, more profound will be the love between the couple. Women have fun with songs and dances all the night.

Solah Shringar (Makeup for Bride)

This implies sixteen types of adornments used to beautify the bride for the wedding day. Brides wear exquisite jewelry including necklaces, bangles, earrings, nose rings, bindi, kajal, kumkum, etc.

Baaraat (Procession of BrideGroom and his relatives to reach the venue)

The main ceremony is normally held at bride’s house or a marriage hall. Grooms typically wear embroidered silk salwar and kurta and a matching turban and white flowers hanging over both sides of the forehead called ‘sehra’. He arrives on a well-decorated ‘ghodi’ (female horse) and is accompanied by a younger brother or cousin as a caregiver. The groom is also accompanied by his parents, relatives, friends, etc. in a kind of a procession known as baaraat.

Varmala (Exchange of garlands)

In some traditions, the bride puts a garland of colorful flowers called ‘varmala’ around the groom’s neck on arrival and the groom offers one to her as well. The belief goes that the one who puts the garland first will have an upper hand in the married life.

Stealing shoes

This is a fun tradition during the ceremony in which the bride’s sisters steal the shoes of the groom and demand money from him to have them back.

Kanyadaan (giving the daughter away)

In Sanskrit, ‘kanya’ means girl and ‘daan’ means to give or offer. Through this tradition, the bride’s father hands over the responsibility of his daughter to the groom.

Mangalsutram

It is a sacred thread tied by the groom around the bride’s neck signifying his acceptance of the responsibility of taking care of his wife as long as he lives.

Saat Phere and Vachan (walking and taking pledges around the fire)

The bride and groom together walk around the sacred fire in seven circles clockwise. First the bride and then the groom leads the way.

Read on for more ideas ►

Follow us on:
Google+ | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply