14 Ceremonies of a Traditional Indian Wedding
Attending the Indian wedding for the first time? No wonder as happy as you are seeing that Indian wedding invite on your desk, you are equally confused with a heck lot of ceremonies in Indian weddings. Apart from delicacies and rich rituals, an Indian wedding is fun to attend. But here we are going to tell you about different ceremonies of a traditional Indian wedding. Here it goes:
- Roka Ceremony
Roka is the first ceremony of these wedding rituals. As per the ceremony, it’s the bride’s family that visits the groom’s house and give him some traditional gifts. He is showered with the blessings and love from the bride’s family. Similarly, there’s a ceremony which is called as “thaka” wherein the groom’s family visits the bride. They then present her with some traditional gifts and jewellery.
- Chunni Ceremony
It’s the engagement ceremony which is followed by this ceremony. The family of the groom gifts the bride to be a red chunni before the engagement. The ceremony is the connotation of acceptance of bride by her to-be-mother-in-law as her daughter in law.
- Sagai
Sagai is the engagement ceremony which is no different and here too bride and the groom exchange the rings. Followed by the ring exchange, the gifts are exchanged by both the families.
- Ladies Sangeet
The ceremony is held two to three days prior to the wedding ceremony and you can find it’s mention in the Indian wedding cards. Ladies Sangeet is the musical gala where both the families dance and sing along. The friends and siblings even prepare special dance performances on some groovy Punjabi songs. Get ready to “loosen up” too in Sangeet ceremony of a Punjabi wedding.
- Mehendi
Mehendi ceremony is one of the popular ceremonies in several communities of India. This ceremony is an integral part of Punjabi wedding too. As per the ceremony, the hands and the foot of the bride are adorned with beautiful designs of henna. There are some communities in which the mehendi is applied on the groom’s hand as well. There is this believed notion, that darker the colour of Mehendi, the more partner love each other. So colour is the determinant of love, how easy and cheesy as well?
- Chooda and Kalire ceremony
This is probably one of the most beautiful ceremonies of a Punjabi wedding. You can see some real tears and waves of laughers as well. As per the ceremony, the bride is presented with 21 or 51 red and white bangles from her maternal uncle. These bangles are known as “bridal chura” which is the connotation of a newlywed bride. Followed by the bangles, the sisters of the bride tie “Kaliras” to these bangles. Like in western ceremony, the bridal bouquet is thrown to all the bridesmaids. And it is believed that whoever catches the bouquet will going to get married next. In Punjabi weddings, after the ceremony, the bride used to rub “Kaliras” of each hand together and if a chunk drops on any of the bridesmaids, then it is believed that they are going to get married next.
- Haldi Ceremony
This is the ceremony which takes place at both the houses of groom and bride as well. As per the ceremony, the groom and the bride are applied with the turmeric paste on their body. The turmeric is considered pious and holds many medicinal properties; it is also applied to bring out the natural glowy skin for the wedding.
- Gadoli
Following the Haldi ceremony is the ceremony of Gadoli. As per it, it’s the sister in law of the bride to be and the groom to fill a pitcher of water and visit the nearby temple. This water is then used by the groom and the bride for their bath before the wedding.
- Sehra Bandi
This is one of the interesting ceremonies performed on the groom’s side. Once the groom is all ready, he has to perform small religious rituals with the priest and then his maternal uncles tie the turban which is known as “sehra”.
- Milni
You probably know the groom along with his family members leads the way to the bride’s place to tie the knot. The whole musical procession is fun to be a part of and is known by the name “Baraat”. When the baraat reaches the bride’s house, they are welcomed by the entire family of the bride who stand at the door to greet them. This is “milni” where the members of both the families meet and greet each other.
- Varmala
You probably find the mention of it in the Indian wedding cards. this is one substantial wedding ceremony where the bride and the groom exchange flower garlands. These garlands are called “Varmala” or “Jaimala” and hence the ceremony is known by it. It’s quite fun to behold the ceremony. Usually, the friends of groom lift him up so that it’s difficult for the bride to put the garland. It is believed that if he allows her to put the garland so easily, she will be dominating in the married life. Brothers of bride do the same with the bride. They lift her up and it’s difficult for the groom to put the garland. This is one fun ceremony.
- Kanyadaan
This is one significant ritual performed during the wedding ceremony. As per this, the father of the bride, give away his little princess to the groom. Kanyadaan is given very special mention is religious books and “Vedas”. It is considered as the biggest achievement of the man as a father.
- Pheras
This is again a vital wedding ceremony. As per this ceremony, the bride and the groom take 7 rounds around the holy fire. Thereafter he ties the “mangalsutra” around the bride’s neck followed by applying Sindoor (vermillion) on her head.
- Vidaai
This is where the bride bids the farewell to her family and embarks this new journey of her life with the man she loves.
These are the traditional rituals and ceremonies of a traditional Indian wedding. tell us, how many do you already know or have been a part of?
