Wedding Traditions in India

The Vedic Wedding: Origins, Tradition, and Practice: Including a Step-By-Step Wedding Ceremony in Sanskrit with English Transliteration a                                    Indian wedding is not just about serious rituals and customs. There are various other fun filled rituals and frothy moments in Indian wedding ceremonies that lightens the mood and remains as cherishing moments in the coming years. Wedding marks the beginning of a new relationship not just between two individuals but also between two families.

And there are various moments in the wedding ceremonies that help to build new relationships. Every caste and community has its own tradition and culture.

India with such diverse cultural background showcases variety of fun filled rituals and customs. And nowadays with Hindi movies becoming so popular among everyone that people are following the customs and rituals shown in the movies. Especially movies like Hum Apke Hain Koun showcasing all the rituals associated with Indian weddings have made us familiar with the rituals. Some of the facts about Indian wedding are as follows

Parsee saalis takes gifts from their brother-in-law or jija during the ritual of haath boravanu where the groom puts his hand in water and cannot remove them until he pays money to them, pag dhovanu is another such ritual where the groom is threatened with milk on his shoes and chero chorvanu is a ritual in which seven strands of thread tying the couple are removed on payment. In other community also this ritual is there where the sister-in-laws or saalis hide the shoes of their jija or brother-in-law and return them only in exchange for money. It's a very fun filled and enjoying ritual.

In some communities, there are rituals where the hands of the couple are covered with a sacred cloth to ward off ill omen and evil eye during the pheras.

In Gujarati custom the groom's mother-in-law tries to catch his nose on arrival of the baraat, as a reminder of the fact that he is taking away their daughter and is now responsible for her happiness. Aeki-Beki is also very fun filled rituals among the Gujarati community. It is full of fun and games. A tray or pot of water is mixed with milk and vermillion. A ring and a few coins are thrown into the mixture. The bride and groom are given seven chances to fish out the ring.

The winner is considered as having a dominating personality and it is predicted amidst much laughter that he or she will rule the roost! In Punjabi custom the bride's wear a Chuda, which is a set of red and ivory bangles by her maternal uncle. This custom is considered good omen for the bride as it is said to bring good luck to the bride in her new home. Punjabi brides wear Kaleeres. These are silver or gold plated ornaments tied to the Chudas. It is said that the bride has as many friends as there are leaves in the Kaleere.

Sweets, eggs, and money are woven into to wedding themes of India. They symbolize, respectively, a sweet life, feretility, and prosperity. The Hindu wedding ceremony includes customary rituals to ward off evil spirits. After the wedding vows have been exchanged the groom's father or brother showers flower petals on the newlyweds; then he holds a coconut over the bride and groom's heads and circles it around them three times. An Indian groom often wears a turban with a veil of flowers streaming down in front of his face to protect him from evil spirits.

Traditional Indian brides wear pink and red saris on their wedding day, adorning themselves extravagantly with as much jewelry as possible. Henna staining, a customary art form, is still practiced by Indian brides to be. On the eve of her wedding vows, following a traditional ceremonial cleansing, the bride-to-be will have her hands and feet painted with henna, in beautiful paisley or medallion patterns.

Then a special wedding gift is given to the bride, a necklace signifying her married status.

Another ritual, which is found in almost every community is when the groom brings home his new bride, the groom's sisters block the entrance to the home and demand money from their brother as a shagun before they let him in.

This is a fun filled and enjoying ritual. So these are some of the fun facts associated with Indian wedding, which makes it exciting and enjoying. And these fun memories are cherished for the years to come.

Retrieved from "http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/indian-wedding-traditions-189458.html"
THE AUTHOR; Rafi Michael
Toronto Indian Weddings Wedding Photography & Video Productions Toronto we specialize in individually tailored Wedding Photography, Videos and DVD's, offering an experienced, highly professional and affordable service.                                                                                          Monsoon Wedding (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]