10 CLASSIC HINDU WEDDINGS TRADITIONS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

You might have heard the phrase grand Indian wedding! Hindu wedding traditions have a complex schedule of multiple rituals taking place over days and sometimes even weeks. Let us tell you what one can expect at an Indian wedding. The planning for these ceremonies begins at least six months before the main event. Check Out: 6 Trending Lehenga Styles for the Festive and Wedding Season

ROKA CEREMONY 

This ceremony takes place once the bride and groom have decided they want to spend their lives with each other and their parents have given their blessing for this union. This ceremony is an official announcement from both families to get married to each other. The two families meet and bless the couple with their union, and the couple is made to sit together, perform a small puja, and eat sweets after this ceremony. Traditionally, the girl and guy are said to be committed to each other after this function.

Image Resource: The Wedding Corp. The bride’s side family gives the bride and the groom a set of clothing, and the uncles and aunties ofbothe sides’ families give their blessings to the new couple.

TARIK OR CEREMONY OF HINDU WEDDING TRADITION

This is one extremely flexible ceremony; traditionally, this ceremony used to take place only a month before the wedding, where all the elders and the panditji would sit around and decide the date of the wedding according to astrology.

Image Resource: Wedding Sutra. But in modern times, it can be performed days or even months before the wedding as well. After the date has been fixed, they have a small celebration where they eat sweets and dance because the date has been finalized.

ENGAGEMENT CEREMONY 

The engagement period is the time between the engagement ceremony and the actual wedding. An engagement is a ceremony where both the girl's side and the groom's side family exchange rings with each other. Once the couple is engaged, they are called fiancés.

This engagement ceremony takes place ideally 2-3 months before the wedding and is hosted for close families and friends so that they can meet and get to know the other side of the family.

SHAGUN AND TILAK CEREMONY

This ceremony is considered the first step towards commencing the lifelong bond between the two families. In this auspicious event, even the male members of the bride’s side family visit the groom's house and put kumkum on his forehead. Nowadays, due to modernization, this ceremony has gotten fancier with some dancing and music.

Image Resource: Local Wedding Fairs

MEHNDI CEREMONY

The fun ceremonies of the beginning The Mehndi ceremony is unquestionably one of the most fun, vibrant, and colorful celebrations of the wedding. Mehndi is applied to the bride's hand a few days before the D-day on the bride’s hands and feet. This ceremony is generally arranged at home. It is said that Mehndi brings a lot of positivity and good luck to the bride. In most cases, even the groom applies a little Mehndi on his hand for good luck and to relieve himself from all the wedding stress, as Mehndi is said to have a cooling effect and is an excellent stress reliever.

Image Resource : Venuelook. Traditionally it is believed the darkness of the bride's Mehndi color signifies the bond and the deepness of love between the bride and the groom. This ceremony is celebrated with lots of music and dhol music. The oldies sing all the traditional songs and keep everyone entertained. In modern-day Mehndi ceremony is celebrated in a hall with a DJ, and dance floor, and lots of delicacies and cocktails. The bride generally puts her Mehndi one day prior so that she can enjoy the festivities with all her family members. Overall this function is purely for the family members to enjoy themselves. 

SANGEET 

This ceremony was traditionally only existent in Punjabi culture, but because of its vibrant, fun, and colorful function, it is widely accepted by other cultures and religions too. Do you know what sangeet means? It means to sing together! Traditionally, this ceremony would start at least 10 days before the wedding. Since the relatives used to live close by, they all would gather in one house and sing songs and dance around to make the joyous occasion more special and cheer the bride and groom.

Image Resource: Shaadiwish .This is truly the most anticipated ceremony of all. In modern-day sangeet, both sides of families perform dance numbers on hit Bollywood numbers. And the showstopper performance is always the bride and groom dancing to a romantic number. There is, of course, a dance floor and DJ that are open to all after the performances are over, and this ceremony generally takes place in a 5-star hotel where both families dance through the night.

HALDI CEREMONY

This ceremony exists in all regions but is known by different names. The different names it is known by are Ubtan, tel-Baan, media, etc. It is known as the holy bath before the wedding ceremony. The bright yellow color of Haldi, which signifies purity and fertility, is considered very auspicious in Hindu tradition. Haldi also gives glowing health and skin to the user.

A mixture of turmeric powder, rose water, yogurt, sandalwood powder, and some olive or almond oil is made on the morning of the wedding. This mixture is applied by married women to the bride and the groom. This mixture is believed to bless the couple and make their skin glow before the wedding. The yellow color of the Haldi is said to protect the happy couple from all evil.

WEDDING DAY

The main event is finally here. The couple first exchanges varmalas (flower garlands) and then takes seven pheras in front of the holy fire and the priest to make their wedding official. They later take blessings by touching their elder’s feet.

Image Resource: Hindustan Times The seven phrases in front of the fire symbolize the commitment the bride and groom have for each other.

 THE 7 VOWS OF INDIAN WEDDING TRADITIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS.

1] Take care of each other and their future children’s necessities, like food and shelter.

2] Be the strength of each other.

3] Stay committed and faithful to each other.

4] Consider the other person’s family as your own and love each other's family equally.

5] care immensely for their children.

6] Live a healthy and peaceful life together.

7] And above all, let us have a strong bond of friendship.

VIDAI CEREMONY

This is the final ceremony of the wedding, where the bride's side of the family bids farewell to their beloved daughter with their son-in-law and blesses the couple for their lovely and bright future. The bride’s side of the family is overfilled with emotions of happiness and sadness at the same time. They bless their daughter with all their hearts. The family is happy. Their daughter is starting a new chapter in her life, and they are sad because their daughter, who has stayed with them for 20–30 years, is suddenly going to go away to a new house and won't be living with them any longer.

Image resource: Michaelstudio. Due to these mixed emotions, the bride’s side of the family usually ends up in tears. The bride also throws some rice behind her when she walks away with her husband. The bride thanks her parents for providing her with a wonderful life up until now. The brother of the bride pushes the car and bids farewell to his sister.

GRIHA PRAVESH

The new bride is welcomed into the new home by the groom’s family through griha Pravesh custom games and celebrations.

Image Resource: Common Floor. There is a kalash filled with rice laid at the entrance, and the bride tilts the kalash using her right foot, steps into a dish with Alta, and steps into the house with red feet. We hope this blog has given you insights into Hindu wedding traditions. Don't forget to visit Karma Place!!