The Great Indian Wedding – Wedding in Indian Style
The Great Indian Wedding – Wedding in Indian Style
——————————
Dance, music, colors, rituals, emotions and lots of love, this is what one gets to see in Indian Weddings. Basically, they are a spice-sweet combination. We get to see and learn so much in these weddings. Different regions and religions have different customs and practises according to their own believes and scriptures. For some wedding is an afternoon affair and on the other hand for some it carries throughout midnight. But the fascinating part is that every custom has its reason, meaning and significance. As soon as the boy and girl give their consent and agree for the marriage, the families start preparing for the wedding. In one of the initial ceremonies, on a fine day, the bride and the groom are presented with gifts by each others’ families which signifies a starting to their joyful relationship with each other and are often referred to as ‘shagun’. The Priest appointed to organise all the customs and religious affaris, suggests dates for the wedding and with mutual consent of the two families, the most auspicuous of the dates is announced as the wedding date. With the announcement of the wedding date, a date is selected for engagement, too which is kept close and usually one or two days before the wedding day. Both families prepare their level best, where the bride’s family prepare to give their daughter a grand farewell with lots of mesmerising memories, the groom’s family is seen excited for the arrival of a new member in their house.
Wedding in Indian Style
The Wedding Card plays an important role in the whole scenario. It does not only informs the near and dear ones about the wedding but also makes a hearty request of invitation. In Hindus, The first invitation that is The Wedding Card is presented to Lord Ganesha inviting him in the wedding and asking him to shower his blessings on the couple and keep a blessful watch upon the ceremonies and the guests. After this, the cards are sent to all the near and dear ones with the hands of some trusted family members to invite them to bless the wedding because in India ‘Guests are honored and are believed to be God’ by the famous saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. Each day is spent preparing and organising different ceremonies and then, with introductions, lots of gifts, magnificent decorations, piles of clothes, heavy jewellery, loud music and tonnes of sweets, comes the engagement day. It starts with the applying of mehandi on the bride and groom’s hands. The engagement ceremony usually starts in the evening with the exchanging of gifts between the two families. It is followed by the ring ceremony which is celebrated with sheer joy and then is followed by the musical and dance programme- the Sangeet ceremony, in which the family members dance on the stage and show their happiness, they all rejoice on the beat of the music which makes the function more joyous, memorable and beautiful. And after one or two days comes The Wedding Day or the most awaited day. The day is started by applying ‘Haldi’ or turmuric powder on the bride and groom’s body to make them look good and to add some glow to their blushing faces. And then the groom gets ready and visits to a nearby temple to get blessings from god and meanwhile the bride performs some rituals. As soon as everyone gets ready, the groom is made to sit on a horse to the wedding venue while the relatives walk and dance ahead of him with joy and it is called a ‘barat’. The bride readily waits for the groom. The groom reaches and the wedding rituals start. All the relatives flaunt the best of their clothes and jewelleries. Indian weddings also witness a great and wide variety of food and food-lovers. The couple is seated on a raised platform so everyone can see them and turn-by-turn people come and bless the couple. The main wedding rituals in India usually start by midnight. They include putting of Sindoor and wearing of Mangalsutra of the bride by the groom.The ‘Saat Pheras’ or the seven vows play an important role in these rituals, they signify the promises that the couple make to each other of loyalty, love, repect and devotion. The couple gets the blessing of family members and God. The wedding is concluded by the ‘Vidaai’ in hindus and ‘Rukhsati’ in Muslims which means the leaving of the bride with her groom. It witnesses tears and overwhelming emotions. The latter is followed by ‘Grih Pravesh’ which means the entrance of the bride in her husband’s house. The Indian Weddings experience many emotions. From laughs to tears, joys to sadness but the common factor is the Happiness that everyone feels. The huge process gives birth to a life-long relationship which is of A Husband and A Wife. The memories stay with everyone for the rest of their lives. The colorful days and the musical environment makes us feel the beauty in all that chaos and can leave one in trance. Indian Weddings are the simplest and one of the most beautiful forms to witness the rich culture and glory of India.
