Pre Wedding
Ceremonies
Indian Wedding rituals are
pompous and are as significant as the decorations, fineries, entertainment and flowers.
Along with the union of two souls, marriages in India are also the union of two
diverse families. Marriages are an elaborate affair of rituals, customs and
norms. Traditional Hindu marriage ceremonies are spread over three to four days
of festivities.
Before the main
wedding occasion a number of pre wedding factors are taken into consideration.
Preparing the bride’s trousseau, fineries, the invitation list, and the venue
all calls for hard work and skill. Modern day weddings however, rope in an
event planner which makes the entire series of events of preparing for a wedding
a whole lot easier. The bride and groom have to go through a number of Pre
Wedding Ceremonies in India before they finally tie the knot on the day and
time chosen as per the muhurat. Some of the important Pre Wedding Ceremonies in
India are Sangeet,
Mehendi, Tilak and Engagement ceremony.
India is a country
with diverse cultures and each culture In India has their own unique way of
celebrating Wedding Ceremonies. These ceremonies are as significant as the main
marriage ceremony and form an integral part of the whole spectrum. Pujas and Yajnas are performed for the well-being
of the couple.
Haldi Ceremony
Haldi Ceremony
Haldi is also
regarded as an auspicious occasion by the Hindus. Both the bride and bride
groom are smeared with Haldi. This ceremony is also known as Uptaan elsewhere
in India. A paste is made from Turmeric, rosewater and sandalwood. The bride
and the groom are barred from seeing each other after this ceremony till the
marriage day.
These Pre Wedding
Ceremonies in India may be different for the different races and clans. However
each of the custom has one thing in common and that is to prepare the bride and
the bride groom for the auspicious marriage day and to invoke many blessings on
the couple. Every occasion is enlivened by songs, dance, rituals and general
discussions on love, marriage, and after marriage commitments.
Engagement Ceremony
Indian Marriages are
said to involve maximum rituals, traditions and vibrancy otherwise absent in
any other marriages around the globe. Marriages are said to be the binding of
two hearts rather than anything else, in which two people come together, chosen by the
families mostly, except for love marriages, and solemnly pledge to share every
sorrow and joy with one another. The Engagement Ceremony is one of the Pre
Wedding Ceremony in which the couple exchange rings with each other. Therefore
it is also known as the Ring Ceremony.
The most vital social
event in Indian custom, marriage is based on the early Vedic Concept in which
union of two souls and bodies make for a supreme union. The main wedding is
elaborate and continues for at least 5 days. There are numerous wedding
Ceremonies held before the wedding.
Engagement Ceremony is one of them.
Engagement Ceremony
in India is known by different names. In some parts of the country it is known
as Misri, while in others it is known as Ring Ceremony, still others call it
Ashirbad. It is also called Mangni in some other parts of the country. Various
are the names, but the significance is all the same. It is the first step to
pledging to spend the rest of your life with the chosen one.
On the day of the
ceremony of Engagement, the members of the bride and grooms family meet and
bless the couple so that they may lead a very peaceful and happy life.
Mehendi Ceremony
Celebrated by the
Bride's family, the Mehendi Ceremony is an amusing ritual observance that
derives its origin from the Traditional Indian customs. In this ceremony,
Mehendi is put in the hands and feet of the bride, in beautiful and intricate
designs, especially done with the help of an expert.
The entire ritual of
Mehendi Ceremony has a deeper significance. It signifies love in a marriage and
it is highly auspicious if the bride is able to retain her Mehendi for a longer
time, since this indicates more love from her husband. The Mehendi Ceremony is
accompanied with great merriment and dancing and the females take a major role
in Mehendi Ceremony. Held a couple of days before marriage, this function is
lit up by the colorful attire, vibrant music, enthusiastic dance and pulsating
instrumentals that make it all the more charming.
Sangeet Ceremony
Basically Sangeet
Ceremonies are usually held after The Mehendi Ceremony. The women folk of the
household gather around the bride. This is followed by fun, frolic, dance and
traditional wedding songs.
Traditionally
speaking the Sangeet Ceremonies are very much a part of the formal engagement
or the Sagaai program that takes place a few days before the main wedding. It
is generally celebrated by North Indian families. However in recent times
Sangeet has made its presence felt even in South India. The concept of Sangeet
though traditional and age old, is in vogue. Many wedding planners swear by it
and says it add the fun dimension to any marriage ceremony. Professional help is
taken to prepare for the occasion. With destination weddings taking center stage thematic events are the rage. Sangeet ceremonies in India are now
aesthetically pleasing and totally entertaining.
The theme of these
Sangeet Ceremonies revolve between the bride and groom - their love life, how
they fell in love, how they met, and likewise. The dances are well
choreographed and practiced.
Moreover Sangeet
Ceremonies also give everyone a chance to get together. Relatives travel long
distance to be there beside their loved ones on this special occasion. It
speaks of the strong sense of intimacy in Indians. It also shows that, by
nature Indians are social beings.
Tilak Ceremony
Tilak Ceremony is one
of the most important Pre Wedding Ceremonies; it holds an important position as
regards its auspicious nature in traditional Hindu customs. The Tilak Ceremony
varies from one state to another. It is also very different in case of diverse
castes and creeds. Among the tribal in India, the Tilak Ceremony holds good,
but the way is quite different from its urban counterpart. Tilak which is also
the sign of auspiciousness is generally donned by the male members of the
groom's family the uncles, cousins, brothers by using Kumkum, the red vermilion.
The ceremony is usually
held in the groom's residence or the venue chosen to host the destination
wedding. It is often held in temples to seek blessings from the almighty, to
prosper from his marriage, have wider scope, opportunities and have an
altogether improvement in life. For example according to the Sikh Mythology it
is very essential that the Tilak Ceremony is held in a Gurudwara, so that the
chief priest may also recite a hymn to make it more auspicious for the groom.
After the
commencement of Tilak Ceremony the bride's father offers gifts to the groom and
to all other members of the family. Ranging from fruits to clothes, goods and
sweets the gifts are regarded as propitious and are distributed among the
different members of the groom's family. In exchange of these gifts, the
groom's father sends sugar, coconut, rice, clothes, jewellery and henna to the
bride's family to be distributed with much merriment among the members of the
family. Generally the relatives of the groom's family carry the objects to the bride's
house with much gaiety.
Sometimes the Tilak
and Mehendi Ceremonies are held together. This is especially done in order to
reduce the hassles of two consecutive ceremonies for both the bride as well as
the groom. This merging also makes way for more entertainment and joyfulness.
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