Marriages in India are held uniquely as they are a grand affair. Be it east, west, north, or south, weddings in India are celebrated with great enthusiasm or gusto. There are so many different wedding types to go with the unique culture that exists across India’s tradition-rich population.
In India, marriage is considered to be one of the most sacred rituals. As India is a big country, there are several types of communities that celebrate colourful culture.
If you are interested in learning about our having an Indian wedding, it will be very important to understand the different types of Indian cultural weddings. One thing you’ll see a lot of is that Indians still abide by the customs that are mentioned in Hindu Mythology – they love to hold on to these traditions when it comes to weddings.
The different types of wedding rituals in India are full of fun and laughter.
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Let us have a look at types of Indian Cultural Weddings:
Editor’s Note: This post was written authentically by one of our contributors who lives in India.
Bengali Wedding
The Bengali wedding is known for its extravagant celebrations. The wedding isn’t complete without the Saat Phaak ritual under which seven times the bride encircles the groom holding betel leaves that cover her face. Another tradition, followed by Saath Phaak, is known as Shubhodrishti. In this, the bride removes the betel leaves and finally has eye contact with the groom. The wedding is complete with blowing of the conch shells.
Malayali Wedding
The Malayali weddings happen mainly in Kerala and are ideally momentary. The wedding function doesn’t take much time to wrap up. Generally, the Malayali weddings conjugal ceremony, Velli, is held in the morning. Under this ritual, the father of the bride welcomes the groom by washing his feet. The marriage is complete when the groom ties a yellow thread locally known as “THALI” around the bride’s neck.
Assamese Wedding
In the Assamese wedding, a bathing custom is followed on the day of the wedding. During this ritual, the bride and groom’s mother have to fetch water from a nearby river that will be used as bath water.
Before the wedding ceremony, the feast or the reception is held as per the Assamese wedding celebration. Traditionally, rice, jaggery, and curd were served to guests but nowadays the party is much more lavish. Guests are served a variety of modern food that’s fit for a wedding.
Buddhism Wedding
Buddhist weddings aren’t a grand affair as Buddhism is all about leading a simple life. For that reason, there’s no mandatory wedding guidelines or rituals to follow in a Buddhist wedding. Ideally, the couples get married in a Buddhist temple – these venues are able to issue a legal marriage license.
Jain weddings
The Jain Weddings are known for their main three ceremonies: Lagana Lekhan, Sagai, and Lagan Patrika. Apart from these highlight ceremonies, Pheras and KanyaDaan are two of the essential rituals amid Jain weddings.
Kannada Wedding
The bride is brought and seated amid the wedding Mandap by her sisters during the auspicious wedding ceremony. A fan-made out of peacock feathers is used to cover the bride’s face. Then the bride’s parents perform a ritual known as “Dhare-Herdu” under which they give away their daughters. The ceremony is followed by Sapatadi that is completed by taking seven circles of the fire known as Agni.
Gujarati Wedding
The Gujarati wedding affairs starts with exchanging the Jaimala Twice. The Gujarati weddings are a little different compared to other wedding rituals, as Gujarati weddings consist of four pheras that are locally known as the Mangal Pheras. The couple encircles the holy fire four times during the mangal pheras.
The mangal pheras symbolize Artha, Kama, Dharma, and Moksha. Gujarati’s ideally have huge families that enhance the fun and laughter at the wedding ceremonies. The pre-wedding rituals include Chandlo Mathi in which four men of the bride’s family visit the groom’s family and give something to the groom.
It is then followed by GodDhana that is known as the engagement ceremony. During this ceremony, the couple eats the image of god and Dhana through jaggery and coriander seeds. These signify that the couple is joined.
It is then followed by the Griha Shanti puja, which is performed after the Mehendi ceremony.
After the Pethi ceremony Mosalu and Mameru are performed. The groom’s maternal uncles visit the bride’s family and give her various gifts, including the wedding outfit. The wedding ritual starts with Pokhru in which the bride’s mother pulls the groom’s nose.
Lastly, Hastamedap is done.
Kashmiri weddings
Kashmiri weddings resemble Hindu marriages. At the same time, Kashmiri weddings are descriptive and involve a lot of exceptional rituals. The engagement ritual, known as the Kasamdry, is followed by Livun, which includes proper cleaning of the bride’s and groom’s homes. Some of the pre-wedding rituals of Kashmiri weddings include Krool Khanoon, thaal, snazaroo, etc. A lavish welcome to the groom is a part of the Kashmiri wedding ritual, followed by lagan, pizza, and posh.
Post-wedding traditions include: Vidaai, where the bride is warmly welcomed in her new house, as well as Roth Khabar, phirlath, and ghar atchum.
Maharashtrian Wedding
Maharashtrian Wedding consists of unique and different rituals. The ceremonies begin with Shakahr Puda, where the bride and groom’s family apply Haldi on the respective forehead and give them sweets and savory and gifts, followed by an engagement ceremony. After this ritual, Kelvan is performed, and then the wedding date is announced. Before the wedding, puja for the Kuldevta is performed, followed by the Haldi ceremony. The rituals start with Ganpati puja, followed by Punyaavachan under which the bride’s parents accompany her to the wedding venue and ask everyone to bless their beloved daughter.
Punjabi Weddings
Punjabi weddings are full of dance and fun. Punjabis are energetic people who enjoy the wedding season to the fullest. The wedding rituals are never-ending. The ceremonies start with Thaka and Roka; this bride’s family visits the groom’s family and gifts them a variety of gifts. In Thaka the groom’s family gives back the gifts.
They are followed by Sagai (or engagement) where Chunni chadai and sagan are given. After that, a mehndi and sangeet celebration takes place.
Thus you can enjoy the diversity of culture by witnessing these weddings. You can witness the tradition and culture of different parts of the country. This post covered various types of Indian cultural weddings, so whether you’re looking to settle down, or learn more about the Indian culture, this is a great place to start your journey!
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