Traditional Indian Wedding Ceremony

Traditional Indian wedding ceremonies are a grand affair. The number of people attending a wedding could be anywhere between 500 - 1000. Here, the sanctitude of the ceremony is preserved through various traditional rituals, and is accompanied by lots of entertainment, fun, colorful dresses, lip-smacking food, music and dance. One can see lots of variations in the Indian wedding traditions according to the cultural community, religion and region. However, most of the basic ceremonies remains unchanged.

The main wedding ceremony is preceded by two major events. One is the engagement ceremony and the other is the 'Mehendi' or 'Sangeet' ceremony. Both the occasions are celebrated with music, dance and merriment. The main ceremony begins with the arrival of the 'Baraat'. It includes a procession where friends, family members and the relatives of the groom take part. The members of the Baraat are called the 'Baraatis'. There is a lot of music, dance and enjoyment in this gathering.

When the Baraatis reach the wedding venue, the bride's family gives them a warm welcome. The groom can enter the venue only after the bride's mother performs a ritual called 'Aarti' in front of the groom. Soon after the entry of the groom, the 'Jaimala' ceremony takes place where the bride and groom meet each other and exchange garlands. Once this ritual is over, the guests and relatives presents the couple with wedding gifts and congratulate them.

Then, comes the most important section of the wedding, where the bride and the groom exchange vows in front of God while chanting slokas (hymns) with the priest. After that the 'Phera' ritual takes place where a knot is tied with a part of bride's dress and the groom's dress, and they move around the ceremonial fire for seven times. Each round or phera has its own significance. In the first three rounds, the groom follows the bride which signifies that the bide will take charge in the earlier part of their life, and in the next four rounds the groom leads which means he would lead in the later part. In some communities, there is a ritual of putting 'sindoor' on the bride's parting of the hair and a necklace called 'mangal sutra' around her neck. Most of the married Hindu women are supposed to wear sindoor in their hair parting for the rest of their married lives.

The ceremony is followed by feast in which the most sumptuous food is served. The best possible delicacies are prepared for the occasion. The food largely depends upon the region to which the couple belong to. Like in some communities, only vegetarian foods are served, while in others you will find all types of food. Another interesting feature of the traditional Indian wedding ceremony is the games. 'Hiding the Shoes' is the most popular among them. It is a kind of prank played by the bride's sisters on the groom. Before the start of marriage rituals, as soon as the groom removes his shoes, his sister-in-laws hide them somewhere. Later, they demand money from the groom in exchange for his shoes. Lots of negotiations and bargaining takes place between the two parties until they finally reach an agreement. The process of the bargaining is the part where there is lots of fun and everyone enjoys a lot.

The common feature of all Indian wedding ceremonies is that both the parties take the best possible efforts to make the event a successful one. It is not just a celebration of marriage between two people, rather it is a joyful occasion to celebrate the unification of two families.