Wedding in India

Wedding in India mean long array of rites and rituals, traditions, grandeur and festivity. Wedding in India encompasses hundreds of small customs which have been passed down from generation to generation. The wedding ceremony is one of the oldest and most elaborate traditions of Indian culture. No matter it a Bengali wedding, a Muslim nikaah, a Sikh shadi, a Tamil marriage or a Gujrati garba, all these have one common factor - they are inextricably linked with family rituals. In Hindu culture, which is predominant in India, the essential elements of wedding ceremony were set more than forty centuries ago. Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures, define the laws governing wedding ceremony in Hindu community. In Indian culture, wedding is not only the union of a boy and a girl, but also of their families.

Rajasthani Wedding
No other traditional wedding in India can match the royalty and grandeur of a Rajasthani wedding. Rajasthani marriage reflects unmatched romance and its majestic demeanor has captured the fancy of many people. Thus, in recent years, there have been increasing cases of visitors coming back to Rajasthan to get married.

Apart from the bride and groom, the guest also have their own share of grandiosity. Rajasthan, marriage dates are set according to planetary considerations, and auspicious dates are usually between May-July and November-February.

The wedding takes place at the bride’s house to which the bridegroom comes accompanied with a large barat or procession. The groom rides to his bride’s house astride a white mare, and in the regalia of a prince, complete with sword. The bride’s family is responsible for the hospitality, and to ensure it is not lacking, they take great effort to look after their guests.

Kerala Wedding
As per traditional Hindu culture, Kerala wedding also starts with the exchange and matching of horoscopes by the parents of the boy and the girl. If the horoscope matches, an auspicious date of the marriage is then finalized.

The marriage takes place during the day. On the day of marriage and before proceeding to the venue of the wedding, the groom first visits a temple and seeks his parents' and elders' blessings. The bride's father gives her hand to the groom in a ceremony called "Kanyadaanam". The groom then moves the bride's foot forward seven times with his hand symbolizing her entry into his family.

After the wedding a feast is arranged and thereafter the bride leaves for her husband's home. The vidai from the place of wedding takes place at an appointed time, according to the muhoortam. The bride, after receiving ashirwadam or blessings of the parents and the elders present, takes her leave. "Grihapravesh" ceremony is performed at her new home to welcome her arrival.

Gujarati Wedding
Gujarati people are very fond of their customs and conventions. Vibrant people of Gujarat love to celebrate their occasions with show of pomp. The wedding ceremonies commence with prayers to Lord Ganesha. This is followed by the mehndi and sangeet mahfil. On the wedding time, mothers of the groom and the bride walk with an earthern pot of water on their heads to the threshold of their homes. The water is then cut with a knife to keep off the evil spirits. At the arrival of the groom, his mother-in-law welcomes him with a 'Aaarti'. There are the customs of madhuparka, jaimala, hasta milap and magal phera. All these customs together make for a very intriguing series of rituals.