Saturday, March 3, 2018

Indian weddings are a family affair



India has many subcultures, and with them variations on wedding traditions, but one thing their weddings all have in common is that Indian weddings are more than a joining of the bride and groom as husband and wife. It’s a uniting of their families in a culture that stresses the importance of the community. Family plays an important role in making life decisions and they play a part in the various Indian weddings traditions and customs.



We already looked at the Mehndi Ceremony which takes place the night before the Vivaah (marriage) in a celebration for the bride’s side of the family, and in today’s post we are going to look at the wedding itself.

Baraat - Groom’s Procession
The wedding ceremony starts when the groom arrives. His family and friends accompany him with singing and dancing to music typically provided by a professional dhol player (large bass drum). The procession is met by the bride’s family at the entrance and is said to represent the happiness of the groom’s family in accepting the bride as part of their own family.

Milni - meeting of the two families
As the two families come together like this the bride’s mother greets the groom in a welcoming ritual. This is followed by family members of both sides hugging and greeting one another with garlands. Then the bride’s family accompanies the groom to a canopied altar where the ceremony takes place. This canopy, known as a mandap, is said to represent the home that the bride and groom will work together to create. 


Ganesh Puja – Prayer to Lord Ganesh
The ceremony starts with the Ganesh Puja; a prayer to Lord Ganesh, the destroyer of all obstacles. The priest directs the parents of the bride and groom in this prayer while offering flowers and sweets to Lord Ganesh.

Kanya Aagaman - Arrival of the bride
The bride arrives and is accompanied to the canopied altar by her maternal uncle and aunt, which indicates the bride’s maternal side of the family supports the union. In other parts of India, sisters of the bride, cousins, and close female friends accompany the bride. Once the bride reaches the altar, the bride and groom exchange floral garlands which signifies their acceptance of each other. This symbolic wedding tradition is known as Jai Mala (Exchange of Garlands).

Kanyadaan and Hasta Melap -Giving away of the bride
Following the Jai Mala, the bride’s father pours "sacred" water into his daughter’s hand and then places her hand in the groom’s hand. This gesture represents the official “giving away” of his most precious gift to the groom. At this point, the groom’s sister (or cousin) ties the end of the groom’s scarf to the bride’s wedding sari with betelnuts, copper coins and rice. This symbolic knot represents the eternal bond of marriage.

Vivah Havan - Lighting of the sacred fire
The priest lights the sacred fire or Agni. This signifies the divine presence as a witness of the marriage ceremony, so commitments made are made in the presence of God. The bride and groom walk around the sacred fire seven times while contemplating the four aspirations in life:

  •  Dharma: duty to each other, family, and God.
  • Artha: prosperity
  • Karma: energy and passion
  • Moksha: salvation

While performing this circling of the sacred fire known as Mangal Phere, the bride represents divine energy as she leads the groom in the first three rounds. Then the groom takes the lead in the last four rounds symbolizing balance and completeness. This is performed a little differently in some subcultures but once the couple finishes the last four rounds it’s a race to see who can sit down first, because the one who does will rule the house!

Once they are seated, the bride moves to the groom’s left to be as close as possible to his heart. He places a sacred necklace crafted with black and gold beads (called a mangalsutra) around her neck and then applies sindoor (red vermillion) on the crown of her head. Both of these are symbols that she is a married woman.

Once these things are complete, they exchange rings and feed one another sweets. Blessings for the couple are shared by both families as they whisper words of blessing into the bride’s ear. The couple then bows to the priest, the parents, and elder relatives in order to receive their final blessings. The ceremony ends with the guests showering the couple with flowers and rice.

Bidaai -Bride goes to the groom’s house
The bride says her goodbyes to her family and the father of the bride gives his prized possession to the Groom’s father. The procession ends joyfully as the bride leaves her family and goes to the groom’s house.


Photo credits: maxpixel, maxpixel, wikimedia

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Mehndi wedding – the meaning behind Mehndi tattoos



If you’ve heard of a Mehndi wedding you might ask, “What is Mehndi?” It’s actually a small tropical shrub which can be ground into a paste when dried to create a rusty-red pigment, but it is also known as the practice of painting elaborate henna patterns on the skin. When all this comes together, the pigment from the Mehndi is used to create temporary mehndi wedding tattoos in Hindu weddings. It is applied at the Mehndi Ceremony which takes place the night before the Vivaah (marriage) in a celebration for the bride’s side of the family. For this party, a professional Mehndi artist or family member applies the Mehndi in intricate designs on the hands and feet of the bride and other women in the family. Today, Hindus often use the terms mehendi and marriage interchangeably. 


Meaning behind Mehndi tattoos

Much that is involved in the Mehndi wedding holds special significance and meaning. In the case of these Mehndi tattoo designs, they symbolize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening, and offering, but beyond that they signify the prosperity the bride will bring to her husband. And it’s more than an artistic expression. For a Hindu Vivaah, it plays such a vital role in a number of the rites during the nuptials that if there is no Mehendi, there is no wedding!


Superstitions behind the Mehndi wedding tattoos

While the Mehndi plant creates a rusty color pigment, it is considered a good sign for the newlyweds if the wife’s tattoos are created by deeply colored designs. Among Hindu women, it is commonly believed that the darker the design on the bride’s palms, the more her mother-in-law will love her! Another bonus for a darker imprint is that the new bride isn’t expected to do any household chores until her wedding Mehndi fades.


Photo credits: needpix, pixabay

Friday, February 23, 2018

Traditional wedding dresses of Indian brides



The Indian wedding tradition I’m most familiar with is the Mehndi Ceremony that takes place before the wedding. If you’ve seen the ornate henna tattoos worn by Indian brides, this is the ceremony in which they are applied. It's a fun celebration that takes place the night before the wedding and is celebrated by the bride’s side of the family. A professional mehndi artist or relative applies henna in intricate designs on the hands and feet of the bride as well as other women in the family. These designs signify joy, beauty, spiritual awakening, and offering. 
 
 

Indian brides traditionally wear red

The following day the Vivaah (marriage) takes place with much grandeur, grace, color, and plenty of traditions. Yes, color is common for Indian brides who traditionally wear red. Red symbolizes purity and is thought to be the most positive color among Hindus. Traditionally, brides wear a red lehenga or sari, but the exact style of dress often depends on where they come from regionally.
 


Bridal sari
The sari is widely thought to be a symbol of grace in cultures of the Indian subcontinent, and in South India, it is the preferred bridal dress. A sari (also saree or shari) is traditional Indian clothing that’s unisex in nature. It a drape typically wrapped around the waist with one end draped over the shoulder and leaving the midriff bare. Today women wear it over an underskirt with a fitted upper garment generally called a blouse ravike in South India. The blouse has short sleeves and is usually cropped baring the midriff.
 


Bridal Lehenga Choli
The bridal lehenga is an ornate two-piece outfit worn by most Indian brides. The skirt-like bottom is paired with a traditional fitted cropped blouse choli that’s often embroidered or at least dressy, worn with a long scarf dupatta or long stole. The whole outfit is known as the Bridal lehenga choli.

Today modern Indian brides who want to stand out choose to forego the traditional red and wear colors like green, blue, gold, tangerine, and coral.

Photo credits: pexels, pxhere