Wedding Traditions in India

India is a cosmopolitan country in its true sense with numerous cultures, traditions, religions and languages. Every sect of people in India has their own set of cultures and traditions which they follow ardently. Indian calendar for ceremonies, events and rituals is quite an extensive one and each of them is celebrated in an elaborate manner. Such being the case, how can Indian marriages go a miss? Indian weddings are undoubtedly one of the most elaborate ceremonies. One can witness different forms of weddings like Hindu, Christian, Muslim and others, each having several variations, all within the boundaries of one nation. In short, wedding traditions in India are many and diverse which is extremely overwhelming to see.
Indian wedding traditions manifest the rich traditional and cultural heritage of the country. India is a land of diversity, which is vividly reflected in several ways like the traditional marriage rituals. These rituals depict a fantastic mix of the different cultures of the country.
Marriage traditions and customs in India differs from region to region. For example, Punjabi weddings are very different from Bengali weddings and similarly Maharashtra weddings are different from both Punjabi and Bengali style marriages and so on. In-spite of the differences some of the basic rituals and rites are common among all Hindu marriages in India. These common rituals include, exchange of ‘Var-mala’ (flower garlands), ‘Saat Phere’ (7 rounds encircling the fire), engagement and most importantly all rituals aim at the well being of the newly wed couples.

Indian Marriage traditions:

Here are some of the most important wedding traditions in India, to help you gain a better understanding on Indian Hindu weddings:

Sagai (engagement): the ritual is a way of officially finalizing the wedding in front of the society. Some sects do it by exchanging rings like Punjabis, Marwaris and Gujratis. Where as some do it by blessing the bride and groom by the elders of the family, like in case of Bengali weddings.

Mehendi: It is a traditional pre wedding ritual, which is carried out by putting mehendi on the hands of the bride, in the form of intricate designs.

Sangeet: it is another pre wedding event, which is probably the most exciting one of all the other rituals. One day prior to the wedding, all the family and friends of the bride and groom gather to celebrate the last unmarried day of the affianced couple. The event is marked by music, dancing, singing and dinners.

Haldi: it is again a very traditional ritual which is carried out by putting turmeric on the couple. The event usually takes place in the morning of the wedding day and is considered to be an auspicious start of the marriage preparations.

Wedding ceremony :

As mentioned earlier, the Hindu wedding ceremonies differ from culture to culture and region to region. However, some of the main wedding events include exchange of Var-mala, tying Mangalsutra around the bride’s neck by the groom, Kanyadan, Mooh Dekhai and Pag Phere.
So, here you have a comprehensive idea about wedding traditions in India, the knowledge of which will help you plan your marriage better.