North Indian Wedding Rituals

Magnificent, elaborate and beautiful are some of the words that describe all about the Indian Weddings. Especially, North Indian marriage with all their opulence and magnificence is a celebration of all the amazing things. Other than their opulence, North Indian marriages are also famous for their elaborate customs, rituals, and traditions. The religious proceedings, the customs etc. followed during a wedding ceremony are taken very seriously in North India and people place a lot of importance on following them. Indian wedding rituals that knot the couple in holy matrimony are carried out with devotion and commitment to make the marriage last a lifetime. There are many matrimonial sites that help you in finding the perfect match suiting your preferences like if you are a Rajput, then search for your matching prospects on Rajput matrimonialsites. Depending on the region in which the wedding is happening, the rituals and traditions differ. Today, we are going to tell you some of the most common rituals that are conducted and also the significance of each of these rituals. Take a look:

Sagai/ Engagement:

Engagement ceremony/ Sagai is a ritual that precedes the wedding. On this auspicious day, the couple exchanges ring and the other gifts. This ceremony can either take place either a couple of months or a day or two before the wedding. With this ceremony, the actual official announcement of the awaited nuptials is announced.

Haldi:

Haldi ceremony is one of the rituals that take place either a couple of days before or on the wedding day, in both the bride and groom’s home. This ceremony is said to be done to ward off the evil eye. During this particular ritual, an aromatic paste of turmeric and rose water is applied on the face, hands, and legs of both bride & groom. This paste also does wonders on the skin by fighting blemishes and by making it glow!

Mehndi:

One of the important ceremonies of the north Indian wedding is the mehndi ceremony. In this, Mehndi or henna is applied on the palms and feet of the bride accompanied by her sisters and aunts. This ceremony takes place amidst music, dance, and general cheerfulness and is considered to be auspicious.

Sangeet Ceremony:

Sangeet ceremony as the name indicates is all about dance, music, and fun. It is one of the most enjoyable ceremonies that happen before the wedding and involves the women of the family as well as other members. This ceremony is more of a stress-buster and involves lots of music, dancing, and great food.

Groom’s Arrival and Tika Ceremony:

On the wedding day, the bridegroom and his family arrive at the venue with a lot of pomp and show in a formal procession called the baraat. The groom arrives on a horse with other relatives and friends dancing all along the way. They are welcomed by the bride’s family with a traditional tika or tilak ceremony as mentioned on various kshatriya matrimonial sites. In this ceremony, the groom is greeted by his would-be mother in law by putting a Tilak and by performing his aarti.

Jaimala:

Var Mala/ Jai Mala ceremony is another important wedding day ceremony which basically involves the exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom who are made to sit next to each other.

Kanyadan:

Kanyadaan ceremony literally stands for “giving away the girl” to the bridegroom. The bride’s father gives her hand in the hands of her husband-to-be and pours water over it. As a symbol of recognition, the groom touches the right shoulder of the bride, thereby promising to take care of her”

Pheras:

In this most important ceremony of Hindu marriage, the bride and grooms took seven pheras around the sacred fire as a custom to solemnize their marriage. Here, each phera has its own meaning and significance.  At the end of the pheras, the groom applies sindoor on the forehead of his bride.

Bidai:

Bidai is the last ceremony that marks the ends of the whole ceremonies by sending-off the bride. This emotionally charged ritual is seen as a final goodbye from the bride’s family as she now moves to her new family.

So, this brings us to the end of the North Indian wedding rituals. We may have missed a ceremony or two, depending upon the rituals that vary from community to community. There are many sites like Rajput matrimonial sites or Kshatriya matrimonial sites that may provide you with some more ceremonies depending upon their tradition and customs. In case we have missed any, we’d love to hear from you!