Rituals Preceding a Hindu Marriage

Religious and Social Ceremonies Before the Actual Wedding

Nov 16, 2009

The main Hindu wedding ceremony is preceded by religious and social ceremonies that add vibrancy to the celebrations and bring the families together.

Traditionally the rituals of a Hindu wedding spanned well over a week. However, contingencies of time and cost have resulted into a shorter ritual. The initial ceremonies are typically conducted separately, with the bride's family partaking in one ceremony and the groom's family partaking in a separate ritual. There are a few Hindu marriage rituals that involve both families.

The rituals of a Hindu wedding vary from community to community and the ceremonies described in this article are the most commonly performed ones.

The maternal uncle is the mother’s brother. His family plays an important role in the wedding ceremonies for both the groom and the bride. Traditionally, in the days before telecommunication, the groom’s and the bride’s family would go to the maternal uncle’s town to inform them of the marriage and invite them to the wedding.

The maternal uncle’s family is usually the first to arrive and the mothers of the groom and bride greet their brothers with great fanfare. The brother gifts his sister the chunari, a garment produced using the traditional tie and dye technique and the sister applies the tilak on his forehead and felicitates him with the aarti.

Thereafter, a repast is laid out in which the main meal is rice and lentils. The rituals are known as mayara or mamara or bhaat. The clothes worn by the bride and groom during the wedding are traditionally given by the maternal uncles.

During the rituals it is customary to sing songs suited to the occasion. These contain some of the most sentimental lyrics describing how much the sister misses the childhood spent with her brother and how she is overjoyed that he has come to join in the celebrations.

Ganesh Puja and Other Hindu Marriage Ceremonies

The only purely religious ceremony before the actual wedding is the Ganesh Puja. Ganesh had been given a boon that before anyone undertook any work of significance his blessings would be sought. Ganesh is known as Vighna Harta or the Remover of Obstacles and this Puja is performed to pray that there are no obstacles in the wedding ceremonies. The Ganesh Puja is independently performed by the bride and the groom.

Once the Ganesh Puja is performed a series of ceremonies are undertaken independently at the homes of the bride and groom. Prominent among them is a ceremony known as tel baan. A paste of curds, henna, oils and turmeric is applied to the face, hands and feet of the bride and groom. Traditionally this was meant to be a beauty treatment; today it is a mere ritual. The actual beauty treatment is done in salons. The application of mehendi or henna on the bride’s hands and feet is another important traditional ritual. The groom also applies henna on his hands; probably the only time in his life he does so.

A group of rituals conducted together by both families are now conducted at one time and a common place. This usually goes by the name of sangeet. In the mudda ceremony the groom’s family felicitates the bride to be and showers her with gifts. In the tilak ceremony the bride’s family reciprocates. Today the western custom of exchanging rings also takes place. This was not a part of the traditional rituals and exemplifies the fusion of culture taking place in a more homogeneous world.

After these events take place, the main function of sangeet is held and members of the bride’s and the groom’s family dance to traditional and Bollywood songs. An important feature of sangeet is to introduce the various family members of the groom’s family to the bride through song and dance. One must bear in mind that traditionally there was little or no interaction between the bride and the groom’s family before marriage and therein lies the importance of introducing the family members to the bride.

The prenuptial ceremonies have retained much of their traditional charm but have been infused with a contemporary feel as well. Thus, Hindu wedding rituals are steeped in tradition and modern-day elements that create an event with the best of both worlds.

The copyright of the article Rituals Preceding a Hindu Marriage in Hindu Ceremonies is owned by Harsh Nevatia. Permission to republish Rituals Preceding a Hindu Marriage in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.