Divine Beauty of the Bengali Bride

I have never seen such a beautiful Bengali bride till I met Sutapa. The first time I saw her, her beauty mesmerized me. It was the morning of her Gaye Hulud, a Bengali wedding ritual where the turmeric paste is applied all over the body of the bride. According to belief, the application of turmeric will give the bride a glowing skin. Nevertheless, looking at Sutapa, I wondered whether she actually requires the application.  Her beautiful peach complexion does not require anything.  Draped in a crisp cotton sari, she sat for the rituals. Relatives and friends smeared her with the turmeric paste on all face, hands and legs. Sitting quietly, she was enjoying her every moment.

After a bath, she was made to sit for some more rituals. For the Bengali bride, the morning of her wedding is a busy day with rituals thrown in one after another. Sutapa came out wearing another set of clothes, this time in pure silk. She was made to wear the ‘sankha-pola’, the traditional white and red Bengali bangles which are worn by any Bengali married women. Alta, a red liquid was applied on her hand and feet, however, many Bengali brides also apply henna on hands nowadays.  After a small puja, she was given sweets to eat.

The evening of the wedding day is the time when all Bengali brides are dressed in their traditional attire. Sutapa did the same. She wore a tomato red sari with heavy brocade work, draped in the Bengali way.  The hair was neatly tied in a bun with red roses covering it. The sandalwood pattern drawn on her forehead centering on her big red bindi made her look very beautiful. Decked in gold jewelry from head to toe, she was looking like a million dollar beauty.

Looking at Sutapa, I am sure that most of the Bengali bride will look beautiful. The simplicity of rituals, the traditional attire and the gold jewelry make any bride of Bengal attractive and angelic.

Not only the bride and groom, Bengal Matrimony demands the active presence of other close relatives also, who are the part of this event.

Author:  Shipra Sinha

Bridal Trousseau of the Marathi Bride

Marathi community is very simple and the people believe in very less showoffs during the wedding ceremony. The impact of both north Indian and south Indian culture can be seen in the Marathi samskaras or sacraments and rituals. Morning or afternoon is considered as the most auspicious time for conducting rituals in Maratha matrimony

One has to look exceptional in his/her wedding attire and be a center of attraction. The Marathi bride and groom dress up very traditionally for the wedding rituals, and you can easily identify a Marathi bride by her wedding attire. A bottle green sari having a length of nine-yards, draped in a typical Marathi style distinguishes a Marathi bride from others. In Marathi matrimony, green is considered as the symbol of luck and prosperity.

Sari worn by the Marathi bride is green Banarasi or kanjivaram, having rich golden embroidered borders. The hair locks are properly tied on the back to form a bun, and is decorated by a bunch of white flowers, also known as gajra. The hairstyle of a bride is very simple, yet gives a very elegant look. Hands and feet of the bride are decorated with beautiful mehendi designs.

Gold jewellery is the preferred choice for the Marathi brides, but they also like to be decorated in pearls. Green sari, accessorize with a bindi, pearl set, a seven pearl earring and a nose ring made up of nine pearls add to the beauty of the Marathi bride. The most important bridal sign of the Marathi bride, according to Marathi matrimonial, is green glass bangles, also known as chuda, are worn with pearls bangles, which give a very bright and contrasting looks. A waistband made up of gold, a silver anklet and a toe ring are important part of the jewellery of a Marathi bride.

Author: Rashmi Karan

Devanga Matrimony - A Bond of a Lifetime

The Devanga migrated from the Northern Karnataka originally. People belonging to this caste are found in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as well. Referred to as Deva-Brahmin, Devanga communities were also named as Prakrut Brahmins. The rituals followed in Devanga matrimonies are very much similar to those followed in the other communities of the Hindu religion. Barring few subtle differences, the Devanga matrimony and Hindu matrimony have many common customs and traditions.

A unique feature of the Devanga marriage is that the brides as well as groom do not wear clothes made from silk during wedding ceremonies. The reason behind this custom is unknown still the tradition is still followed with great respect. Some religious gurus offer an explanation and say that silk is not worn as it is made from silk worms.

In Devanga matrimony, there are marriage consultants or mediators who help the families of marriageable boys and girls to look for prospective bride and groom. The families can choose suitable boys and girls from a long list of candidates maintained by these mediators. Usually, Devanga matrimonies are arranged marriages. Like any other Hindu Matrimony, elders of the community or parents look for the suitable matches based on several factors, like age, education, family background, appearance, status, income etc.

In Devanga matrimony, the first step towards arranging marriages is the “kundli milan” in which horoscopes of the bride and groom are matched by either the family “pandit” or any astrologer. The families meet along with the boy and girl after their horoscopes are matched. Since marriage is a very auspicious occasion meant for lifetime, it is very important that both the girl as well as the boy feel satisfied with the match.

After both the girl and the boy are ready for the match, the families meet with each other and decide the date of the engagement and wedding after consulting a priest. After the engagement ceremony, the couple seeks blessings from their elders. They are showered with gifts and best wishes as well.

Marriages are generally held at ‘choultries’ popularly known as marriage halls. Lasting 2-3 days, the Devanga matrimony is an elaborate ceremony. The bride reaches the marriage hall a day prior to the ceremony where she prays to the divine deity and seeks their blessings. “Harisna” is the first ritual after the prayers wherein the hands and feet of the bride are massaged with turmeric mixed with oil. The married women carry out this ritual.

Next ceremony is the bangle ceremony wherein a bangle woman comes to the marriage hall and all women buy new bangles. Several other rituals continue whole night and the next day, the groom goes to a temple to seek blessings from the deities. On his way to the temple, the parents of the bride intercept him and they wash his feet on a silver plate.

After this ceremony, the groom comes back to the marriage hall where the sacred thread tying ritual takes place. This indicates the culmination of bachelorhood and beginning of married life in the Devanga matrimony. A grand reception is held in the evening followed by elaborate dinner after which the newlyweds are offered best wishes for their happy married life.

Sonali writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing Matrimonial website.

Beautiful Bridal Trousseau of Gujarat Brides

Have you ever noticed a Gujarati bride! The Gujarati brides do not wear bright and flashy colours, still look stunning. The Gujarati wedding attire of a bride portrays the richness of the Gujarat matrimony. Gujarati brides are generally draped in the proper Gujarati style sari. I love the Gujarati sari pattern! There are two patterns of the wedding saris mainly, which are Panetar and Gharchola. Gharchola is a traditional bandhej sari, which is mainly red coloured, and has woven designs of squares in golden colour. The Panetar sari is very beautiful and looks very elegant. The base of the sari is white, with red and golden bandhej borders.

With the changing styles, colours in peach, yellow, green, blue, pink and others are also gaining popularity very fast, and are wore by modern Gujarati brides. Designer bridal lehengas are also the desired wedding dress in Gujarat Matrimony, which has gained so much popularity. Earlier, brides used to wear plain saris, with a simple bandhej work. Now, you will be amazed to check their bridal trousseau in Gujarat matrimony, where the usual bandhej sari is transformed into stylish lehenga choli, embellished with heavy sequin and shell work to give a royal look. Some other hot trends in designing bridal lehenga choli, is the use of net, satin and crepe fabrics.

The hair locks are tied to form a bun, which is decorated beautifully with flowers, and a heavy dupatta is tucked with the bun.

When it comes to jewellery, Gujarati brides wear expensive gold, kundan and diamond jewellery, which beautifully complement the simple bridal trousseau. The brides in Gujarat matrimony also wear a tikka on their forehead, which is generally made up of minute pearls or gold. Do not miss the beautiful nath, which adds a beauty quotient to the bride’s face.

Rashmi writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing Matrimonial website.