Monday, October 31, 2011

The Resplendent Bridal Attire of a Hindi Matrimony Ceremony


Hindi Matrimonial communities hail from the regions, which has Hindi as one of the main languages spoken on a day-to-day basis. Besides Hindi, the community members also speak local dialects of the region. Like for the state of Uttar Pradesh, the dialects are Awadhi, Bagheli, Bundeli, Bhojpuri, Braj Bhasha and Khari boli. The Hindi Matrimony events follow traditional customs and rituals. Most of the communities in the Hindi speaking states of India are Hindus and have similar rites of marriage.

There are many rituals before the actual day of wedding in a Hindu marriage function. On the wedding day, most of the brides wear traditional Indian bridal attire. Brides from the region of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi wear lehengas. Lehengas are three-piece bridal sets worn by the Indian brides. The choli is the blouse, the lehenga is the long skirt and the dupatta is stole covering the head.

The Hindi Matrimonial bridal lehengas are available in wide-ranging colors and designs. Shades of red, crimson, orange, pink, blue and green are very popular among the brides. The wedding lehenga sets have rich embroidery in golden and silver threads. Most of the bridal attire is heavily embroidered with intricate patterns and motifs on the dupatta and lehengas.

The lehengas are also available in different kind of fabrics like silk, crepe, chiffon, georgette and brocade. The usual ones have gold thread work all over. Some lehengas are adorned with semi precious stones and are very expensive. In addition, the design and the cut differ and woman of all body types can have one according to their liking.

Apart from the lehenga sets, some Hindi Matrimonial brides also wear saris. Saris are all time favorite wear of Indian women. There are many types of bridal saris available in the market. Earlier, brides wore silk saris with rich work on their day of wedding. Changing tastes and preferences of the modern bride also changed the look of bridal saris. The bridal saris are available in lighter and shimmering fabric with intricate embroidery on the pallu and blouse. The brides prefer red and maroon colors, though shades of pink, blue, gold and yellow are also in great demand.

Author: Shipra Sinha

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Pre-Wedding Rituals in Agarwal Matrimony

Baniya community is the business class according to the Indian caste system, and is mainly involve in trading and businesses. Agarwal is the main sub-section of the Baniya community who deeply believe in arranged marriages. Inter caste marriages in Agarwal matrimony are very rare as Agarwals do not promote this. The pre-wedding rituals involved in Agarwal Matrimonial are similar to those followed in other Hindu communities.

Sagai:

It is the formal wedding announcement ceremony, where the bride and groom exchange ring with each other. It is a kind of engagement, which is attended by the families only. Both families exchange gifts, such as clothing, jewellery, sweets and other auspicious things.

Haldi:

During Haldi ceremony, the families of both bride and groom apply a paste of turmeric on their body to make the skin glow. In the Agarwal matrimony, the rituals depend on the region from where the bride and groom belong.

Mehendi ceremony:

Mehendi is the most awaited ceremony during a wedding, where the young girls of the family get chance to apply beautiful patterns of henna on their hands and feet, along with bride. The groom’s family sends the henna to the bride. Mehendi walas are called to design beautiful patterns of henna on the girl’s hands and feet. In the Agarwal families, beautiful henna designs are also applied on the hands of the groom, just as a part of shagun.

After the accomplishment of interesting pre-wedding rituals in Agarwal matrimony, follow the main wedding rituals.

The festive rituals and wedding celebrations in the Agarwal community are almost similar to other Hindu communities of India. However, some of the basic differences can be observed in some of the rituals and marriage practices in Agarwal matrimony. The basic difference lies in the “Mama phere”, when the bride sits in the lap of her mother’s brother, and takes seven rounds of the groom and sacred fire. This custom is different from other Hindu Matrimony, and is typically followed in Agarwal wedding.

Author: Rashmi Karan

Friday, October 14, 2011

Beautiful Bridal Attire of a Hindi Matrimony


Selecting the right attire for wedding is very important as it reflects the culture and tradition of the region. People from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi are mostly practicing Hindus. The wedding customs and traditions are similar for the Hindi Matrimony. The people from these states belong to various castes and groups like Brahmin, Kayastha, Rajput, Aggarwal and Garhwali. Hindi is the mother tongue for people of these states.

Hindu Brides

Wedding attire for brides of Hindi Matrimony is usually a sari or lehenga. The Brahmin brides from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar wear traditional Indian saris during all the wedding rituals. There are numerous rituals in a Hindi Matrimony and girls are expected to cover their heads in most of the rituals. The saris during pre-wedding rituals are cotton ones. Like for the Haldi ceremony, where the bride is smeared with a paste of turmeric, sandalwood and oil, cotton saris in shades of yellow and red are preferred. In the other ceremonies like engagement and mehendi, brides wear either a sari or a lehenga.

On the wedding day, a heavily embroidered sari is the ideal choice for the Hindi Matrimony Brides. The saris from the city of Banaras are hot favorites for the bridal attire. The intricate ‘zari’ work in gold and silver in the border and ‘pallu’ makes the sari look glamorous. Saris in bright red, maroon and orange are ideal choice for bridal attire. Some brides also wear lehenga-choli on their wedding day.

The bride completes her look with heavy gold jewelry. Hindu Marriage attire looks very beautiful with matching jewelry made of the yellow metal. Indian gold jewelry has unique patterns and designs. Necklaces, earrings, nose rings, toe rings, bangles and mangalsutra are various items made of gold. Some brides also wear diamond jewelry in the post wedding rituals.

The bridal look is incomplete without a red bindi on the forehead. Bindi are traditional Indian accessory and every bride on her wedding function wear designer bindi.

Author: Shipra Sinha

Monday, October 10, 2011

Important Rituals of Marathi Matrimony


The people of Maharashtra have a unique culture and tradition of their own and this truly reflects in Marathi Matrimony. Maharashtra’s culture is an amalgamation of northern Aryan traditions and the Dravidian culture of the south. The people from different regions of Maharashtra also have different traditions and rituals. Folk songs and dances are very much is part of the culture of the state and is showcased in the weddings.

I’m a foreign national and was really lucky to be a part of a Marathi Matrimony. This is a wedding of one of my friends and I came attend the function in her hometown, which is Nagpur. The traditional Marathi wedding is usually a long affair with many functions and customs. Every family member engages himself in some kind of work. Before the marriage, the house of the bride and groom is painted.

There are many rituals in a Marathi Matrimony. What I noticed is that many rituals involved prayers to the almighty. The Seeman Pooja is a traditional practice among the Marathi people. Here the girl’s parents welcome the groom and his family members. Upon arrival, the bride’s parent washes the groom’s feet as well as his parents. The groom is made to sit on Chaurang, which is a square tool. The bride’s sides bestow gifts to the groom like gold ring or a wristwatch. He also receives silverware as gifts. I was amazed to see the gifts received by the groom before the wedding day.

Another interesting ceremony in the Marathi Matrimony is the Gouri-Har Pooja. This is also a prayer ceremony where the bride seeks blessings of the goddess Gouri. The idol is placed on a square tool and the bride sits in front of the idol and offers prayers. At the end of her prayers, her maternal uncle takes her for the curtain ceremony also known as ‘antarpaat’ in Marathi. For this ceremony, the bride wears a yellow sari and green glass bangles adorn her arms. I heard that in Marathi custom wearing green glass bangles is considered auspicious as it signifies new beginning.

I was happy to be a part of the Marathi Matrimony and watched some interesting rituals typical of a Hindu Marathi wedding. Taking blessings of the Almighty is something I liked in their wedding rituals. Keeping the entire function very simple, the wedding was good experience for me.

Author: Shipra Sinha

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wedding Customs in Muslim Matrimony

Marriage is considered a sacred union in Muslim community and contrary to popular belief; monogamy is a common practice in the Muslim matrimony. Women have primary rights over his husband’s home and his children. The husbands are obligated to protect and provide financial and emotional to their wives. For this reason, the ceremony itself is a contract, which is conducted in an office. The best part is that the groom and his family discuss the contract with the bride’s family in advance and after complete agreement, the marriage is considered fixed.

The wedding ceremony in Muslim Matrimony starts when the couple goes to the Imam and expresses their intention to marry. The festivities and celebrations in the honor of the couple last several days, with great jubilation and joy.

The rituals in the Muslim matrimony vary country wise, but usually all have the same customs:

Henna Ceremony:

This ritual usually takes place the night before the big day, when the women apply on hands and feet of bride, symbolizing fertility and marital bliss, and avoid the evil eye. This tradition is accompanied with singing and dancing and can be done in the future husband.

Wedding Day:

The ceremony takes place at the home of the parents of the bride, in a community center or a mosque. During the wedding ceremony, a judge, two witnesses and guests gather. Then, both bride and groom are asked for their consent, and after the approval from both sides, a contract is signed that glorifies the name of God according to the rites of Islam. The first chapter of the Qur'an is read and an amount is collected from the groom, which is also known as Mehr, which is then used as insurance for the bride’s future.

Author: Rashmi Karan