Create a Wedding Calendar This New Year

Welcome this New Year in style. You have recently married according to elaborate rituals. Indian marriage customs, whether from Hindu communities from North or South have a long list of rituals. And everyone knows, weddings in India are a grand ceremony with celebrations running even months after the couple has being married. Why not create a customized calendar with wedding photos. Print albums and digital photos are usually stored after a day or two. The best way to relive the memories of your special day in life is to create a wedding album.

How to do create a wedding calendar? It’s simple. First, select the wedding photos in sequence. Start from the pre wedding rituals to the wedding day rituals and finally post wedding rituals if any. Group the pictures. Then select 4 photos from each group which you think best reflects the wedding rituals of your community.

The second step is to find the right photo store.  If you are living a metropolitan city, every developed locality will have a photo store. Ask the person in charge of the store about such services. Most of the modern photo stores will offer the services.

Another great way is to avail such a wedding calendar online. Many online photo stores help you with such services. And the best part of such services is that they deliver at your doorstep.

This way you can surprise your partner with a customized New Year gift. If you are working, get yourself a desktop wedding calendar. Bigger poster-sized calendars look great in your bedroom.

You can also add a line or two about the rituals. This ideal is a great one if you are married in a different community. With modern day societies, getting married in other castes is not a taboo.

So do not wait and as the time left is very limited. Create a customized wedding calendar before the New Year sets in. 

The Tinkling of Bridal Bangles

Brides across various communities in India wear specific types of Bangles. Read this write up to know more about the significance of wedding bangles.

Bangles are worn by Indian women, married or spinsters. Also known as Kangan in Hindi, this is an important ornament when donning traditional India attire. Since time immemorial, the bangles are available in various metals; common among them are conch, wax, ivory and glass. Though this ornament is part of everyday dressing of Indian women, during the Indian weddings, the bride wears specific bangle types.

In a Punjabi or Sikh wedding, the bride dresses in resplendent lehenga or salwar kameez. Her both hands are covered with ivory bangles, mostly red and white. Known as the chuda in these communities, the bride wears the set of chuda in a special ritual. These ivory bangles are available in simple designs or studded with colored stones. Some ivory bangles have names of the groom etched too. It is expected that the bride will wear these for one and a half months. In some families, the brides wear it for more than one year. These bangles suggest that the woman is a newly married.

The Hindu communities from the state of Uttar Pradesh usually wear lehenga or red saris. The bride also wears red bangles as it is considered auspicious. Red is the symbol of marriage and longevity according to Hindu traditions. Many Hindu brides also wear gold bangles to match with their bridal outfit.

In states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and various Muslim communities, wearing of green glass bangles by the bride at the time of the nuptials has special meaning. Green signifies growth and lost lasting relationship.

Even in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the bride’s mother presents the bride with a pair of ivory bangles. It is necessary to wear these ivory bangles by the bride. Certain wedding rituals can be performed like the 'saptapati' only on wearing these bangles. The saptapati is an important ritual in Gujarati and Rajput weddings where the couple takes seven steps around the holy fire.