Traditional Match Making is Passé

The traditional match making concept is gradually replacing with modern versions. Traditional ways of finding partners like with the help of family or friends is now passé. With online dating sites and matrimony sites offering free matchmaking services, matchmaking for contemporary youth is even more exciting.

Match Making

Traditionally, the village priest or elder of village or community fixed the match. The boy and girl had not much choice in this fixing of alliance. They cannot even object to the elder’s decision. There was minimum conversation between the boy and girl before the wedding. This kind of system was very common in Asian countries. It was popular in this region and was known as ‘the arranged marriage’.

With changes in mindset and education spreading its wings, the way of selecting life partner changed. Young people met strangers, talked and fell in love. The meeting usually happened in places like colleges or offices, where common friend or known person play the role of cupid. The friend here is the matchmaker. This became the commonest way of finding the life partner. Romancing, knowing the person well and then tying the knot became a new way of settling down. All this was common before the online craze.

With the Internet and online networking sites becoming the lifeblood of most, online match making is the newest way of finding that someone special. Online dating sites and matrimonial websites are the new official matchmakers. With most the world glued to the Internet, these sites are very popular among youth searching for that someone special. With the busy work schedules and limited time, these sites are the best way of finding your life partner. Best part of these matchmaking sites are they provide free membership and have a storehouse of millions of profiles. These sites keep your information safe and secure.

Author: Shipra Sinha

Changing Trends of Weddings

I have always loved attending the weddings. No matter the person is close to me or not, as attending a wedding has really a charm. You would nowhere find such fun filled ceremonies where everyone, be it the youngest or the older family member, enjoys to the fullest. The weddings are indeed the best time to celebrate the togetherness with the family.

As the time passes, the ways to celebrate the wedding changes, and so does the customs associated with it. People always run short of time, and hence it is a great excuse for not attending the weddings. But as I do believe, the one whom you love, you will definitely spare some time from your busy schedule. The busy time table of people has been one of the main reasons why the children are unaware of the culture and also the customs of the family and like to search their partner on their own or through matrimonial sites

No community in India is untouched with this “shortage of time” virus now. Earlier, the weddings ought to be three-four days song ceremony, and all the moments of the wedding were fully enjoyed by the family members as well as the friends. How can on miss those awesome cultural moments!

The wedding rituals have been cut short to get rid of everything in short time. But I really think that there is need for us to revive our older traditions and get more involved with our family functions like our elders were.

The best thing that time has brought with it is the matrimonial websites; you can search your life partner without making any public announcement of it. Still, weddings are still fun to be a part of and some people still enjoy the feeling of togetherness with the family, after all, the wedding is all about uniting!

Author: Rashmi Karan

Some Decoration Ideas for Hindi Matrimony

The Hindi matrimony involves so many rituals that go on for a number of days, which involve gathering and lots of decorations. The wedding décor depends on the total budget and the theme of the wedding. Personally, I love the floral decoration most, especially the whites and pinks.

Colours: Bright red and golden colours can go with the traditional wedding parties in Hindi matrimony. You can drape the flowers in the bright red and golden ribbons and then decorate the walls with those. For the contemporary look, you can also choose bright greens, silver, shades of pinks, etc.

Lighting: For the ethnic look use lanterns and candles rather than electric lights. For better aesthetics, you can also make use of uniform lights that are not too bright and comfortable to eyes. Experimentation with different colours may spoil the look of the wedding venue, so go for traditional ways of lightening, but yes, ensure that there is enough light at the wedding areas so that you can have some bright photographs.

 Meals and dining tables: Your caterer can help to arrange the desired cutlery for the wedding. The items associated with the wedding can also be taken from the caterer only. The decoration of tables are also done by the caterers, you can ask them for further details.

Mandap: Another important section of the wedding venue, where the décor of the mandap is very important, as it is the place where all the rituals and customs of the Hindi matrimony are conducted. The backdrop of the wedding venue can be beautifully decorated with bright flowers like marigold, roses, jasmine, and others, paired with beautiful light effects. The furniture should also be matching to the decor. Silk curtains can be used to cover the pillars to give dramatic effects.

Author: Rashmi Karan

Wedding Trousseau for the Bridegroom

During weddings, every minute detail of the bridal’s trousseau is taken care of, while no one cares to look after the trousseau of the bridegroom. However, times have changed there is lots of stuff for the groom-to-be to select from. And not only this, guys are even more concerned about their looks like the girls do and want to look their best.

The bridegroom keep themselves coordinated with the theme of the wedding party, which includes his attire, accessories and the colour schema chosen for the special day.

For a formal wedding, the grooms can wear a tuxedo with a waistcoat, a party wear shirt, a gorgeous tie and not to miss, the cufflinks. The shoes must be sparkling. In various communities, black is forbidden during the wedding, which can be replaced with tan brown, dark brown, or other nude colours.

Pearl and diamond cufflinks are pretty popular these days among the bridegrooms. Every man likes to have a lovely pair of cufflinks included in his wedding wardrobe. A number of designs are available in the market, which can also be seen on the internet to have a wide range of ideas.

A perfect combination of waistcoats and ties is required to complement with the wedding theme and also have an impressive personality. It is always advisable to wear the waistcoats of the perfect fit, neither too tight nor too loose. Colours ranging between black to blue and grey look very stylish.

For the ethnic and traditional marriage, the bridegroom can choose sherwani in shades other than off white or cream, as these colours are too common since years. Blue, grey, purple, silver or even black are very popular these days, however, these need to be matched with the dress of the bride as well as the decoration theme.

Author: Rashmi Karan

Increasing Trust of Parents over Matrimonial Sites India

There are dozens of matrimonial sites created every year in India. There are a number of matrimonial sites that claim to select the best life partner for you. These sites have been able to fully integrate into the countryside where 90% of Indian marriages are arranged by the family, which usually leaves little room for the individual to find their life partner on their own. Most of the times the requirements for suitable life partner on matrimonial websites are posted by the parents. This mindset however needs to be changed, as the choice of the individual matters nowadays.

It is a very common trend that a lot of couples meet through the internet, and after finding suitable compatibility, they decide to get married, and make sure that their parents approve. This then becomes an 'arranged marriage', and thus a way to cope up with the family and social pressure is found. These days, families also prefer searching the bride or groom for their child over Internet due to hassle-free services offered by these matrimonial sites India

With these sites, a person can make his choice according to his/her specific criteria, which often include religion, skin color, caste or even horoscopes. In Indian context, a person needs to marry within his/her social environment, which is a way of reinterpreting the tradition. Normally, a vast majority of Indians consider marriage as an alliance between two families.

Although, while searching the life partner on the matrimonial websites, one needs to be very cautious as there are a number of fake profiles. However, if you are enrolled with a paid service of any of the matrimonial sites India, the chances of fraudulence are very much reduced. It is up to the individual to check the background of the individual while finalizing any relationship.

Author: Rashmi Karan

Inter Caste Wedding in India

The Hindu religion in India has various castes and sub-castes. There is social stratification and the communities are divided into higher castes and lower castes. To a person from another country, especially from the Europe or American continent, this demarcation will be a very strange one. The entire concept of high and low creates a superiority complex in certain communities. The Brahmin matrimony occupies the highest position in the social ladder. This is what I learnt being a non-Indian.

There are also low castes communities in India belonging to the Shudras. This community is further divided in various sub-groups and one such group commonly found in India is the Chamar caste. The Chamar caste is engaged in the profession of leather manufacturing and exports. When I attended the Jatav Matrimonial function to document the different forms of marriage taking place in India, I came to know some more of the Chamar community and the Jatav population in particular.

The Jatav people are one of the largest tribal populations in India. They are known by various names like Jatia or Jatba in the state of Jammu. The community members are settled in various parts of India, and have large concentration of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Eastern Rajasthan and North-West Madhya Pradesh. The community members also reside in the neighboring country of Nepal. Since they belong to the lowest strata in the Hindu social order, they are part of the Scheduled Castes in India. They are also known as Dalits.

Jatav Matrimonial functions and rituals vary from state to state. They mostly follow the Hindu matrimonial customs. The members of this community speak mostly Hindi and the dialect of the place. The wedding alliances earlier were within the community as there was social stigmatization and restriction. This trend is slowly changing as I found after attending this wedding. The groom is from the Jatav community whereas the bride belongs to higher caste Hindu. This is a heartening trend, which I hope catches with other Indians as well

Author: Shipra Sinha