The Signing Of Nikahnama in Muslim Matrimony

Colourful decoration, sumptuous food and vibrant atmosphere characterize any Muslim Matrimony. I was attending the ‘Nikah’ ceremony for my dear friend. He is a Sunni Muslim from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Though the wedding celebrations for the Muslims in India start usually three days before the actual wedding day, I only attended on the day of marriage. The welcoming of guests with sprinkling of ‘ittar’ on the male members is a practice I enjoyed. Moreover, the flower decoration in the wedding venue was making the atmosphere fragrant.

The bride was seated inside a room and her head was covered with a veil. She was wearing a traditional lehenga in green with delicate zardozi work all over. Even her veil had delicate work with golden threads. Only the female invitees can go inside the room where the bride was seated. The gold jewelry that she wore with her bridal attire made her look like a princess.

My friend, the groom was wearing a beige sherwani with golden work. He also covered his head with a traditional Muslim thread cap. He was attending the guests who were invited at the Muslim matrimony. There is no wedding auspicious time as it happens in a Muslim Matrimony. On the arrival of the Qazi or the priest, the wedding started.

Nikahnama

Though there are many rituals in a Muslim matrimony, the main ritual is the Nikah ceremony. The Maulvi or the Qazi presides over the entire Nikah ceremony. The bride arrives in the room where the groom is seated. They sit face to face with a curtain dividing the male group from the female group at the wedding. Both the groom and the bride sign the Nikahnama, which is the contract of marriage. The father of the bride and the groom also sign the contract as witnesses to the wedding. In presence of family members and guests, the Qazi recites some holy lines from the Quran.

What I really liked in the Muslim Matrimony is the consent of the Muslim Brides. In Muslims, the groom gives the dowry or ‘mehr’ to the bride. I also enjoyed the traditional food after completion of the Nikah ceremony.

Author: Shipra Sinha

The New Set of Rules of a Hindu Marriage

The Hindu Marriage customs in India has undergone a sea change and new rules and regulations have come up. In the ancient days, matrimonial relationships were considered sacred and were more of union of two souls. The concept of seven lives of unity between a man and woman existed and couples happily believed in this theory, as mentioned in the Hindu texts and manuscripts.

With the changing mindset of couples and the fast and busy lives, the theory of seven lives in unison is just a mere theory. The sacredness of the matrimonial relationship is giving way to more complex form of matrimony. Earlier, the woman was the dutiful wife at home performing household duties and the man took care of earning money. The modern Hindu man and woman believe in sharing responsibilities, and not just are confined to any fixed roles. The customs are still there in a Hindu Matrimonial but a legal aspect is also adding to the matrimonial celebrations.

The Indian constitution has incorporated detailed guidelines on the various aspects of Hindu Marriage. There are a set of laws and regulations pertaining to the Hindus communities in case of any unpleasant happenings between the couple. The Government of India has set up the ‘Hindu Marriage Act’, which came into effect on 18 May in the year 1955.

According to the guidelines mentioned in the Hindu Marriage Act, there is a fixed marriage age for the girls and boys. Earlier, girls were married very young and did not had any formal education. The government has fixed the age of marriage at 18 for girls. In case of boys, the marriageable age is 21.

Another ancient custom, polygamy and bigamy prevalent in the Hindu community are not permitted. The Hindu Marriage Act prohibits such a practice and it is punishable under law. In addition, the seven lives theory of ancient Hindu marriage is only in texts. The government allows divorces to couples on several grounds related to cruelty, adultery or unsound mind. It is also mandatory for any Hindu Marriage to register under law.

Author: Shipra Sinha

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

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

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