India is a home to so many cultures, hence every single wedding is different. An Indian wedding is truly a sneak peek into the rich and diverse culture of our country.
Here today we are sharing with some amazing shaadi rituals that you will find only in Indian weddings –
Mangalorean wedding.
Mangalorean Christians are Konkani people and perform some purely Hindu rituals during weddings. At the time of marriage, the bride and the groom seek blessings from their respective parents and are anointed with a mixture of coconut milk and oil, while a cross is made on the groom’s forehead. Strange, Isn’t it?
A town in UP welcomes the groom’s family with tomatoes, potatoes and abuses!
Sarsaul is a small town in Kanpur district which gives hospitality at weddings a different definition altogether! The groom’s family is greeted by hurling tomatoes and potatoes at them, followed by a round of the best abuses around! It’s all a part of a tradition that believes that relationships that begin on a sour note culminate in love. Seems logical!
The playful ceremony of pulling the nose of the groom
Gujarati weddings have a ceremony called Ponkvu or Ponkhana where the groom is welcomed by his mother-in-law, who first performs an aarti and then playfully pulls the groom’s nose. This is a playful way for the bride’s family to remind the groom that he has come to their door to marry their daughter and he has to learn to be humble and grateful.
Bihari wedding.
In Bihar, The new bride has to keep earthen pots one over the other, which is given to her by her mother-in-law. Now, the bride has to seek blessings from all the elderly members present in the family without breaking any of the earthen pots.
In Rajasthan, the groom is greeted by an attacking bride.
According to the toran bandana tradition, the bride is allowed to attack the groom with a…..sword. Yes, that sharp weapon, just to see if he ducks or gets injured. This is a simple test of his fitness. Thank god it’s only a mock play!
Tear off grooms clothes by his relatives
Before the wedding, the Sindhis perform a ritual called saanth. An anklet is tied around the right foot of the bride and the groom (in their respective homes), by the priest. After this, seven married women pour oil on the bride and the groom’s head. Then both of them have to wear a new shoe on their right foot and break an earthen lamp with it. This considered as a good omen. To end the ceremony, the groom’s relatives tear off his clothes to ward off the evil eye.
Manipuri wedding.
People from Manipur believe in releasing the evil spirit first and here the fish plays an important role. The groom and the bride have to release two fishes in some nearby pond. If the fishes move side by side in the pond, it is considered to be a good sign.
Tribal weddings.
Only a few Adivasi communities follow this tradition. The ritual is something like this: after the man and the woman get married, the woman is kept in some hidden place for one year and is not allowed to interact with people. Exactly after one year has passed, the marriage is approved by senior members and then there is a huge function held in the community and they celebrate the wedding.
Getting married to a tree.
This is the most unusual and weird marrying process which is carried out only in India. If the bride is Manglik she has to marry the Peepal tree first and only then she can actually get married to a human. It is a superstitious belief that either the bride or the groom will die after marriage if the bride does not get married to the tree first.
Assamese wedding.
There is a ritual called ‘Tel diya’ performed at the wedding day. According to the practice, the groom’s mother puts a ring and beetle leaf on her daughter-in-law’s hair. She applies oil thrice on the bride, after which she supplies the sindoor and gives her the wedding outfit which is known as mekhla chadar in Assam.