Who doesn’t love a big fat Indian wedding?! Each traditional Indian wedding is popular for the glamour and fun involved during the various stages of the party. But planning an Indian marriage is not as simple as it may seem. Due to the large number of events and rituals that occur before the actual Indian wedding, the event could be overwhelming for the bride.
Such a topic (Epic Indian Weddings) can be overwhelming for just one blog post too, so we’ve made this into a 3-part series, enjoy!
To make the planning process easier for the common man we will be breaking the events down in parts. It is also important to keep in mind there are several sub cultures within India which will have different versions of the authentic Indian marriage. Below is a generalized guide to the Indian wedding.
Pre wedding rituals
Rituals play a critical role in the Indian wedding; they are linked to religion and are considered auspicious and vital for the well being of the forthcoming wedding. The rituals that surround the Indian wedding usually last about a week and are solely aimed at creating excitement and cheer among both the bride and groom’s relatives and friends. Below are two of the main rituals that are usually celebrated in most Indian sub cultures across the country (over there and in Australia too!):
The rituals that surround the Indian wedding usually last about a week and are solely aimed at creating excitement and cheer
PITHI:
Since parents mainly arrange most Indian marriages, luck plays a major role. This is because both the bride and groom have never met in most cases and no one can tell the outcome of the marriage (But did you arranged marriages have lower divorce rates? Either way, these days its arranged marriages aren’t as popular in the west). The cool thing with Indian weddings is that so much joy and happiness from fun activities are injected from the start. Pithi is a paste made of turmeric, chickpea flour and rose water. Family members, friends and all well-wishers apply the Pithi paste to the bride and groom’s skin. The yellow pithi paste is brightens the skin and is usually applied the day prior to the Indian wedding.
Mehandi:
This is more of a celebration rather than a ritual and it is held the night before the Indian wedding. It is a colourful celebration celebrated by the women of the bride’s side family and representatives. Generally, a special mehandi artist applies henna on the bride’s palm and on other women surrounding the bride. The intricate designs are specially made to symbolize joy, spiritual awakening, beauty and offering. Relatives and guest create a festive atmosphere by dressing in bright shiny colours, singing and dancing to popular traditional songs and music.
All right guys! Part-Two will be posted tomorrow, promise! Check back or like/follow us so you don’t miss out on this or any of our tips and articles! Remember, these are from our observations and experience with loads of weddings of various cultures. If we left anything out in regards to the segments above, please let us know in the comments below!
Hmm… We should actually do this for all other cultures! We’ve been to enough, that’s for sure!
