Gujarati wedding

The extravagant Rituals of Gujarati wedding

Gujarati wedding events are the extravagant fair- there's fun, food, and lots of dance. The wedding rituals commence from engagement (Chanlo Matli); all the arrangements of the same are done by the groom's family. The bride carries a container which is fill with sweets and gifts) as good luck. A short ceremony is performed and sweets and food is served to the guest. Now comes the most exclusive part of the Gujarati wedding ceremonies, Garba, when both the family members gather before the wedding day for a grand celebration with dandiya sticks to dance in pairs. After Garba, Pithi ceremony takes place during which turmeric paste is applied on bride by all the female ladies.

The main day of the wedding commences with Ponkvu, a ceremony marking the arrival of the groom. It is quite amusing to see the mother of the bride trying to pick the nose of the groom. Hilarious it is, Ponkvu is mainly a reminder to the groom that he is the one who has come to the girl's house to ask her hand for marriage from parents. Further, the groom proceeds to the main hall where Jaimala, the exchange of garland ceremony takes place. During Jaimala, both bride and groom stand on different platforms. Initially, the groom is on a higher platform than the bride, while, the second time, they are at an equal level. Then both the bride and groom are taken to the Mandap, where the traditional customs are taken forward by the pundits. At the Mandap, the antarpat (curtain) ceremony is performed during which bride and groom stand right next to each other, but are separated by a curtain. After every chant of the priest, the curtain goes down and the couple exchanges garland in front of the sacred fire. In between, all the these ceremonies, a fun custom called Chero Pakaryo is also arranged. In this custom, the groom is made to tug the sari of his mother in law as she passes from the Mandap in way that it looks he is asking the bride’s family for gifts. After this, Kanya Daan and then KanyaAgamana is performed. And then the bride and groom take seven rounds around the fire, representing the seven principles and promises they make to each other. Also during the ceremony, the bride is supposed to touch her seven betel nuts with her right toe in which the groom helps her, while both of them recite the seven vows, which are mainly the commitments towards each other. Once the seven rounds are done, the groom puts sindoor on brides head and ties mangalsutra around her neck which symbolize that she is married and belong to him. In some households, there's a tradition of four pheras. Once all the rituals related to the wedding are wrapped up, the bride is taken to the groom's house, where to welcome here a Lakshmi Puja takes place. To welcome the bride in the house, groom's mother place a steel vessel filled (matka) with rice. And the bride has to touch the vessel with right foot.