When it comes to preserving heritage and keeping culture alive, one of the most outstanding examples is that of a traditional Indian/ Hindu wedding. Unlike western wedding traditions that usually take place within one day, traditional Indian weddings take place over 3 days and is filled with lots of celebrations and traditional ceremonies.
Keep reading today’s Day Translations blog to learn more about festive and religious activities that come together to make a traditional and authentic Indian wedding.
Let’s get right into it!
Planning is Crucial for Successful Indian Weddings
Of course, one of the very first steps to having a successful and traditional Indian wedding ceremony comes with excellent planning. It takes a lot of work to plan an Indian wedding. Mainly because it involves so many traditional ceremonies and takes place over the course of a few days leading up to the ‘big day.
Over 40 types of rituals take place, and if each is not carefully planned for, it can get quite overwhelming for those involved.
A key feature within the traditions of an Indian wedding is of how close-knit the families are. That said, when it comes to being invited to the wedding, these invitations are only for family members and very close friends.
An Indian cultural belief is that celebrations bring friends and families together, especially of this nature. Don’t be fooled by this, however, because this can result in wedding guests being close to 500 people when both families come together.
The Pithi Ceremonies
Pronounced ‘pi-thee’, this ritual takes place (separately) for both the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be in their homes. Pithi is practiced bringing about good luck. This is how it is done:
Turmeric, Rosewater, and flour are combined to make a paste. This is called pithi and is then applied to their skin.
The Engagement Ceremony
Within Indian culture, a couple’s engagement process is quite lengthy. A couple’s engagement is symbolic of an agreement between both families.
The wedding date is set during the engagement process. After the date is set, the wedding rituals, also called ‘Barni Band-hwana’ begin approximately 15 days before the wedding. This ritual involves tying a bride and groom’s hands as their parents send blessings their way while also asking for a safe wedding day.
The Wedding Dresses
Unlike western traditions where the bride wears white, It is customary for the bride to wear red for her wedding. Traditionally, a red sari is worn, or the bride is wrapped in a modern lengha.
The color red, when adorned with gold patterns and embroideries, is a symbol of the bride’s commitment to her husband and their marriage, as well as a sign of fertility for bearing children.
In more recent times, brides have become more creative with their traditional wear and have become bolder in their color choices, wearing blue, bright yellows, as well as different hues of pastels. Of course, they are all boldly adorned with patterns and embroideries of gold just the same.
It is also tradition for the maternal uncle to bring the wedding dresses for the mothers of both the bride and groom. This is known as the Mayra.
The Sangeet and Mehendi Ceremonies of Indian Weddings
Pronounced sun-geeth and Men-dee
The Sangeet ceremony involves the family and friends of the couple. Everyone gets together so they can get to know each other better. This ceremony is usually held at the bride’s house.
It is during this time that the Mehendi ritual takes place. What happens is that the bride and the female members of her family apply henna to the bride’s hands and feet. Henna is believed to promote fertility and remove any evil spirits that would want to hurt the couple.
A symbol of the strength of the bride and her future mother-in-law’s relationship also has a lot to do with the color of the henna. The stronger and brighter the color of the henna when it is dried, the better their relationship will be.
The Day of the Wedding
The groom and his wedding party have a grand entrance on the couple’s wedding day. It goes by the name of Baraat or vara yatr depending on the region. The groom to rides up on a well-decorated horse, car, or even an elephant. His guests follow him in a processional for his grand entrance. As they enter, they’re greeted by the bride’s guests, who would have already been waiting.
After the groom’s arrival, the bridal party enters. The reveal of the bride is highly anticipated at this point. The bride is guided to her wedding by her brothers or her uncles. She is then given away by her father.
Final Thoughts on Indian Weddings
There’s such a rich and engaging culture for traditional Indian weddings. You can tell by their traditions that there’s never a dull moment.
Don’t forget that here at Day Translations, we’re all about learning about new cultures and exploring and preserving languages. Don’t hesitate to contact us today for all your translation and interpreting needs!