Bihar also known as Magadha is a northern
state India. It is famous for its wedding culture. A wedding in Bihar is an elaborated
affair. It lasts for more than one month. It includes many ritual some of which
is covered in this blog.There are two types rituals
performed during the wedding ie pre wedding rituals and post wedding rituals. Pre
wedding rituals includes:
Tilak:
It is the Second most important and mandatory ritual before wedding. This
ritual refers to the bride's brother's visit to the groom's house as a mark of
acceptance of the alliance. The brother of the bride applies tilak (teeka) on
the groom's forehead and presents him and his family with pleasantries (like
silverware, utensils, sweets, jewelry) as a token of good wishes. The groom's
attire for the wedding and the haldi paste (grounded by the bride's mother) are
also offered during this ceremony. Held with much fanfare, the bride's brother
is accompanied by the family's accountant, barber, washer-man and servants.
After a lavish dinner, the brother is given a formal farewell along with gifts
for the bride's family and the bridal attire, nath (nose ring) and maang tika.
Satyanarayan
katha: The Satyanarayan Puja is performed to show respect to Narayan an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu.It is organized before marriage. The main purpose of
this pooja is to preserve and enhance harmony family the two families and to
bring success and enjoyment to all.
It is the very first ritual
performed before the marriage. A prayer is performed by the groom's parents
along with the groom. It can also be organised separately. Every relative
taking part in the puja is supposed to keep a fast for the entire day. A sacred
fire (havan) that is lit during the ceremony is to be kept lighted throughout
the wedding proceedings.
Cheka: It is a mandatory and
an important pre event before marriage. First, the family members of bride go to
bridegroom’s house with gifts which includes Sarees and sweets. They exchange
wedding rings. Now it is the turn of the
bridegroom family. They also go with gifts and exchange wedding rings. It
assures both the families have reached to consensus. The number of member depends on the size of
the family however it could be between seven, nine or eleven.
Haldi kutai: This ritual is performed in the bride’s house. The bride’s along with other married ladies(suhasinis). The grinding whole turmeric into a
paste which is later sent to the bride's house for the ubtan ceremony. While
the grinding takes place, the women sing folk songs creating a festive
ambiance.
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