Sunday 14 October 2012

Part2: Bihari Wedding-Pre wedding rituals

Bihar also known as Magadha is a northern state India. . It is famous for its wedding culture. It includes many rituals like Satyanarayan katha, Cheka, Haldi kutai & Tilak which were covered in the previous blog. In this blog we are going to get familiar with other rituals.

Pind-daan: In this ritual the bride's mother and other married ladies offer the ground rice to the ancestors. Before offering they grind the rice. This rice is put in an open place usually on the ceiling so that the crows can eat it.

Engagement: It is also known as the sagai ceremony or ring ceremony. It is one of the first ceremonies that takes place between the two families and the would-be bride and groom. The couple exchanges gold rings. Both the families also exchange gifts like sweets, dry fruits etc. This is followed by either a lunch or dinner party.

Shagun: In this ritual the bride’s priest, accompanied by her brother, the barber, and four other members takes auspicious gifts for the groom’s family. After shagun tilkak is held immediately.

Mehandi: Mehndi ceremony is another pre wedding ritual. It is often a compulsory ceremony before marriage. In India a wedding ceremony is incomplete with the Mehndi ceremony. After this ritual, the bride does not step out of the house. It is held at the bride's place.

During the ceremony, turmeric paste is applied on bride's face, feet and hands. After this, the mehndi application begins. According to a popular belief, the darker the colour of the mehndi, the more her husband will love her. As a tradition, the bride is not allowed to work in her marital house till the time her mehndi does not fade away. It is primarily a women function, which takes place with musical beats of dholak, with women singing traditional songs for a prosperous marital life of the bride.


Haldi Ceremony: This is performed at both bride and bridegroom places. This is done on the day of the wedding. The paste, also known as ubtan, made from herbs, vegetable oils, fresh milk curds, sandalwood powder and primarily turmeric on the face, arms and feet of the bride and the groom. The ‘haldi-uptan’ paste is applied on the bodies of both bride and bridegroom places. After haldi Ceremony the couple is prepared for the marriage ceremony. 

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