Assamese Pre- wedding Rituals

An Assamese wedding is simple and yet very elegant. It is known as Biya because during the wedding the traditional 'biya naam' song is sung by the ladies. The wedding consists of Vedic tradition and rituals. An Assamese wedding also consists of pre wedding rituals. Here is a brief description of the most common pre wedding rituals.

Nau puruxor sarddho

In this ritual homage to the ancestors of both the bride and the groom is paid by their respective parents. This is done so that progress of wedding is hassle free and to get the blessing of the ancestors.

Daiyan Diya

This ritual is performed in the early morning of the wedding day. Curd is sent to the bride's house from the groom's place. The bride is supposed to eat the half part and the other part is returned to the groom. The groom eats the other half. The curd is a symbol of good luck.

Juran Diya

This is the most important pre wedding ritual. In this ritual the groom's mother along with some close relatives visits the bride place where she receives a very warm welcome from the bride's mother. The bride's mother greets her with with xhorai, a brass plate covered with a gamocha. The groom's mother gifts her wedding attire along with an odd number of clothes.

Tel Diya

This is the second most important pre wedding ritual. The groom's mother places a ring and betel on her daughter-in-laws hair parting. In addition to that she pours the oil she has brought with herself thrice. Next she applies vermillion on the bride's hair partition.

Pani Tola & Nuani

This ritual is performed on the wedding day at both the bride's and the groom's venue. Holy water is collected from a river or lake in a pot. After this both are made to bath with the holy water. After the pani tola both are prepared for the wedding ceremony.  

Arrival Of The Groom

This ritual is conducted for fun and can be observed on the wedding day. The groom is not given entry in the bride's house until he pays a price.