Rituals of Indian weddings (Part:2)

There is a very famous lines about weddings in India, which is :
‘Marriage is not only between two people, but also between two families and cultures’.

There is also a 'Choora ' ritual in which the Choora is brought by the brother of the Bride's mother and it is washed in raw milk and worn by the Bride. ( Choora : it is a different type of bangles of red color with different design which is worn only by married women.) Which is not shown to the Bride and after wearing it a red cloth is put on it so that the Bride can't see it. After we ari ng the Choora the Bride is forbidden to leave the house. Then comes the next wedding day the Bride is decorated like a queen.

On the day of marriage the Bride's side of relatives and friends waits for the 'Baraat ' after making all the preparation. ( Baraat : All the relatives and friends coming from the Groom's side on the wedding day). The ' Baraat ' reaches to the Bride's house by doing dancing and singing along the way. On arrival the red ribbon is cut first by the Groom. The Bride's sisters are already there for ribbon cutting. The Groom has to pay the Bride's sisters the asking amount. Only then the Bride's sisters will let them go inside. On arriving inside the Bride and the Groom wears necklet of flowers to each other, which is called ‘ Varmala Jaimala After this the Bride and the Groom do seven rounds to fire and both make seven promises to each other. The Groom applies Sindoor ' and wears Manglasutra ' to the Bride. ( Sindoor : it is a item of traditional Indian makeup, Manglasutra : a traditional Indian necklace. These both are only use by married women). Also some Mantra's are chanted by the priest. This process is called Havan Yagye '. During this the Bride’s sisters steal the Groom's shoes.

After the 'Havan Yagye ' the Groom has to pay Bride’s sisters again to get the shoes back after this singing and dancing is done then food is eaten. This is how an Indian is done but Rituals still don't end. When the Bride leaves her house, there is another ritual, which is called ‘ Vidaai It is a sad moment for everyone.

In which Bride cries and meets all the family members. Then she takes rice in her hand s and throw it backwards. The people standing behind collect this rice. It is believed that this rice is tied in a red cloth and kept in a locker. On reaching the Gr oom's house, everyone is already standing at the door to welcome the Bride. A pot filled with rice placed on the floor, which the Bride kicks with her right foot to enter the house.

Sindoor is kept mixed with water in which the Bride enters the house by putting her feet. The Bride prepares some sweets in the kitchen the next day after the wedding. For few days, all the relatives of the Groom invite both of them to a feast. After a few days, there is a ritual of ' Pag phera ', in which the Bride goes to her home and comes back after few days. So that after Marriage,happiness and prosperity remain in the house of the Bride's parents as before because in India girls are considered as 'Lakshmi'.(Lakshmi : Goddess of wealth), After 40 days of wedding Bride can take off the Choora '. This is how an Indian marriage ends, which takes several days. During the marriage all the distant relatives come to the Bride's and the Groom's house a day or a week before and leave after the marriage is over. It is a lot of fun to stay with all the relatives without worrying about wo rk for so many days.