How Indian Weddings Are Celebrated

In India, many different cultures and religions exist. Though India is very cosmopolitan in outlook, there is a certain ritualistic difference in each religion. The weddings also vary in each part of the state. Indian weddings have been greatly influenced by the effects of migration and modernization. One thing which is common in all religions is colors. All Indian weddings are very colorful. The colors in Indian weddings symbolize happiness and celebrations. The best thing about Indian weddings is the feast, rituals and the marriage songs. Indian marriages are incomplete without the blessings of elders in the family. The parents, grandparents and all the elder members of the bride and groom clan have a very important role to play in all Indian weddings.

Brides of different regions wear different outfits. Like a Mahrashtrian bride is supposed to wear a navarri or a yellow sari for the wedding along with the hair accessories and flower adornments. The Punjabi bride, preferably, has to wear red salwar kameez which is tailored in a traditional way and the dupatta is tightly pinned over the head. And Banarasi and Bengali brides wear silk sarees and apply alta (red color) on their hands and feet. The mehendi or henna tattoo is compulsory for Hindus and Muslims on their weddings.

Flowers are also an important aspect of Indian weddings. All Indian weddings necessitate an exchange of garlands between the bride and groom. In a Hindu wedding, the groom ties a manglasutra (a gold necklace with black beads) around the neck of the bride. He also applies sindoor or adornment of vermilion on the forehead. Manglasutra and Sindoor are worn by a bride so that she can distinguish herself as a married woman.

In a Hindu wedding, the bride and groom take seven pheras circling over the holy fire which is representative of seven future lives in matrimony. But this ritual varies from region to region. In a Sikh wedding, the bride and groom take only four pheras.

Besides these rituals and ceremonies, Indian weddings are also about receiving guests and making their stay comfortable. Members of the family make elaborate arrangements for the comfort of guests. The cuisine offered in these wedding is very much related to the state. Indian wedding feats are usually a lavish spread of delicacies including cooked, roasted and fried varieties. Besides the main food, sweet dishes have a lot of significance in Indian weddings. There is an array of sweet dishes to choose from like rabdi, rasgollas, payas, kheer, gulab jamun, jalebi or vermicelli sevaiyya. The south Indian feast is served on plantain leaves and is more or less a five course meal. North Indian cuisines are famous for richness in their taste and pure ghee is relished by all.

Song and dance play a very significant role in an Indian wedding where participation is compulsory. There is a lot of merriment, singing and dancing before and during the wedding. Indian wedding usually end in a very emotional tome as the bride leaves her maternal home to be with her husband.