Tradition and Technology—an unique combination

"Indian weddings have long moved away from the traditional system of matchmaking. These days’ people fall back on technologies such as online matrimonial portals. The following blog post takes a quick look at the same with special reference to the Gujarati community."

Located on the western coast of India, popularly termed as the Dry State, Gujarat boasts of a rich cultural heritage. Every festival or cultural event is celebrated with great pomp and pleasure in this state. A Gujarati Wedding Ceremony is a classic example of the existing ethnicity among them. A Gujarati Matrimonial event is full of activities where people dress up in vibrant colors performing a riot of activities and rituals over a week. 

A typical Gujarati wedding begins with the engagement or Sagai and ends with a reception. Just like other Indian communities Gujaratis also find their matches within their community. The concept of arranged marriage is very prevalent among Gujaratis. However, they want the respective bride and the groom to meet first and then decide upon. If they like each other, the concerned families proceed with the wedding.

Since the advent of the Internet, our lives have been completely redefined. Today, almost every Indian community has a matrimonial website dedicated to matrimonial purposes. The Gujaratis are no exceptions. There are several Gujarati Matrimonial websites where prospective brides and grooms register themselves. One can search from millions of profiles and find their life partners. 

There goes a saying that ‘Marriages are made in Heaven’. However, in the 21st century India, marriages are being increasingly made successful through the Internet. Though some people still follow traditional ways of finding a life partner, millions register on the online matrimonial portals in search of their soul mates. The main reason behind this happens to be the sheer convenience of reaching out to numerous individuals across the country.

Since more and more young Indians these days remain hooked to the Internet, it becomes easier for them to continue the search through these matrimonial portals and also they can do away with certain conventions abounding the traditional arranged marriage system.

Author:
Sampurna Majumder 

Importance of Mangalsutra in Hindus

Weddings in India are a beautiful affair. In Hindus, tying Mangalsutra is one of the most auspicious customs of the wedding. A Mangalsutra is a lovely neckpiece, which is in the form of black beaded string and has a gold or diamond pendant. In the Hindu community, particularly in the Marathi community green bangles and Mangalsutra is the sign of the marital status of a woman. The groom ties the Mangalsutra around the neck of the bride as a ritual. A Mangalsutra symbolizes the eternal love between the bride and groom who are going to be united by the bond of marriage. 

The term Mangalsutra can be simplified as a sacred thread, where the word Mangal stands for auspicious and Sutra stands for a thread or string. Nowadays this is worn by the females as a sign of fashion statement after marriage as it appears like a piece of jewelry. The concept of Mangalsutra has originated from Southern India, where they call it as a thali, which is usually a yellow thread and is tied around the bride's neck and three knots are made. 

Although, one can recognize that which culture the woman belongs to by seeing the type and size of the Mangalsutra as it varies region to region. In northern India, women love to experiment with their Mangalsutra and prefer wearing diamond pendants with the black beaded string, while in the western India, the Mangalsutra consists of two big round gold beads and the same black string. The Mangalsutras are available in different sizes, ranging from short to long. It is also believed to keep the bad omen away and protect the couple from evil. Women now have a number of options to choose from, thanks to the increasing impact of Bollywood and television.

My Personal Experience at a Muslim Wedding

The wedding rituals are very similar in all social classes. I experienced this when I got a chance to attend a Muslim wedding of a friend of mine. The first step in the process of Nikkah was the marriage proposal, which included a discussion by the amount that the groom should pay to the family of his future wife and the dowry that the bride should bring to the marital home. Normally, a woman's dowry consisted of the furnishings for the house and clothes, although the wealthiest families could include jewelry and other valuables.

Setting the wedding date was another task, which was done by an astrologer who determined the auspicious day of wedding. However, these were some of the initial steps of the wedding, which were accomplished months before the wedding day.

On the wedding day, the bride was given a ceremonial bath. The festivities began at the home of the bride and lasted a week. The female relatives to the bride adorned the bride and prayed for the happy and blissful married life of the bride and groom.

The wedding rituals were performed at a mosque, where all the close relatives and friends of the bride and groom gathered, and witnessed the wedding. Apart from the attendees, a court notary and two witnesses were also present. Four conditions should be met for a Muslim wedding, which include:

1. 1.       Two witnesses.
2. 2.       Signature by the bride and groom.
3. 3.       Consent of both bride and groom & their families.
4. 4.       Presence of the father of the bride or her written consent

The contract praised God's name according to the rite of Islam and the Imam read the first chapter of the Qur'an. The women of the family formed a procession, leading the bride to her new home, where they waited for the groom and wedding guests and become a part of a grand feast.

Author:

Rashmi Karan