Gujarati Matrimony – Truly Represents the Rich and Vibrant Culture

The state of Gujarat lies in the western part of India. It is one of the prosperous states of India, having its distinct culture and traditions. Weddings in the state display the rich and vibrant culture of Gujarat. The people from Gujarat have their own set of matrimonial customs and religions. Gujarati Matrimony is a joyous occasion with family and friends attending the celebrations. Dancing, singing and enjoying the regional specialties are part of every Gujarati wedding.

Alliances for the Gujarati Matrimony are fixed after consulting the castes and horoscopes of bride and groom. The state of Gujarat has people from all religions, though Hindus constitute majority of the population. The various caste and communities of Hindu Gujarati are Patel, Brahmin, Vaishnav, Lohana and Nagar. In addition, many Rajputs and Baniya Community members are found in the state. There are also many Gujarati following Jainism. The Jains from Gujarat belongs to either Shwetambar or Digambar sects. Gujarati Matrimony also includes Sunni Hanafi community grooms and brides.

People from Gujarat are found in every part of India. The Indian states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and West Bengal have a good number of Gujarati community members. Many Gujarati community members are also settled in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United States of America. In addition, the African countries like Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa have a strong presence of people hailing from the state of Gujarat. Some countries in South East Asia like Malaysia and Myanmar also have Gujarati community from India. Gujarat Matrimony celebrations outside Gujarat include and follow the same rituals and customs.

The Gujarati community members are industrious and most of them are into business and trade. It is an acceptable fact that Gujarati communities have a stronghold in global business scenario. With the changing times, people from the state are shifting to different occupations. The community members, belonging to any caste, are joining public and private services. Men and women, both are equally involved in professional activities. Gujarati are also into the field of medicine, engineering, information technology, and banking and finance.

Author: Shipra Sinha

Interesting Pre-Wedding Rituals in Gujarat Matrimony

People in Gujarati community are vibrant and fun loving, who believe in celebrating their festivals with all the pomp and show. They believe in the biggest celebrations when it comes to wedding. A Gujarati wedding includes colorful clothing, big celebrations, mesmerizing and interesting dance (Garba), lip-smacking cuisines and grand décor. The celebrations involved with the Gujarat matrimony are one of the most interesting wedding celebrations in India. Alike other communities in India, ceremonies in a Gujarati marriage are based on the ritualistic concepts, which include offering prayers to god and performing various interesting traditional rituals.

Weddings in India are divided into three parts, which are pre-wedding rituals, wedding rituals and post-wedding rituals. 

Here I will discuss about the pre-wedding rituals of Gujarat matrimony:

With sagai or engagement, the wedding rituals start. Sagai is the formal announcement of the wedding in Gujaratis. In contrary to other stats that the bride does not go to groom’s house, Gujaratis have this tradition that bride visits her would be husband’s house. In the presence of family members and friends, the sagai ceremony is solemnized.

Some of the other pre-wedding rituals are Pithi, Mehendi and Mandap Muhurat. The bride and groom also give prayers to god and a Grihshanti Pooja is done to ensure the peace and prosperity of home. The puja is conducted by a Pandit after finalizing the date and time after matching the horoscopes of the bride and groom. The family members and friends of the bride and groom are present at the time of puja who give their best wishes and blessing to the couple to be. Golden moments are generated with the essence of Garba dance, where both the families and friends unite and dance over the tunes of exciting Garba beats.

The wedding rituals in the Gujarati matrimonial are very interesting and the dressing of the bride and groom are quite bright and colourful.

Author: Rashmi Karan