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 

A Delicious Tradition of Wedding Cakes

The wedding cake symbolizes the first food that the couple shares as husband and wife in the Christian matrimonial. According to the latest trends, people love to have flat cakes, decorated with creamy flowers. The person can choose the cake as per the decoration and theme of the party, or table arrangements.

Harmony in the reception of your wedding is a very important factor. Every element must be in the balance, which includes flowers, tablecloths, crockery, etc., and the cake is no exception. Even as there are many models of cakes, these can also be an integral part in your event not just a habit we do aromatically.

At the wedding party:

The couple should cut the cake according to the following tradition in the Christian community. The husband should place his hand over the wife’s and the two cut the first slice. The bride feeds her husband with a piece of cake and vice-versa.

• The upper layering of the cake should be smooth and fashionable. The layering must be made up of butter and/or chocolate.

• Butter and chocolate marbling can be a very interesting combination for the wedding cake.

• The cakes must not be covered with vertical stripes, bows, filigree, flowers, etc.

• The cakes must not be prepared in the shape of big stories, and kept small or medium, and elegantly decorated ones.

• A wedding cake should include a maximum of three layers.

• Do not forget the knife to cut the cake, tissue papers and serving plates.

There are a number of designs that require different types of colors in the different segments of the cake. You can tell your baker about the type of color or colors you would like to have in your cake. You can take your dress as a reference, the color of the floral arrangement and other decor. However, the cake looks best and elegant in any light shade, particularly white.

Wedding Celebrations in Sikh Community

The Punjabis are known for their zest for life. The lifestyle of Punjabis is very sparkling and they celebrate their occasions with full fun. Their bhangra dance, traditional Punjabi food, and fun filled ceremonies form the delightful occasions, which they celebrate with full enthusiasm.

Alike their hale heartiness and fun loving nature, the way they celebrate the weddings is also very colourful that include traditional rituals, music and enjoyment. Marriage is a special ceremony that unites two lives as well as their families. Keeping this in mind, a number of pre wedding and post wedding ceremonies are held that are believed to unite the two families together as they get more and more chances to interact with each other.

Wedding in the Sikh community are celebrated in a Gurudwara and the process is known as "Anand Karaj", meaning a "blissful union". The wedding rituals and customs of Anand Karaj are performed in front of the holy book of Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib. Unlike other communities, the weddings are not conducted in a community hall or a hotel. The religious ceremonies are accomplished in the morning. The weddings are not very elaborate and are very simple, which completely focus on religious practices only.

The bride and bridegroom need to take 4 circles around the holy book Guru Granth Sahib. The holy book does not describes a particular timing to conduct the weddings, as they can be conducted any time, as per the availability of the Gurudwara and ease of the families, however, the marriages are conducted mainly during the day time and the evenings are kept for partying with family and friends.

There have been increased numbers of Sikh weddings that are fixed through the online matrimonial sites. These sites have helped a lot to find Sikh and Punjabi brides and grooms in a very hassle free manner These match making sites are easy to access and one just needs a login id to visit different types of profiles and select the best as per their choice and contact them for an everlasting alliance.

About Author:

Rashmi Karan 

Gujarati Wedding- A flamboyant Event

Gujarati wedding is full of fun, rituals and grandeur.  Gujaratis are known for celebrating their cultural ceremonies with zeal and full devotion.

As expected from an Indian wedding, Gujarati matrimony is magnanimous and involves pomp and show. A number of ceremonies are performed to celebrate the occasion. Before wedding the ceremonies that are performed include mandap mahurat and griha shanti. The first ceremony, mandap muhurat is meant to take the blessings of Lord Ganesha by performing puja by priest. The next ritual is griha shanti, which is performed by family members of bride and groom in their respective houses. The ritual is aimed at bringing peace in the life of the married couple.  

The wedding day begins with pokavu ceremony in which the bride’s mother pulls the groom’s nose indicating that the boy is responsible to take care of her daughter. The ritual is followed by jaimala to exchange garland between bride and groom. Madhuparka ceremony involves washing the groom’s feet by bride’s parents followed by juta-churai by bride’s sisters. Bride is brought to mandap in kanya agaman ritual where again the garlands are exchanged by the couple. Wedding is completed by taking mangal pheras at the end; however instead of seven pheras only four pheras are taken in a Gujarati wedding.

Post wedding rituals involved in Gujarati Matrimony includes vidai in which the married couple comes to the groom’s house after marriage. To add the fun element in this auspicious occasion, the couple is asked to play few games such as aeki-beki. All the family members enjoy the game where a tray is filled with milk and water and the couple is asked to find the ring or coin dipped in it. It is believed that the partner who first finds the ring has upper hand over the other for rest of the life.

The rich customs and traditions of Gujarati culture are clearly reflected in their wedding style. The people are enthusiastic and celebrate their festivals and auspicious occasions like wedding in a splendid way.

About Author:

Swati Srivastava writes on behalf of the popular matrimony site JeevanSaathi.com. The author has been writing on various matrimonies to give you an overview of different cultures, rituals and ceremonies in Indian Wedding.

Banarasi Saris: A must have for the Indian Bride’s Trousseau

Indian Weddings present a glimpse of the rich weaving traditions through the bridal attire. The Indian bride dresses elegantly in traditional saris. In northern India, the Banarasi saris are the favorite among brides. These beautiful saris available in rich colors complement the heavy gold jewelry. Moreover, why just the brides, even the women attending the weddings are seen flaunting these saris.

Considered one of the finest saris from the weavers of India, these saris comes the historical city of Varanasi or Banaras. These saris have witnessed many matrimonial functions across communities and religions in Indian. These Banarasi saris have rightfully celebrated the Indian diversity. Most of the weavers of these saris are Muslims and the Hindu brides wear them. Brides from various communities have worn these saris on their wedding functions.

What makes these saris stand out is the intricate designs and opulent embroidery. The zari or the gota as the border of these saris gives its distinctive look. Mostly these are silk saris with detailed engravings making it relatively heavier those other traditional saris. The rich and classy look is apt for wearing at matrimony functions. The brides usually prefer shades of red, as it is a sign of marital status. Even the women members wear these saris in shades of blue, purple, green etc.

Some of exclusive varieties of Banarasi saris are Tanchoi, Jangla, Vaskat, Tishu, Cutwork, Butidar to name a few. The designs in the saris are inspired by Mughal art. The aanchal or pallu have intricate designs like intertwining floral and foliate motifs. The body of the saris usually has butis or string of upright leaves called jhallar. Other features of these saris are heavy gold thread work, figures, jal work, and sometimes mina work. No doubt, these saris form an inevitable part of any Indian bride’s trousseau.