QUICK TIPS FOR A GLOWING WEDDING SKIN

You are busy round the clock working. Your everyday schedule is packed. Yet your wedding is nearing and you cannot find time for a bridal beauty makeover. You cannot even take leaves for the same as you need them during wedding and post marriage. India weddings, especially the Hindu matrimonial rituals start several days before the wedding day and continue post marriage. You cannot look like a tired and worn out bride. These days are the special moments of your life and you need to glow and shine.

Look gorgeous on your big day by just following these simple tips:

Eat healthy. This is the first step to a glowing skin.

Avoid the sun by any means. Apply a sunscreen lotion of SPF 30 even if you are indoors. Not only it protect your skin for harsh rays of sun, but lights of television sets and computers too.

Start using a skin lightening cream. Consult your dermatologist and start applying a skin lightening cream every night. This will tackle blemishes and imperfections in your skin. Start at least a month or two to get clear results.

Exfoliate twice a week helps get rid of impurities and dead skin cells. This is lead to a glowing skin.

Start a facial routine. Visit a parlor every weekend and opt for a facial according to your skin type. A good facial like oxygen facial or a fruit and wine facial will give added glow to your skin.

On regular office days, find ingredients from your kitchen. Curd, gram flour, turmeric, rice powder are some of the useful ingredients that helps in skin treatment and glow. Make a paste of curd, gram flour, turmeric, honey and little lime juice and apply to your face and neck. For your body, scrub with rice powder and gram flour with a little honey. Its woks wonder and you will get a supple skin.

Though we ignore, try to exercise. A brisk walk of 30 minutes will add glow to your skin.

Author:

Shipra Sinha

Sari in a Tamil Wedding

An elegant traditional Indian attire, the sari plays a significant role in Indian Weddings. The following blog post takes look at the same with special reference to Tamil wedding.

Indian weddings are known across the world for their flamboyuant nature and elaborate traditions. From wedding attires to jewelry, decoration to elaborate meals, all play a very important role in an Indian wedding.

Among all Indian attires, the sari is probably the most elegant. Indian weddings are incomplete without them. The history of the sari can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The earliest known depiction of this attire is seen on a statue of a priest derived from the ruins. Since then until the present century, sari is such an attire that is adorned by every Indian woman. Every Indian community right from Gujaratis to Assameese and from Rajputs to the Tamils, each community treasures this nine-yard cloth.

The sari finds its reference in Indian literature as well. The ancient Tamil poem Silapattikaram makes several references to the Sari. Banabhatta’s seminal work Kadambari also mentions about this elegant attire.

Just like any other communities, Sari is important in any Tamil Wedding. Tamil brides look their best in a sari draped in traditional way. A Tamil bride usually wears a red sari during these days. However, these days, they choose from other colours as well. Traditionally Tamilians opt for kanjeevaram saris with borders decorated in temple designs.

When it comes to a Tamil wedding, nothing can match up to the level of a kanjeevaram sari. Naturally woven, these saris are considered to be of the highest and finest quality. These saris are distinguished by wide contrasting borders. Depending upon the intricacy of the thread work, colour and material used, a kanjeevaram sari can cost somewhere between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 100,000.

According to Hindu Mythology Kanchi weavers are the direct descendants of Sage Markanda, the master of Gods. It is believed that he had woven a tissue from the lotus fibre.

Till date, rich Tamil families visit places like Kanchipuram and Tirubhvanam to pick up the best collections in a bridal sari.

Author: 
Sampurna Majumder

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