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.

Designer Kantha Outfits in Bengali Matrimony

The weddings in India highlight the fine textiles of India. Attend any Indian weddings and you will find the various fabrics and handwork. Weddings are time when the family members put their best attire. And chances are they will be wearing the local handwork dresses. Attend any Bengali matrimony wedding and you will find that many are flaunting kantha saris and kurtas. 

Indian embroidery has always attracted many and from the state of Bengal, the Kantha surely attracts attention. The rich cultural heritage of Bengal has many gems and kantha works is one of them. The Kantha work on saris and kurtas look elegant and truly captivating. This is a complete handwork and no machines are used. Skilled artisans from the state work day and night to present beautiful forms of art in fabric. Silk and cotton are preferred fabrics for doing this work. Many are also coming with chiffon saris with kantha work. The Bolpur district from Bengal is famous for this work. 

In a Bengali matrimony functions, many women are seen wearing saris with kantha work. Women also wear blouses and salwar-suits with kantha work on it. Men wear cotton kurtas with beautiful kantha work. This beautiful handwork from the state of Bengal has caught the attention of national and international designers. They are coming with beautiful outfits which have this embroidery.

The designers are coming with beautiful kurtis, which have kantha work. These kurtis can be paired with leggings, dhoti pants or patiala salwar pants. Designers are adding exciting elements to this work like beads, mirror work and sequins for more color and unconventional look. the traditional patterns of Kantha include geometrical shapes and motifs like flowers, animals, birds et al. Adding tge modern elements has given Kantha a complete new look. You can see women wearing these modern designer Kantha saris in the Bengali matrimonial functions.

Society and the Tradition of Marriages in India

In India, weddings are the biggest events in the life of an individual, which marks the beginning of a new phase. In India, a rare percentage of the people do not believe in the concept of marriage, and for others there is no option but to get married. Still there are people who love to lead their lives alone, without the interference of any other person and this has started to become a trend in the modern and urban India. However, life is not that easy for the people who take a decision of not to get married. Society questions those who do not marry, and so do their parents.

You can understand the importance of marriages in India by the fact that parents of the girl save money for them. All the arrangements and the gifts require lot of money, and this is the reason that sine the time of the birth of a girl, the father starts saving money for her wedding. 

The concept of arranged marriages in India is quite old or you can say it is traditional, but the tradition also changed with time and the society in the urban India is now accepting love marriages or inter caste marriages, however, in various communities in Northern and Southern India, inter caste marriages are still a big taboo.

Some communities in Haryana, Western UP and Rajasthan never accept love marriages and create a tough time for those who elope and get married. This thinking needs to be changed, we have become so progressive now in every aspect, but when it comes to marriages, people have that same thinking of arranged marries and dowry. How can we think that with that conservative thinking our society can progress, first of all we need to have a change in our thinking and then talk about progressive society.

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Love Languages for a Happy Married Life

The traditional concept of matchmaking is passe. Earlier when the traditional matchmaking was in practice, family members and elders from the community found the match. Whether it was finding bride for Oriya matrimony or searching for groom for any other community, traditional matchmaking services resulted in ‘arranged marriages’. 

With the changing times and busy work schedules, many are finding partners of their choice through online matrimonial sites. Young people are using the Internet to find their partners. Love is happening online. After knowing the person well through online chatting and texting, many are getting married. 

But as mentioned earlier, lack of time and busy work life leaves little room for romance. After the initial ‘honeymoon period’, couples start having issues in their married life. Right from buying the curtains to saving for the future, serious and trivial issues start cropping up. 

To keep your marriage harmonious and ticking, follow these love languages. First and foremost, in any marriage, Words of affirmation are like life saver. For the wife, a simple line like ‘You're beautiful’ makes her day. Compliment her when she is wearing something new. The wife can also fill the love tank by saying him ‘You are my life’. Years after marriage, these may sound a little funny but it does work wonders. It simply means that you care for your partner. 

Nothing can beat like quality time. Take time out from your busy workday and take her for coffee. Spend some time together. Couples can also join some activity together to spend quality time.

Who doesn’t like receiving gifts? You will definitely like when your partner presents you something of your liking. At regular intervals, buy something for your partner. It need not be necessarily costly. The effort in buying gifts for your partner will surely fill your love tank. 

Try these simple things and see how your marriage works. Whether you had an arranged matrimonial alliance or a love marriage, these simple love languages will help couples with their marital life.