July 26th, 2018 by OYO Team

A Marwari wedding is full of fun and riches. But the rituals are elaborate and strictly followed. Every Marwari wedding ceremony or wedding reception rituals signifies the holy bond between the bride and the groom, and their respective responsibilities in the marriage.

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  1. Sagaai

We all know sagaai means engagement. In the Marwari marriage, the sagaai ceremony takes place at the groom’s home. Contrary to most wedding rituals, a Marwari sagaai sees involvement from the males. The male members of the bride’s family go to the groom’s house. The groom’s brother applies kumkum and rice teeka on the groom’s forehead to sanction the marriage. This is the customary acceptance of the relationship. The women do not participate in this event.

  1. Ganpati Sthapna

A Marwari’s faith in Lord Ganesha is powerful. They always seek the blessing of Lord Ganesha in everything positive they try to do. Two days before the wedding, the bride and groom, both ritualistically put an idol of Lord Ganesha with their families.

  1. Griha Shanti

They also perform a havan for the wellbeing of the two families. Both the families get their family priest to follow all the wedding traditions and rituals of a Griha Shanti pooja. This is done to appease the Gods and seek their blessing for the new wedding and the entire family. The Fire God is worshipped during the havan to bless the sanctity of marriage.

  1. Pithi Dastoor

Pithi Dastoor is the Marwari haldi function basically. They use sandalwood in their turmeric paste, sometimes, even besan. The bridal haldi ceremony dress usually consists of wears yellow or orange colour on this day. The rituals are similar to the usual haldi functions in any Indian culture. The women in the groom and the bride’s families apply the pithi on them. They bathe them in holy water or water from any nearby pond.

The bride and groom traditionally don’t leave their own homes from this day to their wedding day. The event is accompanied by dhol and singing.

  1. Mahira Dastoor

The maternal uncle of the bride and groom visit them with gifts and blessings. The bride’s uncle gives her the bridal wear and jewellery. The groom’s uncle gives him the wedding suit and ornaments. The mothers of the bride and groom host the event in their respective homes. A lot of good home cooked meal and treats are involved. This ritual signifies the involvement of a woman’s family at expensive family events like the wedding of their children.

  1. Mehfil

Mehfil is an evening of festivities, singing, and dancing. This is basically the Marwari wedding way of bachelor’s and bachelorette’s party. The women are not allowed in the mehfil of the men and vice versa. Though the bride and the groom may make an appearance at the other’s event for just some time.

  1. Janev

Janev is a pre-wedding event that commences on the wedding eve. It involves a pooja by a priest, where the groom is given a sacred thread. This ritual signifies the transformation of a man from the Brahmacharya Ashram into the Grihasthya Ashram. The aim of this pooja is to symbolise that the groom is ready to accept the responsibilities of a marriage.

  1. Palla Dastoor

This event is about the gifts the bride receives from the groom’s family. A close relative of the groom carries jewellery, clothes, and a lot of other gifts for the bride. Most of these are meant for her to wear for the wedding. The gifts are all displayed in the bride’s home for all relatives and friends to see.

  1. Nikaasi

This wedding day event is an elaborate ritual that gets everybody busy. In this event, people tie the sehra on the groom’s head to practice. They adorn it with pearls, flowers, and zari. Traditionally, the groom’s brother in law ties the sehra on him for the wedding. He takes a bit of teeka from his wife’s, that is, the groom’s sister’s kajal, and puts a dot on the groom’s forehead to ward off evil. The sister of the groom ties a golden thread on the rein of horse the groom is to enter the wedding on.

  1. Baraat

After all the ominous evil warding rituals, the groom is ready to enter the wedding venue. The baraat appears in an enthusiastic procession. In a Marwari wedding, the groom enters on a mare and carries a sword. The baraat comprises only of the male members.

  1. Toran

Marwari culture and tradition takes omens very seriously. The toran is a decoration at the entrance that the groom has to hit with a big neem branch to ward off all negative energies right before the groom and bride meet to join each other in holy matrimony forever.

  1. Aarti

The aarti is something we all know about. The mother of the bride performs an aarti right before the groom steps inside the venue. The Marwari aarti for the groom is an elaborate process. The baraat wait patiently as the mother of the bride dutifully performs all the rituals of the aarti without a single mistake. She feeds him some sweets and water to end the ritual.

  1. Jaimala

This is the wedding garlands exchanging ritual between the bride and the groom. Right before the garlands are exchanged, the bride comes to the wedding mandap where the groom is waiting for her. She puts seven suhalis on the groom’s head before the Jaimala ritual is performed.

  1. Granthi Bandhan

The chunris of the groom and bride are tied in a knot signifying the bond of marriage and the unifying of two souls.

  1. Kanyadaan

We all know what Kanyadaan is. It is a common wedding ritual. The bride is accompanied by her father, to the groom. The groom promises to take care of her for a lifetime. In the Marwari ritual, the father of the bride names his forefathers, representing their wishes for the bride’s happiness. The bride is requested to accept the groom’s family and his last name. The couple then vows to take each other as the sole partners in every step of their lives.

  1. Panigrahan

The vows are done. The father of the bride places her hand on the groom’s. The bride and groom accept each other’s hand and the priest ties a sacred thread to bind the hands together.

  1. Phere

The Marwari wedding rituals have the bride lead the first three phere and the groom lead the last four. The seven phere signify seven different vows that the bride and groom are now committing to live by forever, for each other.

  1. Ashwaharohan

The bride has to push a grinding stone with her foot seven times, signifying the hard work she is about to accept as part of her responsibilities as a wife.

  1. Shaptapadi

The bride and groom take seven steps together, signifying the beginning of their journey together.

  1. Seer Guthi

This is the Marwari sindoor daan. The sister of the bride parts the bride’s hair for the groom to apply the sindoor. The groom’s mother gives her a nath that the bride should wear by the end of the havan.

  1. Anjhaala Bharaai

The groom’s father puts a bag of money on the bride’s lap, signifying her responsibility as the one in control of the finances in the house, and his trust in her to fulfil her responsibilities. The bride gives a part of the cash to the groom and a part to the sister in law.

  1. Paharavni

The groom is given gifts by the bride’s family, after the wedding. The groom’s father is gifted kachola. The bride does a pooja for her family before she leaves it to take care of a second one.

  1. Vidaai

The bride and the groom are all set to go to the groom’s home. A coconut is crushed under the wheel of the car at the start to signify a good omen when the bride starts her journey into her new home.

  1. Grihapravesh

The groom’s mother performs an elaborate aarti for the bride. She is asked to put her right foot in a tray of milk and vermillion. She takes five steps to mark her footprints into the family. She has to kick a pot of rice and coins, symbolising the fertility and riches her presence brings to the family.

  1. Pagelagni

This is simply an introduction of the bride to the relatives of the family. The elders bless her. A pooja is performed for her.

  1. Mooh Dikhai

The bride’s face is covered in a veil so an elderly female member of her new family lifts it for the relatives to see her. They give her token gifts for a blessing.

  1. Choodha

The bride’s new mother gives her a lac and ivory bangles set that the bride has to wear for one full year, making sure they don’t break, as that is a very bad omen for the groom’s health.

These Marwari marriage rituals are emotional and elaborate. They signify important aspects of the lives of the bride and groom.

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