Pre-Wedding Rituals For Punjabi Wedding

Weddings are always a grand affair in India having several pre-wedding and post wedding rituals. Weddings are all about dance & music, great food, colorful clothes, and lots of fun & joy. Weddings are also a way by which the families boast of their status in the society spending and planning meticulously on every ritual. The diversity of Indian society is reflected in the rituals of different religion and castes. And, Punjabi weddings are famous for their extravagance, boisterous celebration, and liveliness. Several wedding rituals happen not only before wedding but also after the wedding. So let us look at the rituals that are performed before wedding in a Punjabi Wedding Ceremony.

Pre-Wedding Rituals For Punjabi Wedding

• Roka – it is the first ceremony in marriage celebration after all the things are finalized from the boy and girl side. This ceremony is the start of commitment between the boy and the girl. The term roka meaning ‘rokna’ is self-explanatory in the sense that the two families agree on the relationship. Gifts are exchanged between them accompanied with ‘shagun’ that can be cash amount, jewelry or sweets.
• Mangni or sagai- this is an engagement ceremony where the boy and the girl exchange rings with each other. This ceremony is done in the presence of all the relatives, family and friends with dance and music. A ‘pandit’ performs the rituals and the wedding date is fixed after the Sagai ceremony.
• Sagan- this ceremony is about blessing the groom-to-be from the family of the bride. The ceremony can be performed in a hall or banquet. The father of the bride-to-be applies tikka on the forehead of the groom-to-be.
• Chunni Chadana-The girl is dressed in the jewelry and dress presented to her by her future in-laws. The girl is presented with ‘Suhag Ki Pitari’, a decorated basket from her soon to be mother in law. The basket contains clothes, jewelry, mehendi (henna), fruits, dry fruits, dried coconut or dates, bangles, sindoor and red 'dupatta' or veil.
• Sangeet – any Punjabi Wedding is incomplete without dance and music and this is an official ceremony to start on the music and dance function till the time of the wedding. This can be started a few days before the wedding. The women of both the household sing traditional songs on the beat of the ‘dholki’, that is an elongated table. However, nowadays, DJs are hired for the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, a dinner is organized.
• Mehendi or henna- in this ceremony, henna is applied to the bride’s hand presented to her by her future in-laws. Elaborated designs of henna are applied on the palms and feet of the bride.
• Vatna- few days prior to the wedding, Vatna is applied on the bodies of both bride and groom, which is followed by a ritual bath. Vatna is a scented paste made from barley floor, turmeric and mustard oil. The purpose of this ceremony is to purify the bodies of the bride and groom before their wedding.

These were only a few pre-wedding rituals of punjabi weddings as there are many that are performed on the day of the wedding as well as after the wedding is solemnized.

Anurag Gupta has been writing for a variety of matrimonial, educational, matchmaking publications for more than 5 years & authored several articles on Indian Matrimonial & Matchmaking sites and lots more. Plz Visit:- http://www.matrimonialsindia.com