The Agarwals or the Vaish Agarwals are a very traditionally tied up,conservative community in Rajasthan. Although their sense of business acumen has taken them to other parts of the country and abroad they seldom break away from their strong cultural roots and make an all round effort to replicate their culture, behaviour and practices wherever they go creating a sense of unity among their brethren on foreign soil.
These are briefly some of the pre wedding ceremonies observed in an Agarwal Wedding:
Mudha –Tikka: In this ceremony the groom’s family arrives at the home of the bride and offer her a platter full of goodies like,clothes,jewelry, a must have is a diamond ring,dry fruits, jaggery, sweetmeats etc. Along with the platter the elderly members in the groom’s family blesses her.
Godh Barai:The groom’s sisters on this occasion brings a platter full of clothes,toys,cosmetics, dry fruits etc. and places it into the lap of the bride. The toys in the platter is believed to be a secret wish from the groom’s family to have a fertile bride who will bear the future progeny of the family.
Sangeet:The female friends and relatives of the bride get together for a fun filled evening of folk music and dance in colourful ghagras and lehengas. Following this ritual they join in a sumptuous meal consisting Rajasthani delicacies.
Naandi: About ten to twelve days prior to the wedding ceremony, the family priests of either family conduct an elaborate Ganesha puja at both the houses to remove any obstacle that may creep up during the wedding.
Bhaat: This ceremony emphasizes the role of the maternal uncle of the bride in the whole wedding. He arrives at his sister’s home about a week before the main wedding and showers the bride with gifts like expensive clothes,jewelry etc. For the mother of the bride,he brings a traditional dupatta which the former has to keep with her for the rest of her life.
Tel Baan: It’s a traditional bathing ritual observed at both the houses to the alliance. The bride and the groom are smeared with a paste obtained by mixing, turmeric, honey, henna yoghurt etc. by their respective relatives. After this, they take the ceremonial bath to purify their souls.
Mehndi: A day or two before the main wedding the friends and relatives of the bride get together to a ceremonial application of Mehendi on her hands and feet by a professional Mehendiwali. The patterns and designs are very intricately drawn for a magical effect.
Korath: This is a formal invitation ceremony by the male members of the bride’s family to the groom to arrive at the wedding venue at the appointed time. For this occasion the bride’s family members carry gifts of clothes and jewelry for the groom.
Baraat: The Baraat in a Marwari wedding consists of only male members from the groom’s family. Although the groom dresses up in lavish satins and precious stone embedded chain in gold,his consort look no less in their rich traditional attires .They dress up in expensive Sherwani suits most often in colours of gold, shining yellow, shining jute etc. Ornaments like a gold and pearl necklace and brooch to go with their orange turbans add up to the glitter of their ensemble.
Baraat Swagat: On arrival at the gates of the wedding venue, the father and the mother of the bride welcomes the groom with an ‘arti’ which is termed as the Baraat swagat.
Varmala: It’s a mandap ceremony where the bride and the groom exchange the wedding garland amidst the chanting of sacred mantras .
Pheras: Then the couple is escorted to a second mandap to sit through the chanting of mantras by the priest to exchange the matrimonial vows. On completion of this round, they walk around a sacred fire to walk seven rounds, each round lending a significant meaning to the alliance. Upon completion of the seven rounds, they come out of the mandap and touch the feet of the elderly members of the family to get their blessings as husband and wife.
Kanyadaan: The bride’s father puts her hands in the hands of the groom amidst the chanting of mantras and prayers . For this ceremony a silver or a gold coin is put in the right palm of the bride. Then the priest pours water over the joined hands and blesses them. Then the groom applies vermilion on the parting of her hair.
Chuda: In this ceremony the bride’s forehands are adorned with glass or metal bangles by the groom’s mother.
Mooh-dekai: This is a formal occasion where the bride is introduced to the groom’s family members. They give her gifts while seeing her face called ‘Mooh-dekai’
The Jua or Muti band: These are a series of light hearted simple games played by the bride and the groom in the presence of all the family members.
Vidaai: The departure of the bride from her parental home to her new matrimonial home is called Vidaai. She and her groom is accompanied by a sibling of the bride and they leave the wedding venue in a decorated wedding car.
Vadhu Pravesh: The arrival of the bride at her new matrimonial home is a very auspicious moment. She is welcomed by her mother in law and other family members with an ‘Arti’. She enters the threshold of the home by gently knocking at a filled pot of rice and turmeric and walking over the scattered stuff indicating the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi into the household.
Author Resource:-
Indian Wedding Planner, Specialize in Agarwal, Punjabi, Christian Wedding Weddingalliances.com
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