In all its glory and beauty, Hindu weddings are steeped in tradition which many people don’t necessarily understand. In all honesty, explaining this could take a while, so we’ve tried to simplify the details and just give you the basics to a traditional Hindu Wedding and what it entails:

 

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Sangeet

Directly translated, the word ‘Sangeet’ means music, which is rather fitting considering what the Sangeet is about. This event has both the families of the groom and bride come together and celebrate in the form of song and dance. Put simply, this is just one huge party generally celebrated a few days before the actual wedding ceremony takes place. Wedding guests and the bridal party are able to either perform choreographed dances or perform certain songs, if they’re brave enough. Nerves aside, with amazing food, plenty of family and great music, the Sangeet is definitely one of the nights most memorable from the entire wedding celebration.

 

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Mehndi Party

The mehndi party, generally done 2 to 3 days before the wedding, is celebrated by the bride’s family. At this stage of the celebrations, henna is applied to the bride’s hands and feet in a decorative pattern. Mind you, this does take some time, which can be anywhere from 2 – 6 hours depending on how intricate the patterns are. Brides would hire a mehndi artist who would also apply henna to her guests who wished to have their hands decorated for the wedding as well. Applying the initials of the groom somewhere on the bride’s hands is also a tradition that seems to have been passed down from generation to generation.

 

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Hurdee / Haldi Evening

A cleansing prayer done by both the bride and groom. Most of the time it is separated as the bride would do so in her house and the groom would do it at his. The actual ceremony consists of a hurdee or haldi paste applied to the exposed skin of the bride and groom; their hands, feet, face and neck. The haldi paste is made of turmeric, gram flour, curd, sandalwood and rose water and is said to give the couple their bridal glow. The haldi is done the night before the main wedding ceremony and in most cases, turns into another celebratory event. Not that we’re complaining!

 

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Wedding Ceremony

The actual wedding ceremony is a colourful affair with guests dressed up for the occasion as they witness the beautiful vows and prayers being performed. The actual wedding ceremony is made up of a few rituals all significant to the marriage union. One of the most significant factors is that the actual wedding date is chosen by a priest. Astrology plays a very important part and hence determines the best time and date for the couple to wed. Fire is another very significant part of a traditional wedding as it is always present during a rite of passage, such as births, deaths and marriages. Red powder known as ‘indoor’ is applied to the forehead and centre part of a woman’s head, symbolizing her status as a married woman to the world. This is also why most brides opt to wear red for their weddings.

 

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Reception

A reception will generally follow on from the wedding ceremony which is seen as the celebration of the wedding and partying through the night. There is not necessarily a ritual performed during the reception, just a chance for the couple to mingle with their guests, be congratulated on the wedding and dance the night away. Not a bad way to end off a 4-day wedding affair.

 

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Bidai

The last, and probably most tearful part of a wedding, the bidai, is where the bride bids farewell to her family. In previous times, once the bride marries her groom, she is officially leaving her family to join the family of the groom. This could be her first move out from home or moving to another place where she won’t see her family that often. This is a rather bittersweet moment and usually lots of tears are shed for loved ones.

Also to be noted, these are traditions passed down from generation to generation, so modern times have changed things slightly, although many of these are still followed today.

By Yashna Balwanth

Feature image: Unsplash

Imagine your wedding is going ahead on schedule and then you have an unexpected guest. Seems somewhat normal, right? Well, not for this unlucky couple, who were surprised by a bear at their wedding!

Sarina Thompson and Cory Alan Brewer had the shock of their lives when a massive black bear stumbled onto their wedding in the Great Smoky Mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee mid photoshoot. Luckily, their photographer, Leah McMahan Edmondson, was on hand to capture it all.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2vLNucg9JK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“I had the bride and groom with me starting to shoot when we all noticed this bear,” photographer Leah McMahan told The New York Post. “He turned and started down the aisle. Being scared didn’t cross my mind, I just wanted ‘the shot’.”

The bear then made a huffing noise and started coming toward them, at which point Leah began to panic.

“He jacked my heart rate up to Jesus,” she said.

Luckily no one was injured.

They say a picture says a thousand words. Well, these photographs definitely tell an interesting story!

Image: Instagram/gypsysoul_knoxville

First of all, Islamic marriage customs depend on the country, but all couples are guided by laws and practices stated in the Quran. A husband and wife are each other’s protector and comforter, and marriage is seen as a way to maintain the religion, especially when growing your family. So what exactly happens at a traditional Muslim wedding?

 

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#flawlessmakeup #makeupnatural #makeupnaturalelegant #weddingmakeup #weddingday #inspirasinikah #muslimwedding #nikahmuslim #muahitskebumen #muahitskebumen #muapurworejo #muacilacap #kebumenexplore #kebumenkeren

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Pre-wedding

Meher 

This is a payment made by the groom to his bride-to-be. It usually consists of two parts, prompt and deferred. Nowadays, most couples regard the ring as the prompt. The deferred amount is usually a smaller sum of money, an education, land or jewellery. The money belongs to the bride and she is free to do whatever she wants with it. Meher is a sign of security between the couple.

Wedding

Nikah

The wedding ceremony is known as Nikah. In order to officialise the marriage, the couple only have to sign a marriage contract. The wedding can be officiated by any Muslim who is well versed with Islamic tradition. An Islamic wedding does not require an official clergy. Two people have to be present to witness the joyous union.

To express their love and free choice, the couple repeat the word ‘qabul’ three times, which means ‘I accept’ in Arabic.

Once the contract is signed, a piece of sweet fruit is shared by the happy couple.

 

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Wedding of Dita & Hafiz Taken by @muezadigital #foto #binjai #nikah #lamaran #wedding #fotowedding #fotobinjai #fotomedan #fotopekanbaru #jasafoto #fotoprawedding #prawedding #cinematic #hantaran #hantaranbinjai #pernikahan #engagement #akad #akadnikah

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Fatihah and durud

The officiant usually reads the Fatihah which is the first chapter of the Quran. They speak about the meaning of marriage and the bond that the newlywed couple will share and their responsibilities to Allah and each other. It is not uncommon for a Muslim couple to not share vows. The newlyweds focus on what their officiant is saying.

Post-wedding

Walima

This is similar to a wedding reception. The purpose of a walima is to announce and rejoice the recent matrimony. Loved ones will gather and feast to celebrate the newlyweds.

It’s important to note that many wedding traditions vary as a result of the different regions. So some practices may not be the same all over.

 

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Shayaan and Nicola’s #walima

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Image: Unsplash