Gujarati Wedding Essay

Marriage procedures from culture to culture is very diverse. It can vary from arrange marriages to traditional marriages. In India and China, it is very common for either the daughter or son to have arrange marriages. Very few are given the freedom to choose their soul mate in both cultures. However, when they do, he or she must take their companion to meet the parents and have the parents agree. Once the confirmation has been set, wedding planning starts to take place. From interviewing a friend who is Gujarati and comparing it from my culture, there are some differences and similarities when it comes to wedding cultures. From the interview that I have conducted with Jessa Patel, her family is very open and wiling to accept traditional marriage.

Within those day, there are a lot of preparations for the groom and bride and for the families to attend. Most of the events include celebrating and rituals. For example, some events in the pre wedding includes a Sagaai, engagement ceremony where the bride-to-be arrives to the groom-to-be’s place with matli, which is a package filled with gifts to show that the bride’s family accepts the marriage. Then there is a short ceremony where five women from each side of the family blesses the couple a long life marriage. Then the day before the wedding, there is an event called Pithi a ceremony where both the bride and groom are covered in yellow powder to cleanse themselves before the big day. Also the bride’s hands and feet are adorned with intricate patterns in henna also known as mehndi. Mehndi symbolizes devoted love in marriage, therefore the bride does its best job to retain the mehndi to last (Avadhani, 2008). A ritual event that the bride and groom attends to is called a Girha Shanti, which is conducted by a pandit and the pray calls for the couples to have a happy marriage and peace from the stars (Avadhani,

The groom will arrive on a horseback or on a horse at the wedding ceremony with his friends and family. Everyone will get together and will start dancing. Once the mini celebration ends, the groom is welcomed by the mother-in-law at the entrance of the ceremony which is called Ponkvu. The mother-in-law performs the aarti and will playfully grab his nose. The tradition reminds the groom that he has come rubbing his nose at their door asking for their daughter’s hand in marriage. Then it is time for the ceremony to start. The bride walks down on the aisle with her maternal uncles. Once she reaches the mandap, which is a canopy, there is a curtain called antarpaat which separates her from the groom. The Acharaya, which is the priest will begin the ceremony and the antarpaat will be lowered as the couple exchange garlands. The ritual when the bride is given away by her parents, Kanya Daan symbolizes the parents are handing over the Goddess Laxmi(their daughter) to Lord Vishnu(the groom). According to (Twamley, 2014) Indian weddings has more rituals in it dedicated to religious practices because weddings are considered part of Hindu life. Two lives joining together symbolizes activities performed by Hindu deities (Twamley, 2014). Then the groom’s scarf is tied with the bride’s saree which symbolize the union of two souls into one. The Acharya chants mantras to invoke the blessing of Goddess Laxmi and