POST WEDDING GUJARATI RITUALS

A celebration of a typical Gujarati marriage does not end with the solemnization of marriage at the bride�s place. In fact these celebrations go ahead for next few days with the celebrations at the groom�s home after the arrival of bride at his place. 


The Post marriage ceremony begins with the Vidai (biding adieu) ceremony of the bride from her home and last with the reception ceremony of bride at the groom�s place. Here is a systemized list of the post wedding Gujarati rituals.

Vidaai
Vidaai means a formal exit of the bride from her father�s home. This ceremony marks the beginning of a completely new life for the girl with new people and new relations. The bride is formally bid adieu with lots of best wishes and tears of separation. Generally the brother of the bride accompanies her to the main exit of the home along with other relatives and finally gives her hand in her husband�s hand.

Ghar Ni Laxmi 
This is the first ritual after the bride reaches the groom�s home. As the bride is considered to be Ghar Ni Laxmi i.e. a form of Goddess Laxmi, who brings wealth and good luck to a family, she is welcomed with aarti. At the entrance of the house, a vessel filled with rice is placed. The bride is asked to knock down the vessel with her right foot, spilling some rice. This ritual is said to mark the entrance of Goddess Laxmi in the home.

Aeki Beki
After the bride comes inside the groom�s house, the bride and groom are seated and arrangements are made for the playing of Aeki Beki. To play this game, a vessel is filled with water, which is colored, by putting sindoor and milk in it. After that, a ring and several coins are put into it. The bride and groom are then asked to find the ring. Whoever finds the ring 4 out of 7 times, will rule the household.

Reception 
Reception is the formal introduction of the bride to the family and relatives of the groom. This is like a grand welcome ceremony of the bride to her new family where she is introduced to every relative of her new family. She is greeted by gifts and blessings of the elder one�s of the family in this ceremony.

GUJARATI WEDDING RITUALS

Gujarati Wedding is one of the most interesting wedding ceremonies in India. Like other Indian Wedding Ceremonies, the Gujarati Wedding Ceremony is full of several traditional rituals and customs. These traditional customs hold a deep meaning and regard for the Gujarati families. 

Performed with a great pomp and show, the Gujarati Wedding Ceremonies are vibrant and amusing. Generally held at night, the typical wedding affairs take almost an entire night to wrap up. The Wedding ceremony is followed by Ashirwaad and Vidai. Here is the systematic list of the traditional rituals in a Gujarati Marriage.

Ponkvu
The arrival of the groom and his family is called Ponkvu. It is actually the official beginning of the Gujarati wedding. The groom is welcomed by his mother-in-law by aarti. She also playfully tries to grab his nose at the entrance. This tradition is basically meant for an amusing welcome. However, the quoted reason behind this ceremony is to remind the groom that he has come rubbing his nose at the girl�s door asking for her hand from her parents.

Jaimala 
Jaimala is the formal introduction of bride and groom on a stage. It involves the exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom twice. First time, the groom is on a higher platform than the bride, while, the second time, they are at an equal level.

Madhuparka
After the Jaimala, Madhuparka ceremony is performed. In the Madhuparka ceremony, groom's feet are washed to make feel special, cared and superior. Also, he is given honey and milk to drink as a token of love. While this ceremony is going on, the bride's sisters try to steal the groom's shoes, known as 'Juta Churai'.

Kanya Agamana
Kanya Agamana is the beginning of the marriage on the serious note with the traditional customs and rituals solemnized by a Pundit. The bride is brought to the mandap by her maternal uncle. At the Mandap, there is an antarpaat (curtain) which separates her from her groom. As the Pundit begins chanting the mantras, the antarpaat is lowered and the couple exchanges garlands in front of the sacred fire.

Kanya Daan 
One of the most important wedding rituals, Kanya daan is followed right after Knaya Agamana. It is a ceremony, in which the bride's father washes the groom's feet and gives his daughter's hand to him in the hope that he will take good care of her. The bride is considered to be a form of Goddess Laxmi and thebridegroom is considered to be Lord Narayana. Kanya daan is performed in front of the sacred fire, facilitating the pious union of the boy and girl.

Hasta Milap
Hasta Milap ceremony performed after Kanya Daan has a lot of significance. It involves the tying of the groom's scarf or shawl to the bride's sari. The tying of knot and the joined hands of the couple are symbolic of the meeting of two hearts and souls. The acharya or the priest chants mantras and seeks the blessings of Goddess Laxmi and Parvatiji for the couple. The family and relatives witness the conduct of the ceremony and come forward to bless the bride and groom. They sprinkle rose petals and rice grains on them.

Mangalpheras
After Hasta Milap, Mangal Pheras are performed. Mangal Pheras are rounds that the couple takes around the sacred fire, as the priest chants mantras. It also involves the reciting of mantras by the groom that expresses his genuine and heartiest desire to seek his wife's loving support. In Gujarati marriage, there are four mangal pheras, which represent "Dharma", "Artha", "Kama" and "Moksha".

Saptapadi
Saptapadi is an important step of any Hindu marriage. In a typical Gujarati Marriage, the groom helps the bride in touching the seven betel nuts with her right toe, while both of them recite the seven vows for their commitment towards each other. At each step of the Saptapadi, the groom asks for support from his bride throughout his life.

Saubhagyavati Bhava
This is a way to bless the newly wedded couple. In this tradition, seven married women from the bride�s family whisper good wishes and blessings in the right ear of the bride. They bless her to remain a Saubhagyavati i.e. lucky throughout her life.

Chero Pakaryo
The Chero Pakaryo is an exclusive Gujarati custom. It is a kind of amusement after the serious traditional ritual. In this custom, the groom is made to tug the sari of his mother in law as she passes from the Mandap in way that it looks he is asking the bride�s family for gifts.

Shubh Ashirwaad 
After all the wedding rituals are over, the couple seeks the blessing of every senior member of the family present at the marriage. They are then blessed with gifts and other auspicious items.

PRE-WEDDING GUJARATI RITUALS

Gujarati Marriage Ceremonies can basically be divided into three parts- the Pre-marriage ceremonies, the Wedding Ceremonies and the Post Wedding Ceremonies. Pre- Wedding Ceremonies form an important part of the entire marriage ceremony as most of them are performed individually at the bride�s and groom�s place giving a festive mood to both the houses. 

As the entire atmosphere is full of vibrancy and liveliness, both the families also reflect the enthusiasm and zeal towards the minute detailing of every little aspect of the ceremony. Given here are the pre-wedding Gujarati rituals, which are actually synchronized steps toward the most awaited ceremony-the marriage.

Sagaai
Sagaai i.e. the engagement ceremony is the first formal announcement of the marriage from both the families. In this ceremony solemnized at the groom�s place, the bride�s family arrives with �Matli�, a steel container full of sweets and gifts for the groom and his family. The �would be couple� is blessed at this ceremony by both the families.

Mandap Mahurat
This is a typical Ganesh pooja performed before any auspicious ritual at home. The Pooja is performed separately at the bride�s and groom�s place few days before the wedding ceremony to bring good luck and prosperity to the families. This Pooja is also done to ensure that no negative energy could be able to create any hindrance in the forth coming auspicious ceremony.

Griha Shanti
This pooja is meant to seek the blessings of a happy and peaceful married life for the couple. It is performed at a specific auspicious time decided by a Pandit in accordance with the horoscopes of the perspective bride and groom.

Pithi
This is a ceremony performed individually at both the bride and groom houses. In this ceremony, the bride and groom are cleansed with the turmeric paste which is considered auspicious and beautifying. It is said to brighten and soften the skin to produce a healthy glow at the wedding ceremony.

Mehndi
Mehndi is an interesting ceremony solemnized a day or two before the wedding. On this day, the ritual of applying Henna or Mehndi is performed at the brides place. Bride�s hand and legs are covered with beautiful Henna motifs. Interesting folklores and songs entertain the guests.

Garba
Garba is the specialty of any Gujarati ceremony. It is also performed a night before the wedding with the both the families at the wedding venue. It gives an opportunity of interaction and fun before the wedding ceremony actually begins. The most interesting part of Garba is Raas when people have to dance with dadiya sticks in pairs. The pre-wedding rituals end with Garba as the next morning begins with the wedding rituals.

GUJARATI WEDDING ATTIRE

Indian wedding is characterized by elaborate rituals and traditions. A grand affair, marriage is an essential step towards oneness, taken by both the bride and the groom. The weddings in India usually are extravagant and splendid events and are distinguished as a large festival that is usually celebrated over a span of a week. 

Rituals and traditions make an important part of the wedding ceremony. These rituals make the ceremony sanctified and thus, are given a lot of importance. Hectic preparations and organizations define any Indian wedding. Since India is a land of diversity, every region has follows its own culture and traditions.

The state of Gujarat in India is rich in culture and heritage and hence wedding sin Gujarat are strongly bound to the roots of the culture and traditions. Right from the rituals followed to the attire worn, every aspect of a Gujarati marriage reflect the tradition prevalent in the state. People in the Gujarat adore themselves with colorful attires in weddings celebrations. 

Gujarati wedding attire exhibits glimpses of their rich culture. Talking about the Gujarati wedding bridal wear, most Gujarati girls choose to wear a sari that is draped in the proper Gujarati style, while the groom is mostly seen in dhoti kurta, the tradiotional wedding attire. In short, Gujarati marriage is a classic example of ethnicity, in which people dress up in beautiful rainbow colors.

For Bride 
Ethnicity is the key, when it comes to Gujarati wedding attire for the bride. Traditionally, saree has been the ideal ethnic dress for a bride, draped in a Gujarati style, coupled with traditional jewelry pieces, in a Gujarati wedding. Talking about traditional Gujarati saree, there are two basic types - the Panetar, a white sari with red bandhini border and the Gharchola, traditional red bandhini sari crisscrossed with woven gold squares, enclosing bandhini motifs. 

Though red is considered as the most auspicious color for the bride, with the changing times, contemporary color and designs have become hot favorite option. Traditional bandhini saris in old rose, jade green, peach etc. with zari borders are making way as the most picked bridal wear. Designer bridal lehangas available in different shades are gaining momentum as well. Stylish and chic looking, these lehangas are luring more and more girls into buying them for the special day of their lives.

For Groom
In a traditional Gujarati marriage, grooms opt for dhoti kurta. Cream, fawn and lemon yellow are the most preferred color choice for the groom. To spice up the look, he can also wear a red colored Bandhej dupatta around his neck. However, in the present times, traditional attire is giving way to the modern styled attire. 

The main effect of this is seen in metropolitan cities, wherein the traditional ethnic clothing has taken a little back stage. More and more men prefer exploring the western wear category. Formal suits have become the ideal choice of the town. As such, for the modern men, the fashion designers are coming up with designer Gujarati wedding bridegroom wear, such as indo western kurta pyjamas, so that traditional and ethnic wears continue to dominate the wedding scene.