Marriage Season

The festival season is almost over but not yet. There’s Christmas next month. Hundreds of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) would flock their hometowns and cities. For NRIs, the long season of Christmas and New Year gives an opportunity to head back to their country, meet their relatives or otherwise get indulged in the wedding celebrations.

As the main festivity of Diwali ends, so starts the family festivity of marriage. Mangsir or Margshirsh is considered one of the main months of Hindu marriages. It is believed that, the wedding activities would start only once Lord Vishnu wakes after a sleep spell of six months. This happens from the day of Dev-uthani Ekadashi which falls on the 11th day of the second half of the month of Kaarthik. Kaarthik is considered the month completely dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu. On the no-moon day, Goddess Laxmi, wife of Lord Vishnu is worshipped which is called the day of Diwali.

Recent years have seen a spurt of marriages in this month leading to shortage of wedding venues. Certain dates are so auspicious and exclusive that sometimes as many as 40,000 weddings are conducted on the same day. As far as weddings are concerned, NRIs enjoy the most. This is so because they hardly get to see and observe such get-together in foreign countries. Also, like any Christian wedding, the Hindu wedding has to be done in a day. Thus, people cannot enjoy or celebrate the activities in a manner similar to those when they would have been in their home town. At the same time, NRIs have to follow and are accustomed to a culture very different from what exists in their own country. Rules and regulations abroad are very different and they have to abide by it once they spend life abroad.

Wedding is a season in India. It is celebrated just like a festival with lights, flowers, sweets, crackers. Everything is new, the house is painted new, the lawns are mowed and the exteriors are decorated with fresh flowers and lights. New clothes, shoes and jewellery are purchased. Each and everyone in the crowd takes part in the celebration and contributes himself in such a manner that it seems it’s his brother or sister or daughter or son’s wedding.

Wedding venues are decked up with best lights, lamps and flowers. Tents are raised and carpets are rolled out. Stage is set for the groom and bride. Caterers get busy to prepare the best lunch or dinner. Commonly for any Hindu wedding, vegetable dishes made in ghee or refined oil are served with best spices. Rotis or nans are accompanied by salads, desserts and salty items. Dessert is usually a traditional sweet item. Sometimes arrangement for light snacks like pani-puri, pav-bhaji and aloo-tikki is also provided for a change. Most of the vegetable dishes are traditional recipes that differ with region. For instance, in a Marwadi marriage, Gatte ki subzi and daal-batti are served while in a Punjabi marriage, paneer tikka masala is accompanied by chole kulche or chole bhature. In a South Indian wedding, idli, dosa, sambhar, coconut chutney is common apart from rasam and rice.

Also the traditions differ from region to region. Hindu marriage is performed in front of the fire (agni–kund ) with the reciting of Hindu chants by the priest. The groom and bride take seven rounds of the fire swearing one another to help and respect each other in their relationship. The groom inserts red vermillion on the middle forehead of the bride and ties a black beaded chain (mangalsutra) around her neck. There are slight differences in the conduct of marriages in various parts of India. But the basic remains the same.