An off-shoot of Hinduism, brides and grooms with Gujarati heritage have plenty to look forward to on their Big Day.
1. The Pithi ceremony
Forget the latest spa treatment; this is the ancient Indian way of beautifying the bride and groom (separately) before the Big Day. And instead of whale music and tea lights, the Pithi is all about raucous relatives partying the night away with traditional songs and plenty of bad dancing.
So - what happens exactly? The Pithi takes place a couple of days before the wedding. The sacred bright yellow haldi, or tumeric, is made into a paste by mixing it with gram flour, curd, sandalwood and rose water. Then the fun begins! Guests slather the blend onto the hands, feet and face of the bride and the groom, staining their skin bright yellow - believed to bring good luck and fortune to the couple.
2. Mehndi Party
Mehndi has been used to decorate brides (and grooms on occasion) for centuries. The tradition, which involves tracing intricate designs across hands and feet, is said to promote fertility and attract good energy - perfect for weddings, non? Circular patterns are popular as they signify unity and eternity, so brides tend to request these to encourage good fortune on their Big Day.
3. Baraat
Too often, the focus of a wedding day is the bride - her outfit, her makeup, her entrance. And while there’s no doubting her importance, it takes two to tie the knot.
In Gujarati culture, the groom’s arrival is an essential part of the day. He arrives majestically on horseback (or failing that, a swanky car), dressed in a sherwani and escorted by singing and dancing to signify their joy in welcoming his new bride into the fold.
4. Vivaha-homa
The primary witness of a Hindu and Gujarati marriage is the Sacred Fire, Agni. The Hindu priest will perform Vivah Homa, the lighting of the fire invoking divine powers, in the Mandap before the family and friends of the couple to mark an auspicious start to the rituals.
The reason Vivah Homa is so significant is because the fire is believed to represent Lord Agni. The idea is to begin the wedding ceremony in an atmosphere of purity, spirituality and mental illumination. Offerings made during the sacred union of the bride and groom are given to God through the medium of the fire. The flames are fuelled with woods, grains and ghee - the clarified butter Indians use in everyday cooking.
Parts or all of the ceremony and prayers could be conducted in the ancient Hindu language of Sanskrit, considered the language of all holy ceremonies.
5. Jai Mala
The Jai Mala is one of the landmark moments in a Gujarati wedding and the moment where the couple trade floral garlands. As the bride approaches the Mandap, a white cloth obscuring her view of the groom falls and their eyes meet for the ‘first time’. They swap garlands to display their acceptance of the other. It’s a solemn moment, broken by cheering and applause from guests once the exchange is complete.
6. The Kanya Daan
Hankies at the ready - this is the moment in a Gujarati wedding where the father of the bride officially gives away his daughter. He does this by pouring sacred water over her hand before placing her palm in the groom’s hand. It’s an incredibly moving moment, and tears are inevitable.
Next, the groom’s sister ties a length of groom’s scarf to the bride’s sari with betel nuts, copper coins, and rice to symbolize unity, prosperity, and happiness. The knot is especially significant, as it represents the eternal bond of marriage. So the sister-in-law officially ‘ties the knot’, as it were. Today, Gujarati weddings can also involve exchanging gifts, such as clothes and jewellery ornaments. The groom may present his new wife with a Mangal Sutra, a necklace or woven thread to indicate her new status as a married woman.
7. Laja homa
In the Laja Homa ritual of the ceremony, the bride’s brother, or closest male relative, hands her parched rice grains to offer the fire. The couple together offer the grains to the Gods through the fire while they pray and chant mantras to Yama, the God of Death, for a long, prosperous life filled with good health and happiness. In practice, the rice should be taken from the fields of the motherland, but these days shop-bought puffed rice is an adequate substitute.
8. Mangal Phera & Saptapadi
The couple complete four circulations around the fire, known as Pheras for Dharma (duty), Artha (providing for the family), Karma (love) and Moksha (knowledge).
The Groom leads the first three rounds, and the bride does the final round to show she’ll stand by him through thick and thin.
Next is the Saptapadi - the seven steps around the fire. Every step is accompanied with a prayer and seven vows for the marriage to be official in Hinduism. Each vow is meaningful and calls on the God’s blessing for food, friendship, life, fertility, prosperity, faith and strength.
9. Subhagya Chinha
A red bindi is one of the most easily recognisable signs of a Hindu woman. The bindi is believed to sit on one of the body’s key chakras, the space between the eyebrows that’s home to the “concealed wisdom”, or the third eye.
A red mark or bindi also signifys a woman’s commitment to the long life and well-being of her husband, much like wearing wedding bands in Western weddings.
During the Subhagya Chinha, the groom blesses his bride by anointing her forehead with kumkum or sindoor (vermilion powder) at the parting of her hair, or on her forehead. He also gives her a sacred necklace, the Mangal Sutra as a physical representation of their love, togetherness and the sacred union they made on their wedding day.
10. Bidaai
There’s no stopping the tears at this point! The Bidaai is the highly-charged and emotional farewell to the bride from her family as she prepares to leave her childhood home for her new husband’s house. It’s a bittersweet moment for everyone in the bridal party, because while her family are happy that she’s beginning a new chapter of her life, it also means she’s embarking on the final journey into womanhood without them. The bride travels in either a decorated Doli, or more commonly these days, a luxury car.
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