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Unique Ritual in Rajasthani and Gujarati Weddings
Unique Ritual in Rajasthani and Gujarati Weddings
RAJASTHANI WEDDINGS
Rajasthan is the land of rich cultural heritage, and the wedding culture and traditions of
Rajasthan is as fascinating as the royalness of the state.
Bhaat Nyotna
This is a pre-wedding tradition according to which, there is a ritual that the first invitation of
the wedding will be sent to each other by the families of both bride and groom. The
invitations are sent with gifts and both families assure each other full support in the wedding
functions. This is followed by the Bhaat-Bharna ceremony in which the maternal uncle is
feed with Gud-Chawal (Rice and Jaggery).
It is believed that any shubh-karya (Good-work) should be started with worshipping Lord
Ganesh. The Nandi Ganesh pooja is performed by both the sides separately before the
wedding day for a smooth and trouble-free wedding function. In Rajasthan weddings Lord
Ganesh is considered to be an integral part of the marriage and that’s why there is a Bindayak
(young boy) who accompanies the groom in performing various wedding rituals including
Ghud-Chadhai.
Anjhala Bharai
Anjhala Bharai is one of the most unique traditions of a Marwari wedding. In this there is a
ritual in which the father-in-law of the bride withdraws a pile of money from the groom’s
pocket or bag and then drops it in the laps of the bride. This tradition symbolizes that the in-
laws have passed the financial responsibility of their house to the bride and now she has to
take care of it, as the bride is considered to be Ghar ki Laxmi.
GUJARATI WEDDINGS
A Gujarati Wedding is full of unique traditions and rituals. The traditions are rich and
beautiful and are exciting to know about.
Chandlo Matli
This is the custom which symbolizes acceptance of the union and in this families of both
bride and groom officially announces the marriage. In this ceremony, the father of groom
accompanied with four male relatives of the bride visits the house of the groom to give the
shagun (Gifts and Cash) in a Matli (steel utensil) and the father also draws a Chandlo (red
circle) on the fore head of the groom. The date of the wedding is also fixed during this
ceremony.
This is the ritual in which the rings are exchanged between the bride and the groom in a
Gujarati wedding. The ceremony takes place at the house of the groom and here 5 married
women from both the sides bless the couple as a ritual, and Gol Dhana that is Gud-Dhaniya
(Jaggery and coriander) is distributed among the guests.
Ponkvu Ceremony
The ceremony of Ponkvu marks the arrival of the groom at the venue, and the baraat (groom
and his family members) are welcomed by the bride’s family. The unique part of this ritual in
the Gujarati wedding is that after the Aarti and the Tilak when the groom touches the feet of
his to be mother-in-law to take her blessings, she tries to pull him inside the venue by pulling
his nose which the groom tries to avoid. This symbolizes the respect that should be given by
the groom to the mother and family members of the bride as they are giving their daughter
away.