In the Hindu dharma, marriage is believed to be a sacrament of two souls and just an agreement between two humans. The East Indian weddings, the rituals and traditions are thought to be the principle component of marriage. Marriage is a life-long commitment of a man to his wife and a woman to her husband in these kinds of marriages and is the strongest social bond that can take place between a man and a woman. The east Indian strongly believe that Grahastha Ashram or the householder stage, the second of the four stages of life, as per the vedas, begins when a man and a woman enter the holy bond of matrimony to start a household. In case of East Indian marriages, the only way to continue the family and thereby repay his debt to his/her ancestors is marriage.
In the view of the East Indians, marriage is not an allowance to human weakness, but it is meant for spiritual growth. Man and woman are thought to be soul mates that, through the foundation of marriage, can direct the energy connected with their entity instincts and passion into the development of their souls. The eastern states of India like West Bengal, Assam, Bihar or Orissa reflect the customs of marriage in this region.
Assamese wedding ceremony is simple but elegant at the same time. The melody of the soothing wedding song `biya naam" marks its uniqueness. The Assamese matrimonial customs & traditions include Pre Wedding Rituals like Juran Ceremony, Tel Diya Custom, Pani Tola, Nuani Tradition and so on. The main Wedding Rituals include Ceremonial Bath, Wedding Reception, Arrival Of The Groom and Wedding Ceremony.
The Bengali wedding ceremonies are the most interesting and merrymaking communities during marriages. The Bengali marriages consist of simple but meaningful rituals. There are plenty of interesting Bengali wedding traditions and customs, which enable close friends and relatives to come together and share blissful moments. The traditional Bengali marriage rituals can be divided into pre marriage rituals, wedding events and post marriage ones. The Pre Wedding Rituals include Vridhi Puja, Dodhi Mangal Ceremony, Wedding Piris, Gae Halud Tattva Ritual, Snan, Sankha Porana, Dressing up the bride and Mandap. The wedding rituals include Welcoming the groom, Shubho Drishti Ritual, Mala Badal Ceremony, Saat Paak Ritual and Sampradhan. The post wedding rituals include Basar Ghar custom, Bashi Biye ritual, Bidaai ceremony, Bou Baran and Bou Bhat ceremony.
The symbol of Marriage in the east India is marked in the ritual of applying vermilion powder, in the parting of the bride`s hair signifies the culmination of the wedding. The groom uses his wedding ring dipped in vermilion powder to mark a line from the start of his bride`s hairline to the crown of her head. The material may either be ring, or a small basket or just finger. This is decided by the variation of castes. The ceremony ends with the couple seeking the blessing of the elders. All the attendees greet them. The bride is than ritually sent off to her new family; in certain customs at this point the brides usually undergo a name change as a symbol of shedding her old ties and adorning her new family. Nowadays the brides can even choose to keep both the titles along with their good name.
When the bride arrives at her new home, her mother-in-law ritually welcomes her and she is ceremonially welcomed into the house. She takes care to enter with the auspicious right foot first, gently kicking over an intentionally placed measure of paddy as an augury of plenty for her new family. In modern times post the ritual rig-ma-role the couple through all relationships out the window and travel to the joy of honeymooning.
The East Indian marriages are the amalgamation of tradition, fun and prosperity. The extravagance and color of the occasion strikes everyone present.
Kinds of Indian Wedding
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