Sikh wedding traditions
The Sikh wedding is the anand karaj, the ceremony of bliss, held in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, usually in a gurdwara.
The Sikh wedding is the anand karaj, the ceremony of bliss, held in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, usually in a gurdwara. It is simple in form and recognised in law in the UK, India and elsewhere. It is open to the community, and the meal is the free community kitchen, langar.
The lavan
The central act is the lavan, four hymns composed by Guru Ram Das. The couple walk around the Guru Granth Sahib four times while each hymn is sung, with the groom leading, and the bride's father or brother passes a scarf, the palla, between them. The ceremony begins with the milni, the meeting of the two families, and an ardas, prayer, and ends with the Anand Sahib and the distribution of karah prashad.
Before and after
Before the wedding families hold a roka, a vatna with turmeric, a mehndi and a jaggo, a night procession of song with lighted pots. After the ceremony comes the doli, the farewell, and the reception. Sikh guidance asks that the marriage be between Sikhs, and some gurdwaras refuse to hold interfaith ceremonies, while others differ. Dowry is discouraged.
Equality and debate
The lavan treats both partners equally, and many gurdwaras ask that the couple walk side by side or that both lead in turn. The question of who leads has been raised by modern couples. Tension over interfaith weddings in gurdwaras, and over the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 and its registration in India from 2012, remain current topics.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Sikh (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
- Banns of marriage: After William Hemsley, CC0, source
- Collective wedding: Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Pará, Public domain, source
- Mayian: Rakzika, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Dowry system in India: Unknown author, Public domain, source