Haldi
A pre-wedding rite in which turmeric paste is rubbed on the bride and groom.
Also: pithi, manjal neeratu, ubtan
In haldi, married women of the family smear a golden paste of turmeric, oil and sometimes sandalwood on the face, arms and feet of the bride and groom, each at their own home, usually the morning before the wedding. It is meant to bless, to cleanse and to give the skin a glow, and it is a noisy, messy time of teasing and song. Guests wear yellow. The rite goes by other names by region: pithi in Punjab, gaye holud in Bengal, manjal neeratu in Tamil Nadu and ubtan in parts of the north.
Region: South Asia