Wedding traditions of South Asia
Saptapadi and the sacred fire, mehndi and haldi, baraat and nikah: the longest, loudest weddings anywhere. 119 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
š¦š« Afghanistan 7š§š© Bangladesh 12š§š¹ Bhutan 4š®š³ India 123š²š» Maldives 1š³šµ Nepal 22šµš° Pakistan 28š±š° Sri Lanka 9
Cities and towns
On the calendar
Dev Uthani EkadashiHindu winter shaadi season (Dev Uthani to Kharmas)Magh and Phalgun wedding windowHindu spring wedding window (April to June)Akshaya TritiyaVasant Panchami as a wedding dateBhadli NavamiShubh Vivah muhuratShawwal, the month after RamadanThe winter wedding season of South AsiaMehr, the Persian autumn of weddingsRamadan
š®š³ Kochi, IndiaKasavuą“ą“øą“¾ą“µąµ
The white cotton and gold border attire worn by Malayalis for weddings and festivals.Attire Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ India and 1 moreAlpanaą¦ą¦²ą¦Ŗą¦Øą¦¾ (Bengali)
Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ India and 2 moreAltaą¦ą¦²ą¦¤ą¦¾ (Bengali)
A red dye applied to hands and feet as an auspicious adornment in South Asian weddings and festivals.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ IndiaGana
A sacred red thread tied to wrists for protection during wedding rituals in parts of India.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ IndiaMehndi
The henna body art applied to brides and guests before a South Asian wedding ceremony.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š³šµ Nepal and 2 moreKhata
A ceremonial scarf offered to show respect and welcome at weddings and other gatherings in Tibet and Nepal.Adornment Ā· Reception, dance and gifts
š®š³ Patiala, IndiaParanda
A silk thread hair ornament worn by Punjabi women during weddings and festivals.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ India and 2 moreNose jewelNath
A nose piercing ornament that signals marital status and social standing in South Asia and beyond.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ India and 2 moreAltaą¦ą¦²ą¦¤ą¦¾ (Bengali)
A red dye applied to hands and feet as an auspicious adornment in South Asian weddings and festivals.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
š®š³ India and 2 moreNose jewelNath
A nose piercing ornament that signals marital status and social standing in South Asia and beyond.Adornment Ā· The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Gana: William J Sisti, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mehndi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alta: Shounak Ray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Paranda: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Khata: Wiki-uk, CC BY 3.0, source
- Nose jewel: Etan Doronne @ www.myindiaexperience.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, source