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EveryShaadi

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.

🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Bengali) Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment · The weeks before

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLaavaanਲਾਵਾਂ ਫੇਰੇ (Lavan) The four sacred hymns sung during the Anand Karaj that guide a Sikh couple through spiritual stages of married life.Rite · The ceremony 🇮🇳 IndiaOonjal A decorated swing where the Tamil bride and groom sit to receive family blessings.Blessing · The ceremony 🇮🇳 Jodhpur, India and 1 moreAchkanअचकन (Hindi), اچکن (Urdu) A long, side-fastening jacket worn by grooms and men at formal Indian weddings.Attire · The ceremony

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreToe ring A silver band worn on the second toe to mark a woman as married in India.Adornment · The ceremony

🇮🇳 IndiaAyyavazhi wedding The sacred rite of Ayyavazhi that treats marriage as a spiritual sacrament and family life as the highest austerity.Rite · Procession and arrival

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreToporটোপর The fragile white conical crown worn by the Bengali Hindu groom for luck.Attire · The weeks before 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChuraचूरा (Hindi) The red and white bangles that mark a bride's new status in Indian Hindu weddingsAttire · The weeks before 🇦🇫 AfghanistanAhesta Beroآهسته برو The song played to welcome the bride and groom into the wedding hall in AfghanistanPerformance · Procession and arrival

🇮🇳 IndiaSaptapadiसप्तपदी (Saptapadī) The seven steps or rounds around the sacred fire that complete a Hindu marriage.Rite · The ceremony 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMangala AshtakaMaṅgala Aṣṭaka A Hindu blessing sung at Marathi weddings and recited in Sinhalese Buddhist ceremoniesBlessing · The ceremony

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWedding veil A cloth covering the head or face worn by brides and grooms to mark marriage.Attire · The ceremony

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ (Yajña) A sacred fire ritual central to Hindu weddings and other rites of passageRite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 2 moreKarva Chauthकरकचतुर्थी (Karakachaturthī) A Hindu festival where married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their husband's health and life.Betrothal · The weeks before

🇳🇵 NepalPanche bajaपञ्चे बाजा A set of five traditional instruments played at Hindu weddings in Nepal.Performance · Procession and arrival

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
Karva Chauth: Iamwiki001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saptapadi: Bhumish143, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Topor: Sumit Paul-Choudhury, CC BY 2.0, source
Wedding veil: David Ring, CC0, source
Panche baja: Janak Bhatta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.