Skip to content

Dowry and giftsIndia's dowry curse: Outlawed practice remains deeply entrenched - Reporters DressHBCU mascots get married during homecoming CustomsWhy Brides Are Refusing to Buy Traditional Wedding Dresses for $5,000 RitesGrooms redefine wedding wardrobes with comfort, tradition, and reusability in mind LawColumn: Va. conservatives should vote for marriage equality amendment Dowry and giftsDLSA Secretary calls for wider student awareness on Dowry Prohibition Act Mass weddingsWhy South Africans won't stop spending on celebrations Dowry and giftsNow Solar Panels given as dowry in Pakistan RitesFrom brides’ hands to a Starbucks cup: Meet Manii Basran, the mehendi artist who turned her art into a vi RitesJefferies Sees A Reason for Indian Hotels To Cheer Louder In The Upcoming Wedding Season Dowry and giftsIndia's dowry curse: Outlawed practice remains deeply entrenched - Reporters DressHBCU mascots get married during homecoming CustomsWhy Brides Are Refusing to Buy Traditional Wedding Dresses for $5,000 RitesGrooms redefine wedding wardrobes with comfort, tradition, and reusability in mind LawColumn: Va. conservatives should vote for marriage equality amendment Dowry and giftsDLSA Secretary calls for wider student awareness on Dowry Prohibition Act Mass weddingsWhy South Africans won't stop spending on celebrations Dowry and giftsNow Solar Panels given as dowry in Pakistan RitesFrom brides’ hands to a Starbucks cup: Meet Manii Basran, the mehendi artist who turned her art into a vi RitesJefferies Sees A Reason for Indian Hotels To Cheer Louder In The Upcoming Wedding Season

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.

🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreWatta sattaوٹّا سٹّا (Punjabi), شغار (Urdu) A reciprocal marriage arrangement where two families exchange sisters and brothers to bind their households together.Betrothal · Finding a match

🇮🇳 IndiaBride buying in India The forced purchase of women from impoverished regions for arranged marriages in Northern India.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇳 IndiaArabikalyanam A temporary marriage arrangement between Arabian men and women in Kerala that has been linked to exploitation.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreDowry A payment of wealth from the bride's family to the groom or his household at marriage.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 3 moreDowry system in Indiaदहेज (Hindi), ज़ेहर (Urdu) The transfer of cash and goods from the bride's family to the groom that has become a source of financial strain and vioGift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 1 moreVaniونى (Urdu) A forced child marriage used as compensation to settle tribal disputes in Pakistan.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaKandyan marriage The traditional union rites of Sri Lanka's Buddhist Kandyan community, defined by residence and inheritance.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇧🇩 BangladeshPolygamy in Bangladesh The practice of men taking multiple wives, regulated by different laws for Muslims and Hindus.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇲🇻 MaldivesPolygamy in the Maldives The legal practice allowing men to marry multiple wives under strict financial conditions.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇮🇳 Mysore, IndiaMysore Kalyanam A fraudulent marriage scheme targeting women from Kerala for dowry moneyGift custom · Engagement and betrothal

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Bride buying in India: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dowry: Vassili Vladimirovich Pukiryov, Public domain, source
Dowry system in India: Unknown author, Public domain, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

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