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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.

🇮🇳 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

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaithil Vivahमैथिल विवाह The arranged Hindu marriage of Maithils in the Mithila region, guided by Vedic texts and local customs.Betrothal · Finding a match 🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 IndiaChaklong wedding The traditional Ahom marriage system involving rice powder mandalas and ancestral rituals.Rite · Finding a match 🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding A Zoroastrian marriage ceremony featuring hand-fastening, rice sprinkling, and shared meals.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 IndiaVaramalaवरमाला (Varamālā) The exchange of flower garlands that marks mutual acceptance in a Hindu wedding.Rite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAnand Karajਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ The Sikh wedding rite where the couple circles the Guru Granth Sahib to four hymns of union.Rite · Procession and arrival

🇮🇳 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

🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali Muslim weddingবাঙালি মুসলিম বিয়ে A multi-day Bengali Muslim marriage blending Islamic rites with local folk traditions.Rite · The weeks before

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingvivaha (विवाह) The traditional marriage ceremony for Hindus, centered on sacred fire and seven vows.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMangalsutraमङ्गलसूत्रम् (maṅgalasūtram) The sacred necklace tied around the bride's neck to mark her marriage.Adornment · The ceremony

🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର) The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoruwa ceremony The Sinhalese wedding ritual performed on a carved wooden platform with betel leaves and milk rice.Rite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 IndiaMeitei weddingLuhongba (ꯂꯨꯍꯣꯡꯕ) The traditional union of the Meitei people, marked by clan exogamy and specific courtship rituals.Rite · Finding a match 🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · Finding a match

🇮🇳 IndiaSaptapadiसप्तपदी (Saptapadī) The seven steps or rounds around the sacred fire that complete a Hindu marriage.Rite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreKanyadanaकन्यादान (Kanyādāna) The Hindu rite where a father gives his daughter in marriage to the groom.Rite · The ceremony

🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 4 moreSindoorसिंदूर (Hindi) The vermilion powder a Hindu husband applies to his wife's hair parting to mark her marriage.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal

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

Photo credits on this page

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

Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
Varamala: Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kanyadana: ArpitaRai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saptapadi: Bhumish143, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chaklong wedding: Chiring chandan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Poruwa ceremony: A Derivative Work by MediaJet ,, CC BY 2.0, source
Meitei wedding: Dabu Leichombam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sindoor: Masum-al-hasan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Mangalsutra: Ackroydman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

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