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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 LawSamuel Alito blames marriage equality for America’s ‘decisive’ turn ‘against religious liberty’LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says marriage equality turned US "against religious liberty"LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Calls Marriage Equality Ruling a Turn 'Against Religious Liberty'DressMiss Manners: Modern weddings are less about tradition, more about celebration Mass weddingsLaoag City’s ‘Alisto I Do’ seals decade-long promise for 42 couples IndustryIndia hotels see winter wedding boom LawPunjab Panel Approves Bill to Reform Christian Marriage Law 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 LawSamuel Alito blames marriage equality for America’s ‘decisive’ turn ‘against religious liberty’LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says marriage equality turned US "against religious liberty"LawSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Calls Marriage Equality Ruling a Turn 'Against Religious Liberty'DressMiss Manners: Modern weddings are less about tradition, more about celebration Mass weddingsLaoag City’s ‘Alisto I Do’ seals decade-long promise for 42 couples IndustryIndia hotels see winter wedding boom LawPunjab Panel Approves Bill to Reform Christian Marriage Law

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 3 moreNikah halalaنکاح حلالہ A second marriage required for a woman to remarry her first husband after triple talaq.Vow · After the wedding 🇮🇳 IndiaSambandam The traditional matrilineal marriage alliance of Kerala's Nairs and Nambudiris.Betrothal · Finding a match

🇮🇳 IndiaGandharva marriageगान्धर्व विवाह (gāndharva vivāha) A consensual union between a man and a woman without rituals or family involvement.Betrothal · Finding a match

🇮🇳 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

🇮🇳 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

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

🇮🇳 IndiaSaptapadiसप्तपदी (Saptapadī) The seven steps or rounds around the sacred fire that complete a Hindu marriage.Rite · The ceremony 🇮🇳 IndiaDaiva marriageदैवविवाह (Daivavivāha) An ancient Hindu rite where a daughter is given to the priest who officiates her father's sacrifice.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 🇵🇰 Lahore, Pakistan and 1 morePolygamy in Pakistan The legal allowance for Muslim men to have up to four wives under Pakistani law.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaPolygamy in Sri Lanka The historical and current legal status of multiple marriages under Kandyan and Muslim law.Vow

🇮🇳 Kinnaur, IndiaPolyandry in India A practice where a woman has multiple husbands at the same time, found in specific Indian communities.Vow · Engagement and betrothal

🇳🇵 NepalInter-caste marriage in Nepalअन्तरजातीय विवाह Marriage across caste lines in a society where such unions were once illegal and remain socially contested.Vow · 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 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreInter-caste marriage A union between people of different castes, often contested in South Asia.Vow · Engagement and betrothal

🇵🇰 Pakistan and 5 moreCousin marriage A union between people who share a grandparent or recent ancestor, practiced in many regions and communities.Vow · Finding a match

Photo credits on this page

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

Gandharva marriage: Amitdighe, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
Polyandry: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
Cousin marriage: 綾絲, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saptapadi: Bhumish143, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Inter-caste marriage in Nepal: Sajan Pundit, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dowry: Vassili Vladimirovich Pukiryov, Public domain, source
Dowry system in India: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

The weekly EveryShaadi

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