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
🇦🇫 Afghanistan 7🇧🇩 Bangladesh 12🇧🇹 Bhutan 4🇮🇳 India 122🇲🇻 Maldives 1🇳🇵 Nepal 22🇵🇰 Pakistan 28🇱🇰 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
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaKanchipuram silk sari
The heavy silk bridal garment woven in Kanchipuram with contrasting borders and gold zari.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaSambandam
The traditional matrilineal marriage alliance of Kerala's Nairs and Nambudiris.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaKasavuകസാവ്
The white cotton and gold border attire worn by Malayalis for weddings and festivals.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaWanvun
A Kashmiri choral singing style performed before weddings and religious ritesPerformance · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaOonjal
A decorated swing where the Tamil bride and groom sit to receive family blessings.Blessing · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaShankha
White conch shell bangles worn by Bengali Hindu married women as a symbol of their husband's well-being.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 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 3 moreNikah halalaنکاح حلالہ
A second marriage required for a woman to remarry her first husband after triple talaq.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Bengali)
Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment · The weeks before
🇵🇰 Hunza, PakistanMayoon
A pre-wedding seclusion period in Pakistan where the bride stays away from her groom for up to two weeks.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaMadisarமடிசார் (Madisar)
The nine-yard sari drape worn by Tamil Brahmin women during weddings and religious rites.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 IndiaShamianaশামিয়ানা (Bengali), شامیانہ (Urdu)
A South Asian ceremonial tent with removable walls used for wedding feasts and outdoor gatherings.Setting · The wedding feast
🇮🇳 IndiaOppanaഒപ്പന
A circle dance and song tradition of the Mappila Muslim community in Kerala weddingsPerformance · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, IndiaBhangra
A vigorous Punjabi folk dance performed to the beat of a dhol drum during harvest celebrations.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMandapaमण्डप (maṇḍapa)
The pillared pavilion that serves as the stage for Hindu wedding rituals and temple gatherings.Setting · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam
The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · 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
🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha)
A symbolic Hindu wedding uniting the holy basil plant with a stone representing Vishnu.Rite · The weeks before
🇱🇰 Sri LankaBeena marriage
A pre-Islamic Arabian custom where the husband moves to the wife's home and she keeps her own tent.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 Bhuj, India and 1 moreBandhani
A traditional Indian tie-dye method that creates intricate dot patterns by binding small sections of cloth before dyeingAttire · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreSvayamvaraस्वयंवर (svayaṃvara)
A ceremony where a bride selects her husband from assembled suitors or through a public contest.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 1 moreBaraat
The groom's wedding procession through the streets to the bride's home or venue.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMayian
A pre-wedding cleansing ritual in Punjabi culture where turmeric paste is applied to the couple.Blessing · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ
The turmeric ceremony that prepares the Bengali bride and groom for marriageRite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaChaklong wedding
The traditional Ahom marriage system involving rice powder mandalas and ancestral rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreAltaআলতা (Bengali)
A red dye applied to hands and feet as an auspicious adornment in South Asian weddings and festivals.Adornment · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding invitationsNimantraṇa patra (निमन्त्रण पत्र)
Decorated cards sent to announce a marriage and invite guests to the celebration.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaBride buying in India
The forced purchase of women from impoverished regions for arranged marriages in Northern India.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇵 Bhaktapur, NepalIhiईही (Nepal Bhasa)
A pre-puberty rite where Newar girls in Nepal are symbolically married to a deity or fruit.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 IndiaLagan Geetલગ્નગીત
Traditional Gujarati wedding songs sung by family and professional performers during ceremonies.Performance · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreLehenga
A long skirt worn as the base of a bridal outfit across the Indian subcontinent.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaGana
A sacred red thread tied to wrists for protection during wedding rituals in parts of India.Adornment · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaKettu KalyanamTālikettukalyānam
A mock marriage ritual in Kerala that marked a girl as ready for real unions by tying a sacred thread.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreArranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent
The family-led matchmaking process that shapes most marriages across South Asia.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
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLeirum Pheeꯂꯩꯔꯨꯝ ꯐꯤ
A traditional Meitei shawl given as a wedding gift from parents to daughtersAttire · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, India and 1 moreWedding sari
The traditional draped garment worn by brides in South Asia for their marriage ceremony.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaVaramalaवरमाला (Varamālā)
The exchange of flower garlands that marks mutual acceptance in a Hindu wedding.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 Lucknow, IndiaBabulबाबुल
The Hindi term for father that marks the emotional farewell of a bride leaving her home.Performance · The eve
🇮🇳 IndiaSehraसेहरा (Hindi)
A floral or beaded veil tied to the groom's turban before he departs for the wedding ceremony.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
🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoruwa ceremony
The Sinhalese wedding ritual performed on a carved wooden platform with betel leaves and milk rice.Rite · The ceremony
🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaOsariyaඔසරිය
The traditional sari style worn by Sinhalese women in Sri Lanka for weddings and formal events.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaMehndi
The henna body art applied to brides and guests before a South Asian wedding ceremony.Adornment · 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
- Osariya: Mr Anuradha Ratnaweera (අනුරාධ රත්නවීර මහතා), CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Svayamvara: Nandalal Bose, Public domain, source
- Mehndi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indian wedding invitations: Onef9day, CC BY 3.0, source
- Gandharva marriage: Amitdighe, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bride buying in India: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
- Varamala: Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lagan Geet: Sevageet, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lehenga: Iwaqarhashmi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shankha: Salil Kumar Mukherjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alta: Shounak Ray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Wedding sari: Tarquin Binary, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Sehra: SynthContibutor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kanchipuram silk sari: McKay Savage, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chaklong wedding: Chiring chandan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bandhani: RubyGoes, CC BY 2.0, source
- Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Baraat: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pnglife/, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mayian: Rakzika, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tulasi Vivah: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Poruwa ceremony: A Derivative Work by MediaJet ,, CC BY 2.0, source
- Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ihi: Dirghaman Chitrakar, Public domain, source
- Arranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent: Hindustanilanguage, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shamiana: Badri Seshadri, CC BY 2.0, source
- Oppana: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhangra: Jimmysekhon25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mayoon: katorisi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mandapa: Rajendran Ganesan, CC BY 2.0, source