Weddings
are fun. But some are more fun than others. The stranger the wedding rituals,
the more fun and memorable the wedding. With a country as diverse as ours, we
have a zillion, trillion customs that make weddings in every nook and corner, a
vibrant story in its own right.
1.
The Balancing act
Bihari brides are tested in
strange ways. No sooner does she bend to take the blessings of the elders, her
mother-in-law begins to place a set of earthen pots on her head. The more pots
she manages to balance prove her skilfulness in balancing home matters.
2. Saanth
Sindhi community have wedding
rituals like Saanth where an anklet is tied on the right foot of the bride and
groom by the priest. They’re then anointed with oil by seven married women who
pour it on their head. After this, they wear a new shoe and break an earthen
lamp. As if this didn’t make things strange enough, the groom’s family tear his
clothes right off him in order to ward off the evil eye.
3. Kidnapping!!?!?!
Yeah, you read it right. A few
ancient tribes believe in all-out conquest – and not just of the heart. The man
kidnaps his bride and carries her away on his back. He keeps her hostage for a
year after which a ceremony takes place with the consent of the bride’s family.
4. Something
Fishy
Manipuri weddings like to put
things to the test. During the wedding, a woman from both the groom and the
bride’s side release a Taki fish each in a pond. If the fish get along and swim
together, it prophesies marital harmony.
5. Bava’s
Bride
Before
the Kodava groom can lead his wife to his house, the bride’s bava or
cross-cousin, who’d have married her, blocks them at the threshold claiming
rights to her hand. After a playful banter and bargaining, the groom buys his
way out by giving the bava a by GoPhoto.it V9.0"> gold coin
6. Vegetable
Showers
In a UP tribal village called
Sarsaul, weddings can get downright rude with the groom and baraat being
welcomed with potatoes, tomatoes and a round of choice abuses instead of
flowers and aarti. They believe that a relationship that begins on a bad note
always ends in love. So much for first impressions.
7. Kaashi
Yatra
Tamil Brahmin grooms pretend
that they’re overcome by a last-minute urge to go to Kashi and choose
asceticism over marriage, right at the mandap. The bride’s father requests him
to stay and marry his daughter instead. Cold feet, much?
8. Jooti
Chupana
Punjabi bridegrooms might just
find himself missing his expensive wedding shoes. The girls on the bride’s side
go all gangsta on him and steal his shoes, which is only returned to him upon
paying a ransom in full. Talk about brigandry.
9. Lord/Lady
Of the Rings
The aeki beki ceremony that
takes place in many Hindu weddings is romance turned on its head. The wedding
rings are dropped in a pot filled with milk, rose petals and vermillion. The
bride and groom must blindly find their rings and the one who scores the best
of seven is believed to have the upper hand in the marriage.
More
Fishy stuff
Trust Bengalis to make things
very gastronomically interesting. The Gaye Holud or the haldi ceremony is
graced by two fish that are dressed up as the bride and the groom. Interesting
or what?
For
many more wedding inspirations and ideas, you can download the AppilyEver
app AppilyEver- All Things Wedding –
Android Apps on Google Play and AppilyEver on the App Store
Post Your Ad Here
Comments