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Bengali Rituals

Bengali Wedding Rituals, Ceremony and Vidhi

  1.  

    Ashirbaad – Both, the Bride and Groom seek blessings from the elderly & this means the marriage is officially accepted by both sides.
  2. Holud Kota – Basically, the Bride is applied with Haldi i.e. Turmeric Paste
  3. Dodhi Mongol - At dawn on the day of marriage, seven married ladies adorn the bride's hands with the traditional bangles Shakha and Paula - one pair of red and one pair of white bangles, and feed her a meal of curd and rice, the only meal for the day.
  4. Bor Jatri – The Groom’s side takes journey to the Bride’s decided Wedding venue
  5. Bor Boron – Usually, the mother of the bride along welcomes the groom and his family by showing the holy earthen lamp, sprinkling trefoil and husked rice placed on a bamboo winnow and then, they are served sweets and drinks.
  6. Potto Bastra - After the groom is seated at the chadnatolla (wedding altar and canopy) - only the groom, bride and the priest takes their place, the groom is offered new clothes by the person who is to do the sampradaan.
  7. Saat Paak - The bride, usually seated on a low wooden stool called pidi is lifted by her brothers and is taken round the groom in seven complete circles. The significance is they are winded up securely to each other.
  8. Mala Badal - After the circles are completed, still sitting high on the pidi, the bride and the groom exchange garlands of fragrant flowers thrice. This is the first step in which they accept each other.
  9. Subho Dristi - After garlanding one another the bride and the groom are made to look at each other in front of all the assembled invitees.
  10. Sampradan - The bride then takes her place at the chadnatolla where an elderly male member of the bride's family hands her over to the groom and the couple's hands are bound by the sacred thread amidst recital of Vedic chants and are placed on the mangal ghot - a brass pitcher filled with water that is covered with mango leaves attached to one twig and a green coconut placed on it.
  11. Yagna - The bride and groom sit in front of the sacred fire and chant mantras after the priest. Agni, the fire god is made the divine witness to the marriage.
  12. Saat Paak - Seven circular rounds are taken by the couple around the fire thereby solemnizing the occasion.
  13. Anjali - An offering to the fire is made. The bride's brother puts puffed rice (khoi) in the hands of the bride, and the groom standing close to her holds her hands from the back and extends their arms forward. They then pour the offering into the fire together.
  14. Sindoor Daan and Ghomta - Once again seated at their respective places in chadnatolla the groom apply sindoor or vermilion on the bride's hair-parting. The bride then covers her head with a new sari offered by the groom as ghomta or veil.
  15. Bidaay - This is a farewell - mixed moment of joy and sorrow as the bride is bid adieu with blessings of her parents and relatives to start a new life with her beau.