Rituals Followed In A Bengali Wedding

By Author: Ankush Singhal
Total Articles: 173
Comment this article

Indian weddings are popular for their customs and traditions and Bengali weddings are no different, being a popular Indian community. A typical Bengali wedding is a detailed and long affair, with rituals going for three continuous days. Exclude engagement and post wedding rituals! A traditional Bengal matrimony includes a series of elaborate, colorful and enjoyable rituals, which are of great significance for the families.

Not only the bride and groom, Bengal Matrimony demands the active presence of other close relatives also, who are the part of this event. However, the tight schedules shortage of time has forced people to cut-off the activities involved and commemorate the wedding in a single day.

Pre-Wedding Rituals

1. Wedding Piris: Piris are used for seating the bride during her wedding, and are brought to the Bengali bride's house a day before wedding. The piris are beautifully decorated, and are presented to the bride and the groom amidst sacred tunes of conch shells and ululation.
2. Dodhi Mangal: Performed at both ...
... bride and groom’s house, when ten married women go to a nearby pond and invite the Goddess Ganga to the wedding and bring back the sacred water. The bride and groom are bathed with that sacred water and food consisting of curd and chiruya are offered, the last meal before their wedding.
3. Vriddhi: Ancestors of bride and the groom are worshipped by father or paternal uncle on the wedding day.
4. Gaye halud tattva: Otherwise known as haldi ceremony, where the turmeric is sent for the bride from the groom's house. Along with turmeric, gifts like makeup kit, fragrant hair oil, at least six sarees with blouses and petticoats are offered to the Bengali bride.
5. Snan: Snan stands for bathing rituals, which take place in the late afternoon or evening of the wedding day. After snan ritual, the bride and groom wear the new set of clothes that was presented to them by their in-laws.
6. Sankha Porana: It is the custom for the Bengali bride to wear sankha porana or conch shell bangles, dipped in turmeric water.
7. Dressing up the bride: A Bengali bride has to don the clothes on her own. She is covered with a veil and a mukut is placed on her head. A beautiful design is traced around her eyebrows using chandan paste, which really looks enchanting

Wedding Ceremony:

1. Welcoming the groom: The groom, his family and friends are welcomed at the bride’s home with Baran dala and sprinkling of water. The sounds of ringing of bells, blowing of conch shells and ululation make the atmosphere really amazing.
2. The Wedding Ceremony: The main ceremony is conducted by a purohit, where the groom is taken to the mandap and is given a ring and a fresh set of Dhoti and Kurta from the bride's side for further rituals. The bride is carried to the Mandap in a piri by her brothers and cousins, with her eyes hidden with a beetle leaf.
3. Shubha-Drishti: The Bride is rotated around the groom seven times and then they are placed face to face. The beetle leaf is removed and bride and groom look at each other, also called as Shubha-Drishti.
4. Sampradhan: Now the garlands are exchanged for three times, while purohit chanting sacred mantras. The groom puts vermillion in the hair partition of his bride. Bride and groom’s hands are tied together and this way she is given to the groom by her father or uncle in a ceremony knows as sampradhan. Yagna is carried out and the marriage is conducted with holy fire as the witness.

There are various post wedding rituals that are also very elaborate and include Basar Ghar, Bashi Biye, Bidaai, Bou Baran, Bou Bhat, Phool Sajja and Dira Gaman.

Rashmi Karan writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing matrimonial website. Jeevansathi.com helps the users to search corresponding matches from their respective community and find suitable brides and grooms like Brahmin brides, Christian brides and many others.