Rituals Followed In Sikh Community

By Author: Ankush Singhal
Total Articles: 173
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Wedding is a sacred and religious knot that joins not only a man and a woman, but also their families. Indian weddings are famous all over the world for the colourful and grand celebrations, which continue for a number of days. Celebrating wedding is larger than life for the Indians, and Punjabis take the cake away when it comes to celebrations. This jovial nature of Punjabis reflects in their wedding style.

Alike other Indian communities, Punjabi Sikh community also believes in finding match from Sikh community itself. Punjabi Sikh matrimonial is famous for celebrating all occasions with grandeur, where rituals and customs are fun and full of gaiety. These rituals are divided into three distinct sets, which are: pre-matrimony rituals, wedding rituals and post wedding rituals.

Pre-Matrimony Rituals

1. Roka Ceremony, which involves fixing the wedding, and would-be bride and groom are given gifts from their in-laws. Generally, roka is a small function in Punjabi Matrimonial, which includes family members and close relatives.
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... 2. Akhand Paath: The sacred book of Sikh community, Guru Granth Sahib, is read without any pause. This is a three day prayer before the marriage, conducted for happiness and prosperity of the boy and girl to be married.
3. Shagan: This is same as Tilak, when the bride’s father applies tilak on the groom's forehead and gives gifts and sweets to him. This ritual is conducted 2-3 days before the wedding day in the presence of a bhaiji (preacher) of the Gurudwara.
4. Chunni Chadana & Mangni: Groom’s sisters present a red sari to their would be sister-in-law. The groom’s mother places a red chunni over the head of the bride and gifts her with accessories like jewellery, bangles, etc.
5. Mehndi and Sangeet: Beautiful designs of henna are applied on the bride’s hand and feet. The family members and friends of both bride and groom dance on the tunes of dholis and some songs.

Wedding Rituals

1. Chuda Ceremony: One of the most important part of the Punjabi matrimony, in which maternal uncle and aunt of the bride gift her a set of red and cream ivory bangles, also known as Chuda. Once Chuda ceremony is done, hanging gold ornaments, also known as Kalires are tied over the Chuda.
2. Vatna & Ghara Ghardoli: Female relatives of the bride apply a paste of milk and saffron known as Vatna, on her. Holy water from a nearby temple is fetched in a pitcher, and the bride is bathed, this ceremony is also known as Ghara Ghardoli.
3. Sehrabandhi & Ghud Chadi: This ritual of Punjabi matrimony is performed at groom’s house when he leaves for the wedding venue. Father or elderly relatives tie a Sehra on groom’s head and his sister-in-laws apply surma in his eyes before departing.
4. Milni: The barat is welcomed by bride’s family at the wedding venue, and this custom is named as Milni, where relatives of both sides meet and greet each other. Gifts and cash are also given to the groom at this time.
5. Jaimala & Wedding: The bride and groom exchange thick flower garlands. Afterwards, during Kanyadaan, parents of the bride give away their darling daughter to the groom, wishing for their blissful and happy married life.

Post Wedding Rituals

With Vidai, i.e., departure of the bride from her parent's home, the wedding concludes. In the ritual of Paani Varna, the groom's mother performs an arti with a pitcher of water, and then welcomes the newlyweds inside the house. The very next day, newlyweds visit the bride's family for the custom of Phera Dalna. The wedding and reception in Punjabi matrimonies are followed by big feast arranged for the community, family and friends.

Rashmi 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 like Kerala Matrimony, Kamma Matrimony, Ezhava Matrimonial wherein users can avail free registration and start initial contact with each other.