Gujarati Matrimony Is A Celebration Of Culture And Tradition

By Author: Ankush Singhal
Total Articles: 173
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Like any other in Indian Wedding, Gujarati matrimony is a grand event where family and friends blesses the groom and the bride. The people from Gujarat belong to all religion and wedding rituals differ accordingly. Most of the population in Gujarat is practicing Hindus. The matrimonial customs and traditions are deeply rooted and Gujarati community member strictly adhere to it.

The Hindu Gujarati Matrimony celebrations start few days before the actual wedding day. The family members of the bride and groom are actively involved in the rituals. There are many rituals before and after the wedding.

Mandap Mahurat and Griha Shanti are prayer rituals that are conducted days before the wedding. At the start of something, Indians offer prayers to the almighty. In Gujarati matrimony, the rituals start with a prayer offering to Lord Ganesha. The bride’s and the groom’s side come together and perform this ceremony. It is believed that Lord Ganesha is the destroyer of all obstacles and hence will shower his blessings on the couple at all times.

Griha ...
... Shanti is another prayer ritual for the well being of the bride and the groom. People from Gujarat matches horoscope before finalizing the wedding. They have the belief that the movement of stars and constellations has influence on the lives of people. Therefore, this griha shanti prayer is performed.

Jaan is another pre-wedding ritual where the groom arrives at the bride’s house to seek blessings from his mother-in-law. He bows his head while clutching his nose. This gesture is symbolic and signifies the sacrifices the bride will make once she is married. In return, the mother-in-law blesses the groom and does a ritual to ward off vices.

The wedding day rituals of a Gujarati Matrimony are elaborate and a priest or archarya conducts them.

Kanyadaan:
In this ritual, the father of the girl gives away her hand to the groom. The father sits with folded hands and asks the groom to take care of the girl at all times. Parents of the girl then wash the feet of the groom.

Hasta Milap:
This is another symbolic ritual where the priest ties the end of the groom’s shawl to the pallu of the bride. Then he joins the palms of the groom and bride together. Tying of the knot and joining hands symbolizes coming together of two souls as one. Family members and friends bless the bride and groom. Grains of rice and rose petals are showered on them.

Pheras and Saptapadi:
Both of these are important rituals in Gujarati matrimony. In these rituals, the bride and groom circles around the holy fire amidst chanting of sacred Vedic mantras. The groom also chants the mantras and vows to take care of the bride. For every circle that the groom takes, he promises the bride a particular vow. The bride also promises to share the responsibilities with the groom at all times.

The Post wedding rituals in Gujarati Matrimony include the farewell ceremony of bride. This is a sad moment when the bride bids goodbye to her parents, siblings, friends and extended family members. She usually leaves in a doli or palanquin and the groom and his family follows her from behind.

The Ghar nu Laxmi is a welcome ritual when the bride arrives for the first time after marriage. In a Gujarati Matrimony, the bride is considered to be Goddess Laxmi and her first step in the house is supposed to be auspicious sign. The mother-in-law welcomes the bride and asks her to step in the house placing her right foot first. She had to knock down a ‘kalash’ filled with rice.

Shipra 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 Gujarat Matrimony, Hindu Matrimonial from their online matrimonial and matchmaking services.