Each festival holds a different significance in India. But marriages in India are on a whole different level of celebration. Indians celebrate marriage extensively with colors, traditions, rituals, invitations, dance, costumes, and food that vary from region to religion depending on the bride and groom’s preferences.
Every year India celebrates over 10 Million weddings. Over 10 million hearts come together to tie themselves in an eternal bond, mixed with different types of customs and traditions all equally beautiful and gracious.
Now, what exactly makes Indian marriages stand out from the rest?
Being a secular land, India has a variety of rituals and traditions. Therefore there are different types of marriages in India, all around. Like Sikhs marry each other through Anand Karaj, a beautiful ritual started by Guru Amar Das whereas Muslims celebrate a graceful traditional Islamic wedding called Nikah, to establish the sacred bond between the couple. Christians follow the sophisticated, serene customs practiced in Christian countries in the west. While on other hand, some of the key elements in a staple and traditional Hindu marriage include Saptapadi Kanyadaan. It showcases the pure 7 promises made by the couple for the next 7 lifetimes.
When it comes to their marriage, even North Indian and South Indian wedding traditions have completely different tastes. South has a bit minimalistic approach towards the decorations and rituals. North goes for rather loud surroundings with bold hues to celebrate the day. (But as mentioned preferences can always differ)
The history of Indian marriage culture, however, started basically from taking the consent of elders. Afterward came arranging the whole deal with elongated customs. The bride and groom’s consent are higher nowadays, with modernity in mind. Even the rituals and customs are a bit more subtle.
An Indian marriage is no small affair. Planning like designing and printing wedding cards/invitations, what to wear in a wedding, what kind of decoration is better, what kind of location should be comfortable, whom to call to perform perfect Indian marriage rituals, finalizing the cuisines, and more are all starts months or even year before the actual event. The whole celebration can go on for a week or sometimes even a longer period. This celebration includes colorful rituals like Haldi, Mehendi and cheerful activities like the Sangeet ceremony, and much more.
Weddings in India are the best way to celebrate happiness and togetherness, making everyone dance to the exhilarating rhythms and witness holy matrimony in the truest forms.
