Indian weddings are an occasion rich with traditions, bringing happy tidings to the family. The eclectic and some fun-filled rituals associated with it make for real memories. These rituals actually serve an essential social purpose of bonding between the two families and a sort of ice breaking between the couples.
With the wedding season upon us, let’s take a walk through some truly amusing Indian wedding traditions.
Shoe Hiding Game: An amusing tradition of several Hindu weddings and Parsi wedding is the stealing and hiding of groom’s shoes by the girls of the bride’s family. The girls after making wacky plans hide the shoe of the groom and the groom’s family tries to protect it. Usually the bridesmaids successfully steal the shoes, as it is a matter of their pride and honour. When the groom needs his shoes back, he and his family will have to pay off the girls to gets it back.
The Attacking Bride: The traditional toran bandana ritual of Rajasthan is a display of feminine strength. In olden days, the Rajput bride attacks the groom with a sword and if he is unable to duck it or gets an injury, he is considered unfit for her. Today it’s a mock play where the bride symbolically pokes a sword to his chest or at some places it is an all-out attack by the bride and her female relatives on the groom’s entourage with garlands of sweets.
Painful Pricks: A Gujarati groom will be subject to a painful ice breaking by the ladies of the bride’s family by getting his nose pinched! Earlier this was the privilege of the mother-in-law, but today all girls have free access to the noses of the groom and his friends! And in turn, the groom can retaliate by grabbing the pallu of their sarees and certain “compensation” needs to be paid and haggling for it.
Kaashi Yaatra: This is a fun- filled ceremony in Iyyengar, Telugu and Konkani weddings. The groom pretends to go on a Kaashi Yaatra (to celebrate bachelorhood) unshaven and holding an umbrella, bamboo fan and wearing slippers. The bride’s brothers and cousins stop him and request him to take the responsibility of a house hold which is accompanied with many fun filled moments
Pith ball test: Bengali couples play a pith ball game to test the strength of their bonding. Two pith balls- one representing the bride and another, the groom will be floated into a bucket of water. The water will be stirred fast then. On seeing the movement of the floating balls in the stirred water, they predict who will be leading and who will be following, or if they are destined to separate; but all in good humour.
Ring Finding: In Telugu weddings, two rings will be hidden deep inside a basket of uncooked rice and the couple is expected to find it out. The trick is that the bride must be able to identify the groom’s ring by touch (and vice-versa) before fitting it into her finger. If they are successful in doing so, the marriage is believed to last. In some places, instead of rice, rings are immersed in a vessel full of coloured milk.
Foot Fight: Another amusing game the one in Sindhi weddings, as the groom goes to pick up the bride. It’s a funny moment as the bride and the groom competes to have their right foot above the others. The funniest part is that it is believed that the one whose foot comes on top will be the dominant character. But usually the chivalric men give way.
Pot Balancing: A curious post-wedding ritual in Bihar is that, the bride on entering the groom’s house will be invited with grappling of a huge earthen pot set on her head by the mother-in-law. No sooner more pots will be added upon her as she to bows down and touch the feet of elders. As this dramatic happens, all people gather to see how many pots the new bride balanced, which is an indication of her skills at striking a balance in the family.
Chantham Charthal: This funny ceremony happens on the pre-wedding eve of Knanaya Weddings. A local hair dresser and his son, dressed in half dhoti, white tees and with a gold cap and waist belt, reaches the groom’s house, where he will be seated in a stage. The barber asks permission to the crowd three times, in the name of their protective rights over seventeen castes (a traditional belief) to shave and beautify the guy with an oil bath.
Sithanis: In Punjabi weddings, soon after the main function, the male members from families hug one another while the girls recite verses called sithanis. These songs are replete with sexual innuendoes, poking fun at the groom’s family. But nobody minds and the jokes and will take it in a light spirit.
There are many other amusing customs similar like this observed in different parts of India each having a great legacy behind making it unforgettable event.