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10 Not-To-Miss Rituals For Bengali Marriage
Bengali marriage rituals can get quite fun and the best part is that there is always something that will make them meaningful. These are usually quite elaborate and the best part is that they tend to add the spice element to the traditional wedding.
Here we are going to talk about the 10 Bengali wedding rituals that you should not miss at all!
The 10 Bengali Marriage Rituals That You Should Not Miss
Rituals for Bengali marriage can be fun and today we are going to talk about 10 of them. If you are in a Bengali function, don't miss out on these rituals!
Aashirbbad | আশীর্ব্বাদ
This is usually the first ritual with which the Bengali wedding commences. During this ritual, the bride and the groom tend to seek blessings from the elders to kickstart their new journey. This usually has members from both families and the blessings are coupled with gold jewellery. This is because gold is regarded to be suspicious.
Aiburobhat | আইবুড়োভাত
When we talk about rituals for Bengali biye, there are no doubts that Aiburobhat is one of the most fun ones and you simply cannot choose to miss this one. Wondering one? This is the elaborate meal that the bride and groom enjoy as bachelors. Usually, the meal consists of all the yummy items that the bride and groom love and friends and family gather. This is a fun event and usually involves a lot of yummy food. There are also gifts involved and the final Aiburobhat takes place just before the D day. This is when the bride's mother cooks an elaborate feast. Don't forget that the fish head is considered to be a very important part of the meal!
Gae Holud | গায়ে-হলুদ
Gae means "body" and "holud" means turmeric. So if we go by the literal rendition of the term, it refers to a turmeric ceremony. This is the colourful ritual that takes place on the morning of the wedding. The turmeric paste comes from the family of the groom after he has applied the same. It is believed that the turmeric paste will bring a lot of flow to the couple on their wedding day and cleanse them completely. Family and friends often get engrossed as they smear each other with this turmeric and indulge in playful spite.
Totto Sajano | তত্ব সাজানো
For any wedding, gifts are a very important part of the rituals. This remains the same for Bengali weddings as well. Totto usually refers to sending out gifts to the bride and groom's family from either side. There are specific gifts from the bride, groom, their parents and even close relatives. It is like a goodwill gesture. Not only that, there are some items sent via Totto that are believed to be good luck. These include sweets as well as a big raw fish. This one is generally sent from the bride's house.
Bor Boron | বর বরণ
Bor means the "groom" in Bengali and boron means to welcome the groom. This is usually done by the mother of the bride. She will feed sweets to him and will perform a small Aarti. This usually symbolises the beginning of the wedding ceremony. It is a traditional welcome and usually the first time when the bride's family will have a complete look at the groom in his wedding outfit. The bor boron does include the bride's sister in law's as well as her friends and often has a lot of fun and banter.
Juto Churi | জুতো চুরি
When we talk about the not-to-miss Bengali wedding rituals, this one deserves a special mention. This is the one when the friends and sisters of the bride will steal the shoes of the groom and demand money in exchange for the shoes. The idea is to have a fun bargain session with the groom until he agrees to give them some money which will be later used for a movie or a gala meal! The juto churi is a symbolic ritual and it is like a goodwill gesture.
Saat Paak | সাত পাঁক
It would not be wrong if we say that this is the central ritual of a Bengali wedding and it carries the ultimate essence. It refers to the seven vows that the wife and husband will take. Each of the seven vows will be symbolised with one turn around the auspicious fire. The vows usually have their significance and can represent promises of love, trust as well as companionship.
Sindur Daan | সিঁদুর দান
Probably one of the most important rituals of a Bengali wedding that you cannot miss at all is the Sindur Daan. This is one the marriage finally culminates and the groom puts vermilion on the forehead of the bride. For Bengali weddings, the colour of this vermilion is red and it signifies that they are married. This is considered to be highly auspicious and is a pertinent symbol of a married woman.
Shojya Tuluni | শয্যা তুলুনী
The wedding night is the most fun night and this is when nobody is supposed to sleep. The youngsters of the family along with the bride and groom will stay up all night on the same bed and engage in music and dance. After the night has ended, the groom will have to pay some money to the ones who stayed up all night.
Bou-Bhaat | বৌ-ভাত
Finally, no Bengali wedding is ever complete without the Bou Bhat or the reception day. This is the post-wedding ritual and this is when the bride is welcomed to the groom's family. They will host a grand gala in honour of the bride and the groom has to perform a ceremony where he will announce that he is taking the responsibility of his wife.
The rituals for Bengali marriage are quite elaborate and the best thing is that each of these has some meaning associated with it. The ten rituals that we have highlighted today are the backbone of any Bengali wedding but there are tons of others. However, there are instances when people tend to minimise the rituals and cut out on a few.
