Punjabi Wedding Themes

Punjabis are easy but fun-loving people who believe with gusto in expressing their emotion. As with their culture, their marriages represent their philosophy of life. Punjabi weddings are colourful, noisy, often over-the-top, packed with plenty of opportunities to sing and dance your heart out. Punjabi weddings can be simple or extravagant, but they have limitless fun and festivity. A host of rituals for pre- and post-wedding make a Punjabi wedding a long and fun affair. While Punjabis do not miss an opportunity to make merry, their marriages show their propensity to adhere to old traditions, although sometimes with a conventional twist. A Punjabi wedding is analogous to a true roller-coaster, from lavish lehengas to the noisy baratis, the 'dance till you drop' Sangeet to the incredibly charming and warmly welcoming host. Let's take a look at the different Rituals for wedding.

Roka and Thaka – When all aspects of the marriage seem satisfactory the bride's family visits the groom's place to give their blessing to the groom along with various family gifts such as fruits, candy, clothing, money also known as shagun etc. This practice is called The Roka. In fact, the bride is not present at the Roka. Family of the groom reciprocates the gesture by visiting the family of the bride on a different day bearing presents. The ritual for the return is known as Thaka. These two are usually fairly low key issues with only the immediate family attending. The Roka ceremony marks the beginning of the two families' relationship, which typically ends with a small puja called Ardaas.

Mangni / Sagai – This ceremony marks the couple's formal engagement. There is always a grand ceremony, often at least a few months before the wedding. Families and friends gather on the hands of both the bride and the groom. The groom's family feeds the bride boiled rice and milk. The couple shares rings in a celebratory mood. The sagai ceremony constitutes an official match.

Shagun and Chunni Chadai – The Chunni Ceremony is observed to mark the bride's acceptance into the groom's family. On the morning of the Sagai or a day before, a party of ladies arrive at the bride's house. We bring the outfit the bride will wear for the Sagai along with jewelry, candy, fruit, mawa etc. The intricately embellished head scarf or chunni is a particular part of the gift. The Chunni is put on the head of the bride, and covers her face like a veil. The ceremony is called Chunni Chadana. She's then gifted jewelry like bangles or necklaces her mother-in - law, who helps her put them on, are family heirlooms. A tiny henna dot is placed on her palm to mark the auspicious ceremony. Such bridal presents are known as the Shagun.

Sangeet – The Sangeet is a musical group which is usually organized by the family of the bride. The family ladies have traditionally come together and sat behind the bride. Singing folk wedding songs, teasing the bride and dancing they made merry together. The groom and a few members of his family have also been invited to attend. The sangeet is a gala event nowadays, as both families come together to enjoy a fun-filled musical evening. All groups offer dance performances which are also choreographed by experts. It's just a perfect way for the families to get to know each other.

Mehendi – Mehendi is an important part of wedding ceremony in Punjabi. The bride sits on a special bench, and she applies henna paste to her hands and feet. The designs of the henna are complex and intricate, and the initials of the groom are concealed among the various patterns. Gives a deep red color after drying. The darker the color of the mehendi, the more the bride receives love for her in-laws. Family members previously used to apply the henna paste but nowadays are employed skilled mehendi artists. Numerous female family members often have henna added to their faces. The same mehendi ceremony is performed at the groom 's place but on a smaller scale. In general a very basic pattern of henna is applied to the palms of the groom. During the entire ceremony traditional wedding songs are chanted.