A wedding is the union of two souls and a remarkable benchmark for two different individuals. Indian weddings can not be visualized without numerous rituals and traditions. Each and every tradition performed during marriage ceremony have its own significance. Traditions and rituals changes according to a specific state, regions, community, and caste. Rituals and customs help in strengthing the bond and love between two unique individuals, two different families and helps in bridging a gap between them.
The wedding is a golden opportunity to witness our colorful traditional culture, regional traditions, customs, and their significance. Uttarakhand is a northern state of India and people here are deeply rooted in their culture whether there is a festival or a wedding ceremony. Today we will let you know about different traditions solemnized in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand wedding i.e., Suwal Pathai.
Suwal Pathai
This unique custom is very peculiar in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. The ceremony of Suwal Pathai is performed in the afternoon of the wedding day wherein the wheat flour is kneading into a dough, prepared dough is rolled into thin chapattis (comparatively thinner than usual chapati) and kept in sun to dry after dipping in dry flour. Once dried, Suwals are fried in deep oil and offered as Prashad to God and served to all the guest later. These Suwals also go along with bride to her husband’s place as a tradition as she has to travel the long distances by road to reach her in laws house and hence Suwals are given as a food for the journey. These Suwals are made by the elder ladies of the house accompanied by the female relatives who sings traditional Mangal Geet in kumaoni language, dance and enjoy while performing this ritual. During this ritual, all ladies including bride- to- be, have to wear the Rangwali Pichorra. Before making Suwals, a Ganesha sculpture was made from the kneaded dough, As Lord Ganesha is the lord of obstacles and hence he is worshipped before starting any auspicious rite.
Whether you are someone who lives in abroad or in a cultural land India, with the change in time everyone wants to celebrate the big D-day in an Indian manner and Uttarakhand is one such hilly state which attracts people from all over to its scenic beauty and traditional culture.