Whenever you think of an Indian wedding, an elaborate setting, Dhoom Dham full of vibrant colors and flamboyance will immediately conjure in your mind. The diverse culture, traditions, and rituals that one can see in an Indian wedding are absolutely unparalleled.

Although most of us are well aware of many of the wedding customs, there are some wedding rituals, which are unusual and even strange. Let’s have a look at few of them.

Gujarati weddings

There is an amazing ritual in Gujarati weddings where the groom is welcomed by his mother in law by performing an aarti which is known as ponkvu or ponkhana. She then playfully pulls groom’s nose. This ritual or tradition is to perform, to remind the groom that he has come to their doors to marry their daughter and he has to learn to be humble and grateful.

Bihar weddings

In Bihar, there is a tradition, where the mother-in-law places an earthen pot on the newly wedded bride’s head and keep on adding more pots in order to make a pile. The bride is expected to balance them and touch the feet of elders in the house simultaneously. This balancing of pots symbolizes how well a bride can adjust in her new family and take the responsibilities of
her new life.

Manipur weddings

In weddings of Manipur, fishes play a very important role. During the wedding, one woman from bride’s side and one from groom’s side release a Taki fish in the pond. It is to believe that, if both the fishes move side by side in the water then it is considered to be a good omen for the couple.

Sindhi wedding

Saanth, is a ritual performed by Sindhis before the wedding. In this ritual, an anklet is tied around the right foot of the bride and groom, in their respective homes, by the priest. After this, seven married women pour oil on the bride and groom’s head. Then both of them have to wear a new shoe on their right foot and break an earthen lamp with it which is considered as a good omen. In order to end the ceremony, the groom’s relatives tear off his clothes to ward off the evil eye.

Maharashtrian weddings

In Maharashtrian weddings, the couple has a barrier of silk shawl between them on the wedding day which is known as Antrapat. This Antrapat is removed only when the Mangalsutra is to be tied to the bride and this is the time when the bride and groom can see each other.

Malayalee Wedding

Usually, the bride and groom have to take seven pheras around the mandap. But in a Malayalee wedding, the bride and groom go around the mandap or parasol for only three times and then the groom ties a yellow thread around the bride’s neck. Therefore, this is a huge departure from the tradition.

Assamese wedding

In an Assamese wedding, there is a ritual called ‘Tel Diya’ performed on the wedding day. According to this custom, the groom’s mother puts a ring and beetle leaf on her daughter-in-law’s hair followed by applying oil thrice on the bride’s head. Afterward, the mother-in-law applies sindoor and gives her would be daughter-in-law the wedding outfit which is known as ‘Mekhla chadar’ in Assam.