A Visual Treat- Rituals Of A Marathi Wedding

Among all the regional weddings in India, Marathi Weddings are the ones filled with simple and vibrant rituals. There is no such ritual which can be termed as unnecessary or irrelevant. All the rituals have particular spiritual significance and exhibit the core values of the Maharashtrian culture.

 

Marathi Wedding

Most of the wedding ceremonies are conducted during the day and spice up the whole event. While, some of the rituals may, however, vary according to the customs and beliefs of the people, here are some of the important rituals. The venue of the pre-wedding rituals of a typical Marathi wedding takes place at the respective houses of the bride and the groom. 

The marriage procedures of a traditional Marathi wedding begins with Lagnaach Bedior or finding a suitable match. Once that task is done, the horoscopes of the boy and the girl are matched by the priests. It is only after the matching of the horoscope that the other wedding processes begin.

Pre- Wedding Traditions

The Sakhar Puda Ritual

 

The Sakhar Puda Ritual

The Marathi wedding ceremonies begin with the Sakhar Puda ritual or the engagement ceremony. The bride is gifted with a saree along with a packet of sweets or sugar by the groom’s family. The couple exchange rings after this.

Muhurt Karane

 

Muhurt Karane Marathi Wedding Ritual

The exact date and time of the Marathi wedding is decided by the family priest and thus begins the wedding preparations at both the houses. Five married women or ‘Suhasanis’ are invited to participate in a ceremony where the women pound turmeric or halkund that is to be used later. They also roll out papads and make sandage i.e, pulses soaked and ground, mixed with spices and dried in the sun. after this ritual, both the families begin their shopping. The bride’s family often holds a rukhvat or an exhibition of decorative food prepared by the bride.

Marathi Wedding Invitation

 

invitation card,marathiinvitationcard,marathi wedding

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Marathi wedding invitations are selected and printed. The first Marathi wedding card is always presented to Lord Ganesha as a symbolic request to grace the auspicious occasion by his divine presence.  

The Kelvan Ritual

 

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One or two days before the wedding, both the families offer puja to the family deity with their friends and relatives. This is the Kelvan Ritual and is followed by a meal.

The Halad Chadavne

 

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This is the haldi ceremony and takes place a day before the Marathi wedding. The turmeric pound prepared during the Muhurt Karane ritual is used by the same five Suhasinis. They apply this paste on the head, shoulders, face, hands, and feet of the bride and the groom with mango leaves. This ceremony first takes place at the groom’s place and then the leftover turmeric is passed on to the bride’s place. The bridal attire for this ritual is usually a yellow saree or lehenga.

Wedding Traditions

The wedding day ceremonies begin with Ganapati Puja to take blessings of Lord Ganesha before other rituals. The bride is escorted to the Lagna Mandap by her maternal uncle where the mangalashtakas or the Sanskrit and Marathi verses are recited. The bride and groom have to wear a string of flowers or pearls on their heads, which is commonly known as mundavalya.

The Seeman Puja

 

seeman puja, marathi wedding

The groom with his family arrives at the wedding venue and the bride’s mother washes his feet, does his aarti, applies tilak on his forehead and feeds him with sweets.

The Gurihar Puja

 

The Gurihar Puja marathi Wedding Ritual

The bride is decked up in traditional attire which is usually gifted by her maternal uncle. She then worships a silver idol of Goddess Parvati placed on a mound of rice, by offering some rice, she seeks her blessings for a prosperous married life.

The Antarpat Ritual

 

The Antarpat Ritual Marathi Wedding

The groom arrives at the mandap and sits at his designated place. The groom usually wears a white or cream colour sherwani and has his head covered by a traditional cap or turban. A cloth is held in front of the groom so that he is not able to see the bride, this cloth is called Antarpat.

The Sankalp Ritual

 

sankalp,marathi wedding

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When the bride arrives at the mandap, the priest chants the Mangalahstakas or the holy wedding vows. The Antarpat is removed thereafter and the couple sees each other. They exchange garlands and are showered with unbroken rice or akshatas.

The Kanyadaan Ritual

 

The Kanyadaan Ritual

The father of the bride, hands over his daughter to the groom through the kanyadaan ritual. The father blesses his daughter and her husband to lead a life of Dharma, Artha, and Karma. The bride’s parents worship the couple as avatars of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. The couple ties a piece of turmeric or halkund with a thread on each other’s arms and this ritual is known as Kankan Bandhane. The groom then puts vermillion on the bride ‘s forehead and ties mangalsutra around her neck. The bride in return applies a sandalwood tilak on the groom’s forehead.

The Saptapadhi Ritual

 

saptapadi,marathi wedding

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The couple now takes seven rounds around the sacred fire and chant the seven vows that they are expected to follow.

The Karmasampti Ritual

 

The Karmasampti Ritual Marathi Wedding Ritual

This is the last wedding ritual, the bride and groom pray in front of the sacred fire before it is extinguished and the bride’s father playfully twists the groom’s ear to remind of his future duties.

Post- Wedding Traditions

The Manpan Ritual

 

marathi wedding,

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The bride’s mother gifts saree to the groom’s mother, sisters and other female relatives and the bride’s father gifts clothes to the groom’s father, brothers and other male relatives. The same is done by the groom’s family too.

The Varaat Ritual

 

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Once all the wedding rituals are over, the bride bids a tearful goodbye to her family and leaves for her husband’s house. The groom carries the silver idol of Goddess Parvati which was worshipped during the Gurihar Puja. The Varaat refers to the procession that leads the bride to her husband’s home.

The Grihapravesh Ritual

 

 

grehaprabesh,marathi wedding

Source: Pinterest

This is the first ritual after the Marathi Wedding which is conducted at the groom’s place. The groom’s mother embraces the couple and washes their feet with milk and water. She performs the traditional aarti and asks the bride to enter the house by knocking down a small pot or Kalash filled with rice and kept at the entrance. This is known as the grihapravesh ritual

The Reception Party, Marathi Wedding

 

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Picture Courtesy: Instagram

The reception party is organized by the groom’s family where the couple meets all the family members and friends. The bride wears the saree gifted to her by her in-laws while the groom wears the clothes gifted to her by the bride’s family.

So here were all the rituals that make a Maharashtrian wedding a pretty and heart-warming affair. All the rituals prove to be a visual treat to whoever is watching them and great scope for some awesome Marathi wedding photography.

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer?

A photo stays, even after you are no more. So, it is really important to get the right kind of wedding photographer. Especially if it’s to do with wedding photography!

You would want your children and grandchildren to see your wedding album. Of course, you want to show your best side to them.

So, how to go about choosing a photographer? The answer in one word – carefully.

If you want a longer answer with to-do steps, then read on.

Choosing a wedding photographer is a 3 step process – Identity, Interview and Initiate.

 

Best Wedding photographers in india

Identifying the ideal Wedding photographer

 

A really basic tip about identifying the ideal photographer for your wedding photographer needs is to not just go by popular lists.

Go by the style of the photography you want – traditional, contemporary, journalistic or fashionable. Pick the style you want and look for good photographers in those styles.

Start your search for a wedding photographer as early as possible. I’d say start looking for your photographer as soon as the wedding date is finalized.

Recommendations within family and friends should be checked out first. But only after you personally check their albums. Your idea of good photography need not necessarily match with your family or friends.

If you are looking for photographers online, read up on the testimonials. It will work best if you actually get in touch with the people giving the testimonials to be doubly sure.

Once you are done the searching, identify a short list of top 10 photographers according to you.

Interviewing to find the ideal photographer

 

Interview each of the short listed photographers until you find yours. The best way to go about it is to have your partner along. Indian wedding photographer is a family affair, no doubt, but a major part of the photography will focus on you both. So, both of you need to be comfortable with the photographer.

Check the style elements in the photographers’ past work. Look at their experience with different kinds of shots. Spend time in assessing their portfolio of work.

Definitely, check their ability to edit and compose pictures. The final album will depend heavily on this ability.

Understand clearly the financials involved. Clarify the effort – hours, equipment, assistants involved in the entire deal.

Check the post-photography deadlines; they need to meet your expectations of getting the hard copies home.

Do not confirm a deal with the wedding photographer in the very first meeting. Take your time, check with family and friends, if need be.

Initiating the ideal photographer

 

After carefully shortlisting and picking your wedding photographer, initiate them for your wedding. What does this mean?

Get the photographer to meet your family and friends who will be extensively covered during the rituals.

Acclimatize the photographer with the venue, the decorations that are going to be used and the events that will be part of the entire wedding.

Indian weddings are elaborate, rich, colourful and ritualistic. It is important for your photographer to be aware of all things specific to your wedding.

When you are sure that you have finally found and want to retain the ideal photographer for your wedding, sign the deal. Pay only a part of the advance and remember to take a receipt.

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