Traditions, Customs and Ceremonies in a Typical Big Fat Sindhi Wedding
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The wedding in India is supposed to celebrate the caste and culture of the families uniting.
Same is true for a typical Sindhi marriage.
Sindhi's are the people who belong to the region near the river Sindhu or Indus.
Their culture is a blend of Sufi and Hindu cultures and traditions.
The date of wedding is fixed by consulting the family astrologer.
Sindhis prefer a date that falls on the new moon day as it is considered auspicious.
If no auspicious day can be found, the marriage ceremony can take place after dawn.
Like most of the Indian weddings, a typical Sindhi marriage also has a vast array of pre and post wedding rituals.
Even second shaadi is also celebrated with similar enthusiasm.
As soon as the wedding is fixed, a ceremony called Kacchi Mishri takes place in which the boy and girl are given a coconut and a mishri that is done to signify that they both are a part of each other's family now.
This is followed by engagement which takes place a week before the marriage and is called Pakki Mishri.
A few days before the wedding, the priest makes Gundro, an idol which is to be worshipped throughout all the rituals of the wedding.
This ritual is aptly names Dev Bithana.
A day before marriage, the bride's family priest visit the groom's family carrying rice, coconut, sugar, a green silk cloth among many other things at an auspicious time.
The priest then worships Lord Ganesha and gives all the articles to the groom.
This ceremony is named Tih.
Following this, the usual mehendi ceremony takes place where mehandi is put on the bride's hands and feet, along with dances performed on traditional songs by the bride's family.
The next ceremony to follow is the Banwa, where a stone installed at the bride's house is ground.
All this is followed by the procession of Baraat, where the groom along with his family and friends heads towards the bride's house whilst singing and dancing.
The Baraat is greeted during the traditional ceremony of Swagat, where the bride's family welcomes the groom's family and gives the groom's mother sarees and sindoor as a sign of respect.
All this is followed by Jaimala, where the exchange of garland takes place, and Pheras that mark the end of the rituals There exist a large number of post-wedding rituals which include Vidai, when the bride leaves her parent's house and goes to her in-laws house.
After reaching her new home, the bride is supposed to sprinkle milk in all the corners of the house.
Then the bride takes salt in her hands which she places in her husband's hand which is again returned to her.
This ritual is done three times and is considered very sacred.
After all this is done, the idol placed initially is removed, which brings an end to all the rituals.
This is known as Dev Uthana and it marks the entry of a new member in the family.
All this has become even more convenient with the help of Indian Matrimonial services and families find suitable matches more easily now.
Be it the first wedding or even a second shaadi, it has become all about happiness and love.