Everything You Need to Know About Marathi Wedding Rituals
India’s extreme cultural diversity and varied traditions followed by different communities is the reason behind variegated wedding scenes. While Punjabi weddings are splendid and pompous, South Indian weddings, especially a Maharashtrian wedding, are eminently simple and traditional. Talking solely about the Maharashtrian marriage ceremony, it is all about cherishing happiness in small things and valuing simplicity. Whether it’s a frisky pre-wedding ritual like ‘Sakharpuda’ to post-wedding rituals like ‘Karmasamapati’, a typical Marathi Shaadi has everything you expect from a simple, loving, and heart-warming wedding affair.
Scroll on to discover every ritual of Maratha wedding in great detail, right from the pre-wedding ceremony to reception.
Pre-Wedding Rituals of a Marathi Wedding
The celebration for a Maharashtrian wedding begins with an engagement ceremony and ends with the ‘Chura’ ceremony. Here’s a gist of every ritual that takes place between these two ceremonies.
Sakharpuda
Sakharpuda is an engagement ceremony during which both bride and groom exchange rings. The family of the groom presents gifts to the bride wholeheartedly which includes a traditional saree and Sakhar (sugar). The groom’s mother does this after applying Haldi-kumkum on her forehead. The same ritual is performed with the boy by the bride’s mother. In the end, the couple takes blessings from their parents and ends the ceremony on a sweet note.
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Muhurt Karane
After the engagement, the preparation for the typical Marathi wedding gets in full swing. A few months before the D-day, a group of married women visits the bride’s home and prepares Haldi and Sandage which is later used during the marriage ceremony. Once this ritual takes place, the bride starts her wedding shopping. She then displays her bridal trousseau in front of the married women and other guests.
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Kelvan
During this ritual, the family members of both the bride and groom conduct a special puja for their Kuldevta aka the family deity. After offering their prayers, they enjoy a hearty lunch with their close ones.
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Halad Chadavane
This is basically a Haldi ceremony during which the bride’s family members apply Haldi (turmeric) on her using mango leaves. The same ceremony takes place at the boy’s home in the presence of loved ones.
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Chura
During the ‘Chura’ ceremony, a set of green bangles is presented to the bride. The bangles are either plain or accented with gold or pearl embellishments. The bride wears these bangles for at least a month after her wedding although she can continue wearing them for a year.
Fun Fact: The color green symbolizes creation, growth, harmony, good luck, and fertility. This is why these bangles are given to the bride by her family. Some Marathi brides love wearing red-colored Chura instead of the green one. Just like green, the ‘red’ color is auspicious and is associated with fertility.
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Marathi Wedding Rituals
The Marathi wedding includes a series of pujas, rituals, and vows, the detailed account of which is given below:
Ganpati Puja
Ganpati puja marks the commencement of the auspicious occasion. During the puja, the bride and groom offer prayers to Lord Ganesha for the success of the couple in their future endeavors.
Punyavacha
Another pooja ceremony during which the Kuldevta is invoked once again at the wedding venue. During the ceremony, the relatives and guests also give their blessings to the bride.
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Seemant Puja
This Marathi wedding ritual commences when the groom reaches the wedding venue along with his parents and relatives. During the ritual, the bride’s mother washes his feet and both families exchange gifts.
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Gaurihar Puja
During this puja ritual, the bride dressed in yellow attire and donning a pearl or floral string on her forehead offers her prayers to Goddess Parvati. Mantras are recited and flowers are bestowed upon the idol.
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Antarpat
In this Maharashtrian wedding ritual, the groom enters the mandap and silk cloth is hung between him and her bride. This is done to block their visions so they can’t have a glimpse of each other until the priest is done chanting mantras.
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Sankalp
After the priest finishes reciting the mantras, the silk cloth is removed and the people present in the ceremony shower rice grains on the bride and groom. The two then exchange garlands and also the sacred vows. They sit in the mandap and the priest recites sacred vows during the Jaimala.
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Kanyadan
Kanyadaan is marked by the father of the bride giving his daughter’s hand to the groom. The ritual symbolizes that the father has transferred the responsibility of taking care of his daughter to her husband who will be her new caretaker. The groom then ties a Mangalsutra around her bride’s neck and fills her Maang with sindoor or red kumkum powder. The bride applies Chandan Teeka on his forehead in return.
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Lajahoma
The bride offers grains to the Holy fire while chanting some mantras which are then repeated by her new husband. Shen then chants a secret mantra silently. This ritual is usually performed before the Mangalsutra ritual.
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Saptapadi
The couple then gets up and takes the sacred seven rounds or vows around the holy fire. After taking each round, the bride touches seven betel nuts and rice mounds with her feet. Once the rounds are completed, she touches the grindstone with her foot and the groom lends his support. This ceremony symbolizes that the bride will stay strong during the course of their married life and her husband will always be there to support her.
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Karmasampati
In this last Marathi wedding ritual, the couple and their parents pray to God and seek blessings for the duo’s well-being. Then comes a cheeky ritual during which the bride’s brother friskily twists his brother-in-law’s ear and warns him to take good care of her sister. The couple takes everyone’s blessings and then enjoys lunch with their family.
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Post-Wedding Rituals of a Marathi Wedding
The celebrations aren’t over yet at the groom’s place as they are ready to indulge in some merrymaking with their new daughter-in-law.
Varat
The bride bids farewell to her family and leaves for her new home. The family members at the bride’s side bid her goodbye with teary eyes.
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Grihapravesh
Once the bride reaches her new home, her mother-in-law welcomes the newlywed couple. She washes their feet and then the bride kicks a Kalash of rice grains before entering her new home with her right foot. After this, a few games and fun activities are performed in which the couple takes part and teases each other.
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Reception
The celebration takes place at the boy’s place in the form of a lunch or dinner party. A venue is booked for reception and all near and dear from the groom’s side join in the celebration and see the newlywed bride. The bride’s parents also reach the place and enjoy lunch/dinner with their daughter and her in-laws.
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These are the rituals that are performed in a typical Marathi marriage ceremony. Nowadays, many couples conduct a small, intimate affair with only a few guests present in the celebration. Anyways, we hope you found typical Maharashtrian wedding rituals beautiful, unique, and interesting. Stay tuned with us for more exciting wedding blogs like this!
