Practically everyone dreams of getting married someday to someone. After an individual attains maturity the wait for that perfect individual starts. Some people are lucky to be blessed by the feeling of love while the others wait further, to meet that someone special.
When witness an Indian Wedding Ceremony, you might be a bit overwhelmed by the diverse shades of customs, religion and beliefs that these ceremonies offer. Called Panigrahana in Sanskrit and Vivah in Hindi, Indian weddings are a special affair, to say the least. In Indian culture, marriage is considered to be a union of two souls. Deemed a sacred affair, it is believed that marriage extends beyond a single life time and continues up to seven lives. The auspicious ceremony of marriage is taken to be 13th out of a total of 16 ceremonies in one’s life. Indian marriages are solemnized according to the VEDAS, Hindu religion’s sacred scriptures. Most of these Indian wedding rituals have regional traditions as their base. However, the common tie amongst all these wedding rituals is the fun as well as the excitement which form an integral part. One of the important Post Wedding Ceremonies is the Vidai Ceremony.
The Vidai Ceremony takes place after the seven pheras and kanyadaan and symbolized reaching the end of the marriage. Emotions run high during this ceremony and it is not uncommon to find the bride’s family members along with her friends and relatives very sentimental. The Vidai Ceremony symbolized a new journey for the bride as she departs from her parent’s house to go with her husband. Because of that, is brings both joy and sorrow for the bride. During the Viadi, the bride’s father formally gives away his daughter to her husband and asks him to protect and take care of his daughter.
During the vidai ceremony the bride is accompanied by her parents and associates, which lead her outside the doorstep of the house, or in more modern occasions, a doorway of the ceremony site. Before crossing the doorstep, she throws back three handfuls of rice and coins over her head, into the house. This symbolizes that the bride is repaying her parents for all that they have given her so far.
The fun side of the Vidai happens as the sister in-laws bargaining with the groom. A part of the Indian wedding ceremony is hiding the groom’s shoes subsequent to the marriage ceremony. Generally, the onus of this task rests on the shoulders of the sister in-laws. The sister in-laws, also called saalis, get a variety of gifts like kalichari, a ring made of gold or silver, cash or some other gifts in kind for returning the groom’s shoes.
Nevertheless, the focus of Indian Vidai is on the bride. As she leaves her parent’s home, she hugs her friends and family members. Touching the feet of the elderly and seeking their blessings is also a part of Vidai. As the bride steps out of the entrance of her house, she throws back a few handfuls of rice over the head as a sign of opulence and wealth. This custom suggests that she is paying her parents back whatever they have given her over the years. At the same time, she is also praying for the prosperity to flourish in this house which was her abode since her birth.
In the final stages of the Vidai, the newlywed couple sits in the car. The brothers and cousins of the brides give a bit of push to the car. It signifies the fact that they have given their sister a push ahead in her new life. Once the last car of the convoy starts, the bride’s family and friends throw coins on the road to thrust aside the evil.
Touching rituals that reflect on the transitions of life, I think they’re beautiful, albeit sad.
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Lia