Why is Bengali rituals so beautiful?

 Bengali wedding rituals start a couple of months prior the genuine wedding. Some of them may have become out of date over time, while others are still meticulously followed.

The wedding rituals and customs followed by families hailing from different districts of West Bengal (Ghoti) & East Bengal (Bengal) often vary to some degree.

Adan Pradan

There was a time when the families would gather at a location with priests to set the favorable marriage date from an almanac after the bride and groom had given their consent for the marriage and their horoscopes had been matched. After that, the families would make the wedding official and exchange gifts.

However, in today's world, matchmaking and even horoscope compatibility testing are conducted online, making this a passé practice. The wedding dates are settled on and conveyed on the phone.

Aashirvad / BIRRDHI PUJO

This is a ceremony where the bride and the groom are officially acknowledged by their particular parents in law and seniors from the two families collect to shower their favors on the bride and the groom. They put husked rice and trefoil leaves on the head of the bride and the groom and present gold ornaments or other gifts as a sign of their love. Sometimes it happens a few months before the actual wedding and sometimes on the day of the wedding itself.

Ai Buro Bhaat

Aiburobhat loosely translates to Aiburo (bachelor) Bhat (Rice). This is very similar to the concept of bridal shower or bachelor party associated with Christian weddings. Usually friends, neighbours and close relatives assemble at the house of the bride or the groom on the day before the solemn marriage ceremony is to take place.

Bor Jatri and Bor Baran

Bengali Hindu weddings make some particular memories outline which is viewed as most favorable and the wedding ceremony happens inside that period. It is called the lagna. In a posh caravan that is brought by the bride's family, the groom typically leads the wedding procession to the venue. This group is called the ‘bor jatri’. The caravan is led by a separate car that was sent for the groom.

At the entrance of the venue, the mother of the bride and other elders of the family wait to receive the group. In some weddings, the bride's mother first washes the wheels of the car in which the groom arrives. Then she anoints the groom with tilak from the baran dala and does an aarti before welcoming him. Different visitors are likewise gotten with a ton of warmth. They are then situated and served refreshments.

Mala Badal

The "mala badal" comes after the subho dristi. The lady of the hour actually situated on the pidi and kept lifted by the brothers, trades laurels made of fragrant flowers with the lucky man multiple times which connotes the couple's acceptance of each other.

To add to the fun element, the brothers often try to hoist the bride as high as possible to make it difficult for the groom to reach the bride’s neck. Whenever difficult situations arise, enter the companions of the husband to be in the edge! They then try to lift the groom higher than the bride, and the two sides compete for a while, resulting in peals among the assembled guests of laughter.

Sampradan

Here, the bride and groom both sit at the altar as an elder member of the bride’s family (who carried out the Potto Bastra earlier) gives the bride’s hand into the groom’s hand. The priest's hands are bound with a sacred thread as they recite Vedic chants and remain bound until the end of the rituals in a Bengali wedding. This ceremony is called Sampradan or all the more explicitly Kanya Sampradan.

Yagya and Saat Paak (on foot)

The Vedic rituals invoking the presence of Agnidev or Fire God to solemnize the marriage, is carried by the priests. The would-be couple sits along with them and follow the instructions carefully.

Potto Bostro

The man of the hour shows up in customary Bengali clothing of creased dhoti and kurta. But after he is seated at the chadnatolla which is basically the sanctum sanctorum of the mandap where the rites would be performed, an elderly member, usually the maternal The bride's uncle, who would later perform the "kanya sampradan," presents new outfits for the groom to wear during the wedding rituals. These clothes are known as ‘potto bostro’. In Sylheti weddings, the canopy tent (Mandap) is given a special look. It's called kunja and is gorgeous.

Basar Ghar

On the night of the wedding, after the guests have left, the couple and some young members of the extended family occupy a room and have fun. They chat non-stop, dance and sing. It is fundamentally a period of joy and delight. They also play different games. The process is a way for the couple and everyone else to relax in front of one another.

Also read: How much does wedding photography cost in indie

Bidaay and Bodhu Baran

Bidaay is a touching ceremony in where the bride moves in with her in-laws after leaving her family home. While departing, the bride keeps throwing rice fistfuls backwards without looking back. She tries to repay the debt she owes her family for raising her in this manner.

When the newlyweds arrive at the groom's house in a car, the mother waits by the door to receive them. The mother washes the car tyres and ushers the bride in. This is called bodhu baran. An imprint of her foot is taken on a white fabric utilizing lac color, red in variety.

Kalratri

This is the principal night that the lady of the hour spends at the home of her parents in law. The bride and the groom sleep in separate rooms on that night out of a belief borrowed from a fable or folklore that if the couple sleeps together on the first night, their conjugal life wouldn’t be harmonious.