Wedding in Brahmin Community

Wedding in India has always been the lifetime event for the families as well as the couple, where the celebrations last for days and the ceremonies are lavish affairs. There is trend in India that people follow their ancestral rituals, which is really overwhelming at times. Preserving the cultural heritage is the biggest thing in India, and this can be well reflected in the weddings. Different communities in India follow different style of wedding, where the motto is same, which is uniting two souls for the whole life. However, the impact of regional variations can be clearly seen in the Indian marriages. The rituals and traditions even get changed in the same community or the sub-castes. As per the social system of the castes in India, the Brahmins rank first and are considered as the priests. The wedding rituals in the Brahmins are believed to be in their purest forms. The population of Brahmins is scattered all over the country, and in every state, the wedding rituals and the way of celebration differ in Brahmin Matrimony. In the northern and southern parts of the country, the food is cooked without including garlic and onion, while in the Bengali and Oriya community, no food is complete without non-vegetarian delight. The Brahmin matrimony involves a number of customs and tradition as part of the celebrations. There are a series of customs and rituals that are celebrated at the respective homes of the bride and groom. The participation of the family and friends is a must during the rituals. The presence of the friends makes the environment very enjoyable. The elders of the family bless the bride and groom-to-be. The female members of the family sing the wedding songs and dance on the beats of Dholak and other musical instruments. Henna is applied on the hands and feet of the bride, which symbolizes marital bliss and is believed to turn down the bad omen. Turmeric paste is applied all over the body of the bride and groom and the elders bless them by applying turmeric. The turmeric paste is believed to remove the impurities from the skin and make the skin glow. Some more elaborate rituals are performed at the bride’s and groom’s homes. On the wedding day, the groom arrive the bride’s house, accompanied by a procession which includes friends and family members of the groom. During the wedding, the priest chants mantras and the rituals are performed in front of the sacred fire. The wedding involves so many elaborate rituals, and is conducted for several hours. After wedding, the bride leaves her parent’s home and enters her new life with her husband. Earlier, the Brahmins were very adamant about their culture and believed in arranged marriages. However, the trend has changed, and the youngsters these days are marrying the life partner of their choice, with the approval of their parents. The Indian community is strict follower of matching the horoscopes before fixing the wedding. But the community is now progressive and there are a number of families which do not believe in horoscope matching in Brahmin matrimony.