Wedding Traditions Of India

Wedding traditions of India usually include the traditional Hindu wedding marriage, which represents the union of both the couple and their families becoming one. The families in India are very involved in who their children marry and often will choose the bride or groom. Just a few decades ago the bride and groom would first meet on their wedding day, but in most urban areas today people are able to choose for themselves who they want to marry.

Arranged marriages are still common practice in India and use their horoscopes to see if they are compatible. It also continues in more advanced areas, but usually the couple will meet to see if they have common interests. However marriages for love are becoming a more common occurrence.

A couple months before the wedding there is an engagement party called Mangni or Nischitartham. At this time the two families will meet to perform rituals to make the engagement certain and then a date and time is set for the wedding depending on the horoscope. Then the newly engaged couple is blessed by the elders of the families and is given gifts of jewelry and clothing. Sometimes a ring will be given to the soon-to-be bride and groom to show that they are engaged to one another.