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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Indian Wedding


The bride for whom I made these cookies was a flower girl at my wedding 23 years ago! Time does fly!

Did you know that a traditional Indian wedding lasts an average of three days!!!??  On the first night, a priest will perform the ganesh pooja, a ceremony that usually happens at home with only the couple, the bridal party, and close relatives in attendance.

The second day begins with a mehndi ceremony. For this, the bride and her female friends and family members will have intricate henna patterns drawn on their hands and feet. That evening, the sangeet takes place. Every wedding guest is usually invited, and it involves an introduction of the couple's families, mingling, a meal, and dances or other performances.
A mehndi party
On the third day, the main ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception take place. You may be invited to the last day of the events, or to any part of the three-day celebration. Your invitation should clearly state what you're being asked to attend.

Expect to see the groom arriving to the wedding ceremony on a decorated white horse! Over here where a white horse is nearly impossible to find, the groom makes his entrance in a fancy car instead. Guests dance around him to the beat of the dhol, an Indian drum. After that, the bride and her family greet the groom, and the couple exchanges floral garlands to wear around their necks to symbolize their acceptance of each other.

image credit - http://www.indianweddingsite.com/
During the ceremony, the priest, groom, bride, and bride's parents sit beneath a mandap, a canopy similar to a Jewish huppah. The ceremony starts off with the kanya daan, in which the bride's parents give away the bride. Then the couple joins hands and circles around a small, enclosed fire (the agni) in a ritual called the mangal phera.

The couple will next take the saptapadi, a seven-step ritual where each step corresponds to a vow the groom makes to the bride, and a vow the bride makes to the groom. Saptapadi is performed near a fire, which has religious significance. After each of the seven oaths to each other, the groom and bride  walk around the fire with part of each other’s clothing tied to each other.
Finally, the groom will apply a red powder to the center of the bride's forehead and tie a black beaded necklace around her neck, proclaiming that she's now a married woman.
image credit - https://www.chennaihalls.in
source - https://www.theknot.com/content/hindu-wedding-guest-qa

17 comments:

  1. Wow, what a wonderfully intricate custom for marriage! I can't imagine the celebrating going on for 3 days. Adorable cookies! I'm sure the bride to be enjoyed them!

    betty

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  2. I come back here after weeks and am greeted with such beautiful cookies. As I read through all that you have shared on Indian weddings, I had to step back to make sure that I knew it correctly that you are not an Indian. Such details, you seem to be very familiar with Indian culture :)

    -Tanya
    http://tanyaanurag.blogspot.com/

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  3. I love their weddings. I remember when I was going to get married to Travis - what 13 years ago I looked into their dresses. They are just so pretty!

    We ended up going to the China town part of Atlanta, Georgia. I was trying to get sized for a dress, and the worker couldn't speak English well. She kept having me try dresses on. I found a dress that was $100! In the US you're lucky to get a dress for $500! It had pearls all down the back, which is my alternative birth stone (Alexandrite is my real one - too expensive!). I went with it.

    Your cookies are so pretty! I love their and your detailed work on things. The color is pretty to!

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  4. Wow those cookies are insane!!!!!!

    Imperfectmom247

    ps thank you for reading my blog.

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  5. Stop in from Hootin Annie...Wow your weddings are so colorful. Mine was very simple but I'm still married to the same guy.

    Coffee is on

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  6. Lovely photos! Indian weddings are so lively and colorful. Love it! Those cookies are amazing!

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  7. I cannot stop staring at the details in those cookies! Gorgeous! And I love a good cultural lesson. Thanks for sharing at last week's Throw Back Thursday. --- Amy @ http://thegiftedgabber.com

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