Marriage is one of the most significant events of life especially in the Indian society since ancient times. It is not just a confluence of two people but lays the foundation to pursue human ancestry and to connect with the various aspects of life. The most common form of marriage ceremony pursued is the Anchal or Vaidic marriage. The role of rituals, also called Sanskaars in the Anchal marriage is important. All the rituals are performed amidst the chant of vedic mantras. The various rituals that comprise the Anchal wedding are given below.
Engagement : Akin to any other wedding ceremony, the pahaadi weddings have an engagement ceremony where the fathers of the bride and groom exchange rings.
Mehendi Ceremony : The mehendi ceremony takes place on both the bride as well as the groom’s side where henna is applied to the hands and feet of the bride while the groom settles with a simple design on the hands.
Ganesh Puja : Lord Ganesha is considered to be the remover of obstacles, therefore Ganesh worship is considered obligatory before any propitious event.
Suwal Pathai : This ceremony pertains uniquely to pahaadi weddings wherein wheat flour is kneaded into a dough, done up in round shapes, deep and deep fried as offering to the gods.