The various Uttarakhandi rituals and traditions are the life of pahaadi weddings. Pahaadi weddings are incomplete in absence of the diverse customs and religious ceremonies that give weddings a divine touch. One such tradition is Maangal Geet.
Maangal Geets are traditional holy offering to the gods sung in pahaadi weddings of the Garhwal or Kumaon region. In pahaadi weddings, the groom is revered as Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu and the bride is considered to be the goddess Paarvati or Laxmi. Maangal geets are auspicious songs sung to represent the wedding or union of the two gods. Women on both sides, the bride as well as the groom sing maangal geets on the propitious occasion of their wedding.
Maangal Geets are songs of celebration sung on almost every jovial occasion. It is hard to establish exactly how old the tradition of singing maagal is, for these folk songs have been sung in the garhwali community for ages and are indeed ancient. In the times gone by, the singers of these category of folk songs used to be daughters of the Ouji community, also known as Harijans. They were the traditional singers of these folk songs and according to tradition, the Oujis came and sang maangal geets in the houses of the upper caste Thakurs and Brahmins.