Your wedding is an exciting time in your life, but can be physically en emotionally exhausting as well. Most of us get along with our groom’s mother, but some are not that lucky. This is a time where even the bride and mother in law that do have a beautiful relationship, ends up in conflict.

So why is it a good idea to start this marriage conflict free and involve both families in the planning?

Your wedding day is a celebration between the love of the bride and groom and their union together. This day is about both bride and groom and their families celebrating together. By leaving out the Groom’s family in the planning and executing of that special day, is the same as showing that the groom isn’t as important as the bride on that day.

Consider these tips, to avoid conflict with your new mother-in-law:

Tension between Bride and the Groom’s mom is very common and the reason for that is mainly because the groom is shifting his loyalty and commitment from her to his new wife. No matter how cruel this might sound, it is in a way the truth. For a long time, his mother might have been the most important female figure in his live. He followed her example, looked up to her and learned right from wrong from her. Things in the house were done her way. Now he has a new woman in his live with different views and ways of doing things taught by her mother. The groom’s mother might not agree with the way that the new woman in his live is doing things and this might cause conflict.

She might even believe that you will never live up to her standards or expectations and that you are not good enough for her son.

There is something that you, as he new woman in her son’s live, can do about this.

1)      Resist the need to start a fight. Hurtful things might be said and this will only ruin the future relationship you might have with her. This will not proof her wrong and will only hurt your future husband.

2)      Never put your groom in the position where he has to choose between you and his mother. Off cause he will choose you, but he wouldn’t want to say it in front of her. Remember that he still wants and needs to have a beautiful relationship with his mother, and this will only hurt him.

3)      Show her that you do have a hart and care about her feelings and input in the wedding. Make an effort to be nice and get to know each other in a different way. No matter what, you both have one thing in common: You love the same man just as much. Be tactful when dealing with her. It is easier to politely thank her for her suggestions without actually agreeing to do what she wants you to do on your wedding. For instance, if she suggests an awful decoration for the wedding, thank her for the suggestion and that you would take it into consideration, and leave it at that. A lot can be achieved by just being polite.

4)      Make appointments to spend some time together. Go out for a coffee or meet at a local gym or even visit a nursery together to discuss and buy a few plants or trees. This doesn’t have to take up your whole day, in fact the shorter the better. This will give you two the opportunity to discuss things other than the wedding or how to properly clean the shower. Also refrain from talking about future children and how to raise them. When you spend time together, be relaxed in her company, laugh a lot and be positive. Don’t sit there with an attitude and a frown on your face. This will only cause more tension and show that you two have nothing in common.

5)      Involve her in the wedding preparations. If you feel that you don’t want to give her too much say over the wedding for some reason, give her specific things that she can do. Make her solely responsible for this so that she feels that you trust her completely. By having a defined role, she will feel appreciated and useful and won’t feel the need to take over your wedding plans.

Things she can do includes: mailing all of the invitations and making the hair appointments for the flower girls and bridesmaids.

One of the most common fights before weddings, are about the guest list. One of the best ways to resolve this issue is to divide the amount of guests that you can afford to invite, by three. A third of the guests being you and your fiancé’s friends and the rest being equally divided between the bride’s parents and the groom’s parents. Remember that the number of guests allocated to each family, should not be determined by the amount that they contribute to the wedding

Don’t forget that this is both the bride and the groom’s day. Don’t make it all about you. You might be the one that is going to steel all of the attention on your wedding day, but the groom will be part of the celebration too. Cutting out his family in the wedding preparations and guest list, will only show selfishness and no effort to accept his family.

Don’t see your new mother in law as your new enemy. You do not have to compete for your husbands love. Make time to spend with her, get to know her and who knows, you might just find a friend in your new mother in law.

Technorati Tags: Establish, good, mother, Relationship

Marriages have always been the most important celebration in all the religions, areas, communities, and castes. The essence of the marriage remains the same, with the only difference in the rituals and the customs by which the marriage ceremony is performed. There are many regions, communities and states in the India, and every group has its own way of celebrating their marriage. Kashmir is a place which has been famous for its beauty, with the addition of knowledge and ethnicity in the panits presents their called Kashmiri Pandits.

The marriage in Kashmiri Pandits is decided after matching the horoscopes of the prospective bride and the groom. The caste, standard, backgrounds of the families are also matched to fix a perfect match. The matrimony time and date is then fixed in consultation with the priest, who announces the auspicious date according to best mahurat. The rituals followed in a Kasmiri Pandit marriage are:

Pre- wedding rituals:

Kasamdry: It is the formal engagement of the couple in a temple, after the alliance is fixed by both the kashmiri families. The ceremony is performed in accordance to the date fixed by the kashmiri pandit. Flowers are exchanged between the families, to show the acceptance of the association, whereas the bride and the groom exchanges ring with each other. Kashmiri meal from the bride side is served to the relatives and friends present from both the sides.

Livun: It is any day before the marriage, when the house is cleaned in a traditional way, the whole house id applied with water and mud. The same process takes place at both the houses. The bua or the sister of the bride’s and the groom’s father prepared a special dish called var, and distributes it among the family members and the neighbours, for she is given cash as a form of shagun. Also, the cooking place made of mud and water is also established at the backyard of the house, where the cook prepares traditional dishes for all the ceremonies and functions.

Maenziraat: It is the ritual, where the doors of the house of both the bride and the grooms are decorated by their aunts, after which the bride takes a holy bathe, and is applied with designed heena on her hands and feet. The evening is celebrated with a lot of traditional dances and songs on both the respective houses. The mehandi or the heena is applied on the hand of the kashmiri pandit groom also, as a sign of purity and blessing by the elders.

Yagneopavit: It is the thread ceremony, where the groom is made to wear asacred thread or Janev.

Divagone: This is the ceremony which marks the transformation of the bride and the groom from their brahamcharya life to the grahast life. In this, they worship they idols of gods Shiv and parvati, to seek their blessings for their happy married life. The rituals is practised in the respective homes of the bride and the groom, the customs are performed by the priest. Also, the gifts to be given to the bride in her marriage are placed before the sacred fire. A gold ornament called dejaharu, along with other gold ornaments is gifted to the kahmiri pandit bride, signifying the stage that she is ready for her marriage.

Wedding day rituals:

The bride and the groom dresses in their traditional attire, called Pheran. The groom after getting ready moves with the procession to the wedding venue where he is welcomed by the bride’s family in a grand manner. The mother and the other elder female members of the bride’s family welcome the groom and his relatives with a traditional arti and blowing off the conk shell. The food menu has the traditional veg items, ranging from 21- 25, with no non-veg in or around the marriage hall.

The bride is brought by her maternal uncle to the place of wedding, where both Kashmiri Pandit Bride and the groom sees each other in the mirror, after which they can match eyes. Then the sacred ritual of seven pheras around the goddess fire is taken, the first phera being taken by stepping on the seven one rupee coins. This marks the completion of the marriage, after which the dinner is served.

Post- marriage rituals:

The bride after changing the saree and jewellery, moves towards her husband’s house, where she receives an enormous welcome by her new family. Gar Atchun is a formal reception given after the marriage. By the bride’s family, where the both the bride and the groom are given gifts and sweets, and a vast non- veg meal is prepared for the guests, after which the couple moves towards their house for leading a happy married life.

Technorati Tags: Kashmiri, Marriage, Pandit, Rituals, wedding

India as a country signifies oneness; it is the only place in the world with more than six religions, number of languages, diverse cultures and their values. Tourists find India one of the most interesting and contented places to visit because of its varied cultures, monuments, literature, traditions and the options available to explore. It is the country, where you get to see different variety of people, speaking different languages and following varied practices in every state you enter.

It is the only country where the culture of joint family is still practiced and valued. Guests are always treated with due respects and are helped in every manner possible, the best example of which can be seen in any Indian marriage. People from all walks of life come and live together, you get to see different religions living in the same region. Festivals of any religion or state are properly respected and celebrated all over the country.

Also one aspect which differentiates us from the rest is the marriage culture followed in India. Marriages are believed to be an affair of life long commitment in India, here the Brides are considered as the ‘ardhangini’ of the groom, i.e. half part of the body. Unlike foreign countries, the people of India do not believe in divorce, they make every possible effort to lead a happily married life.

Indian marriages are famous for their functions and celebrations. But unlike all other religions practiced in India, Tamilians believe in simple and a sober marriage. Their marriages are not a very extravagant and flashy event. Because they are very particular about all the rituals and customs to be performed in the marriage, all the distant relatives are invited to bless the Tamil Bride and Groom for their future lives and the marriage is held over a large scale.

The Tamil Matrimony starts with a ceremony called Panda Kaal Muhurtham, in which both the families of Bride and the Groom come together to pray to the God for an uninterrupted marriage ceremony. In between various preparations are made at the respective houses of the Bride and the Groom. Shopping for new clothes, ornaments, gifts, furniture, are done and cards are distributed among the relatives.

Few days before the marriage, the groom is welcomed by the bride’s family with the recitation of a traditional ‘arti’ at the house of the bride. The groom is treated with sweets, sprinkled with rose water on him and a coconut is also broken to way off all the evils. A pooja called ‘Vratham’ is also performed before marriage.

A ceremony called Pallikai Thellichal is celebrated wherein water is sprinkled on the nine clay pots filled with different types of grains. This is done by married women and after a day, the pots are immersed in the pond so that the couple gets the blessings of the fishes that eat the grains filled in them.  A ritual called ‘Naandi’ is performed after that, in which gifts are given to few Brahmins to seek their blessing for the Tamil Bride and groom.

Nicchiyadharatham i.e. engagement of the Tamil couple is done before marriage, where they the bride and the groom exchange rings. ‘Lagna Pathirigai’ follows the engagement ceremony, in this; a priest performs the Ganesh Puja and reads out a formal invitation loudly to the people to make them aware about the date fixed for the marriage.

Then comes the final day, the marriage day, Bride and groom are applied with oil and turmeric on their body after which they take an auspicious bath called Mangala Snaanam.

Before meeting the Bride on the wedding day, the Tamil groom pretends to go for Kashi yatra, a ritual in which the father of the Tamilian Bride requests him not to go for Kashi yatra and promises to marry his daughter with him.

Then the Bride and the Groom exchanges garlands, followed by Oonjal, where the Tamilian couple is made to sit on swing, and are served with banana and milk. To prevent the couple from the evil powers, elders circle rice bowls around them along with the reciting of traditional songs. Before Muhurtum, Kanyadaanam takes place, where the Brides father gives the responsibility of his daughter to the Tamil groom. Then the groom ties mangalsutra and applies vermillion to the bride in which the bride wears a nine- yard saree given by the groom’s parents. After which the auspicious ritual of saptapadi is performed where the Tamil bride and groom takes seven round around the sacred fire and the priest recites spiritual prayers simultaneously.

Technorati Tags: Cultures, Marriage, Tamil

Nepal, one of the very few countries with an existence history of around 300 years, is a beautiful land with independent hill stations all around adding to its majesty. The people, culture and rituals of Nepal vary from region to region, due to the existence of citizens with different castes and classes. The common language followed in the country is Nepali; otherwise, English is also commonly understood in various regions due to its popularity as a tourist destination.

Marriages in all religions or cultures are a special occasion to celebrate and enjoy, but in case of Nepal, marriages are said be an extravagant affair with a lot of rituals and customs followed. It’s a festive occasion to feast and party. Nepal in itself constitutes several ethnic groups and marriage rituals in Nepal vary according to their ethnic group. The matrimonies in Nepal are mostly arranged with only a few cases of love marriage and there is a trend of early marriage in the country, but obviously not before the age of eighteen. Nepali people prefer marrying their children in the same community or caste with the same social status and background.

The various ethnic groups present in Nepal are Thakuri, Brahman, Chhetri, Magar, Tharu, Newari, Sherpa, Limbu, Gurung, Rai, Thakali, Raute, Tamang and Chepang. The traditions for the marriage of all the groups vary according to their respective cultural practices. Every group has a different way to celebrate their happiness.

The common matrimony ceremonies which a Nepali Bride and Groom performs are:

Tika- Tala:

Tika- tala or the engagement ceremony is the very step of the Nepali couple towards the beginning of their married life. this generally means the exchange of Tika or a red mark on the forehead, as a gesture of giving good wishes and blessings to the Nepali Bride and groom. The function is celebrated among the close family relatives and also the dates for the marriage and other ceremonies are fixed according to the auspicious dates suggested by the priest.

Wedding Ceremony:

The matrimony of a Nepali couple is usually a three day event, with the marriage invitation been extended to a large number of people, generally to the whole village and relatives and friends from other cities and states. All the relatives and invitees for the marriage come at the groom’s place, from where all of them together heads towards the bride’s place. A lot of cost is involved in the marriage, for which the savings start right from the child’s birth.

In a Nepali matrimony, all the males of the from the groom’s side travel to the bride’s house in the form of a procession, called Janti, accompanied by a traditional band called Panche baja constituted of five instruments. The bride family welcomes the whole Janti with a big treat and all the other social rituals are followed after that. The Bride and the Groom wear traditional outfits with the bride wearing gold jewelry with mehandi on her hands. The ceremonies of the marriage are then started with the kanyadan signifying the giving away their daughter by the bride’s father, followed by the Swyambhar, where the Nepali bride and groom exchanges garlands with each other. Then the mandap ceremony takes place, where first the groom puts sindur on the forehead of the bride and after which the couple takes seven rounds in front of the sacred fire symbolizing their pledge to be each others partners for seven lives, with the priest chanting religious scriptures and declaring the bride and the groom as each others husband and wives.

The bidai or the Anmaune takes place after the wedding, which is an emotional affair as the bride leaves her parental house and heads towards her husband’s house to lead a new life. Then the people from the groom’s family moves back towards the groom’s house with the newly wedded couple, where they are welcomed by the Jante- Bakhro, the feast of a goat- meat along with the singing and dancing ceremonies marking the celebration for the matrimony.

Technorati Tags: Marriages, Nepal

Indian marriages are famous all over the world due to its grandness and the scale on which it is celebrated. Also, there are as many types of marriages as the number of castes, religions, cultures and states exist in the country. Every community or group has there own rituals or ceremonies to be performed as a part of the marriages that take place there. Most people from Indian origin want to marry their child in the same caste or religion as theirs. There are endless number of castes in India, all of which are different from each other in one or the other way, they are differentiated either on the bases of god they worship, their origin, or the work they practice.

Some of the castes in India are like Brahmin, Bania, Iyer, shatriyas, Kohli, Khatri, Singh, Punjabi, Pandit, Jains, Karnawat, Sudan, Jaiswal, Kamboj, Kayastha, etc. Out of all the castes Kayasthas are referred to as the writing caste, which are the sub- sects of Brahmans and are mainly the residents of the North India. They worship lord Chitragupta, whose temples are mainly found in the south with the prominent ones in Kanchipuram.

Though, the wedding ceremonies of the Kayastha caste are almost same everywhere, with a little reflection of the area or the region in which they live. They prefer marrying in their own caste. The wedding ceremony, as others, is divided into three parts, pre, during and post wedding. The wedding customs or rituals followed in a kayastha marriage are:

Pre- Wedding Rituals:

Bariksha- A ceremony, which marks the acceptance of the girl and boy to be married with each other. In this, the Kayastha girl’s family sends a silver bowl full of rice, supari and turmeric powder and an envelop containing cash, symbolizing the confirmation of the relation to be formed between two families.

Sagai- Sagai or the engagement ceremony takes place with the exchange of rings called engagement rings in-between the Kayastha Bride and groom. The groom’s family visits the house of the bride with gifts, jewelry and dresses for the bride. The would-be mother- in- law of the bride also applies red ‘tikka’ on her forehead and places all the gift items on her lap.

Haldi ceremony: This ceremony takes places in both the houses of bride as well as the groom separately. As a part of this ceremony, a paste of turmeric, vegetable oil, milk, henna, called ‘Uptan’ is applied on the face, feet and arms of both the bride and the groom by the elder women of the family. The significance of applying this paste is to purify the couple’s mind body and soul for a healthy and happy beginning of their married life.

Tilak Ceremony: Tilak ceremony takes place at the house of the groom with all the bride’s family members present there with gifts, dresses and cash, which are then placed at the groom’s lap by each family member with the application of red tilak on his forehead.

Mehandi: Mehandi is a ritual celebrated a day before the Kayastha marriage; an evening full of fun, dance and feast is celebrated. Mehandi with beautiful designs is applied on the hands of the bride and her friends & relatives. Unlike other caste marriages, Mehandi or Henna designs are made on Kayastha groom’s hands also.

Bhaat- Bhaat is a lunch ceremony organized by the maternal uncle of the bride for the groom and his family members. Gifts are also given by the bride’s uncle to the Kayastha groom and his family.

Wedding Rituals

Baraat: It’s a procession full of dance and joy constituting the groom’s family and friends walking down to the wedding venue. The groom wears Achkan, Chooridar, turban and a Kalgi, after which he is, applied a red tikka on his forehead by his family members.

At the entrance of the marriage venue, the groom’s family gets a warm welcome by the bride’s family, after which the bride comes into the wedding hall and the Jaimala ceremony takes place, in which the Kayastha bride and the groom exchanges garlands with each other, after which they are taken to the mandap, where the actual wedding ceremony takes place, with the priest reciting the spiritual prayers.

Kanyadan ceremony, the ritual where, the father of the bride gives away the responsibility of her daughter to the groom for life time by holding their joined hands in front of the sacred fire. Then a scarf a given to the groom which id tied to the bride’s pallu, after they take seven circles around the sacred fire with the promises of being with each other in all spheres of life. This concludes the wedding ceremony.

Then the bride leaves her maternal house a part of the ceremony called, Bidai, which is a very emotional moment for the whole family as the bride is moves to her new house leaving all the childhood memories behind.

Post- Wedding rituals

After the marriage, the newly wed Kayastha couple is welcomed by the groom’s family in his house, followed by a muh- dikhai ceremony in the bride is greeted by gifts and sweets by all her new family members.

Technorati Tags: Culture, Kayastha, Marriage, Their

India is a land with diverse culture and rituals. One can experience different and new things every time; he visits a new city or state. Every city has got different practices and believes due to which there are a number of festivals and religions celebrated and respectively followed all over the country. Every religion is different from the other in terms of its customs and believes and so are the methodologies for celebrating their ceremonies.

Marriage is a celebration, of which the type and their customs vary from each region to even the ‘sir’ name attached with the matrimony family. The customs and the rituals followed in the marriages make it more interesting and fun- loving. The memories attached with the marriage of our loved- ones are ever- lasting and priceless. Of all the other religions the matrimonies of a catholic people are very different and moreover, it’s a practice adopted from a foreign land.

The matrimony of a catholic or a Christian couple can be practiced with or without the people or relatives present in the church. But most of the catholic couples prefer marrying in front of the masses present in the church to seek their blessing for their married life. The whole process is generally divided into pre, during and post marriage ceremonies as followed:

Pre- matrimony ceremonies

Engagement: Engagement or the exchange of rings is the most widespread ritual followed in Christians, with the groom and his family visiting the bride’s house. The ceremony is marked as the starting of the period as per which the girls and boy gets to know each other, it is not necessary entitled to end in a marriage, but if they are comfortable with each other and wants to lead a life of a married couple, they have to declare their marriage within six months from the time of their engagement.
Attending a preparatory course: The soon-to-be catholic bride and groom are supposed to attend a preparatory course before their marriage. The course can be for a day or for three days. A form needs to be filled, with the declaration of points related to their lives and an oath has to be taken on the bible that they are not hiding any information, also their certifications of baptism has to be produced in the church. The priest of the church declares their decision of marriage for three consecutive Sundays, after which the couple can get married.
Bridal shower: This ceremony takes place at the bride’s house where in she gives a party to her family as friends as a maiden. Gifts are distributed by the bride to her friends, cake cutting ceremony is done with a pink cake and a thimble inside which is distributed among the bridesmaids and the girl who gets the cake piece with the thimble is believed to get married next.
The Bachelor Party: The party given by the groom to his family and friends. This is to celebrate the groom’s last evening as a bachelor and a welcome for his new marriage life.
Arrival at the church: The catholic groom reaches the church before the bride on the day of the matrimony. The bride after reaching at the church is greeted by her best- man with a wedding bouquet and a kiss, after which the priest or the father of the church lead the ceremony and takes the couple inside the church. The couple is welcomed by a special song sung by their family and friends.

Wedding Rituals:

The final wedding takes place with the Catholic bride and groom walking down the passage along with the marriage procession. And then the ceremony begins with the priest welcoming the couple in the church by bestowing his good wishes and blessings on them. After this the Nuptials ritual takes place, wherein the Bride and the groom affirms that they are doing this matrimony with their own wish and they will give due respect and love to each other as husband and wife for the rest of their lives.

Then the priest makes them take the Solemn promise which they take by joining their hands, with the individual declaration of taking each other as husband and wife for their entire life. After the Solemn promise, the joined hands and the rings are blessed with the holy water by the priest to symbolize the presence of faith, love and blessings of God on the Catholic couple. The couple then exchange rings with the acceptance of taking each other as husband and wife. After which the priest announces the bride and groom as a couple, followed by a kiss to the new bride by her husband. At the end, holy scriptures from the bible are recited by the mass, followed by the father of the church delivering an interesting session on the sanctity of marriage.

This marks the ending of the celebrations for a Catholic matrimony with the reception party and the cake cutting ceremony, where all the relatives and friends wishes the newly wedded couple a happy and a successful married life.

Technorati Tags: Catholic, Followed, Marriage, Rituals

Marriage in Pakistan is a family event of happiness and festivity. The occasion of marriage brings together all the family members and neighborhood under one roof. A Pakistani marriage generally consists of four main ceremonies of nikah, mehndi, rukhsati and valima however; such smaller events like mangani (engagement), mayoun (applying hina on bride’s hand), dholki (drum beating) are also celebrated by some people along with main functions.

Mangani (engagement) is the formal engagement or commitment of the couple destined to become married. Rings are exchanged between boy and girl and a tentative wedding date is decided at this time. After the engagement, formal preparations for the wedding start.

Concept of Jahez (Dowry) – There is a concept of Jahez (dowry or bride’s wealth) in Pakistan which though doesn’t have any religious standing, but still people feel a need to give dowry to their daughters in order to boost family’s social standing in the eyes of the boy’s family.

Burry (gift from the grooms family to bride) – The boys family prepare burry to be given to the girl. This includes clothing and jewelry.

Mayoun (applying ubtan on bride’s face and body) is usually the first event of a wedding. From this day on, the bride is proscribed from the groom’s eyes till the day of marriage. Ubton, a herbal concoction is applied on bride’s face and body. Everyone wears yellow clothes to blend into the colors of ubton. Some people also recite Quran or hold Quran khawani at homes to seek Allah’s blessings. During Mayoun, friends and family sit in circle with Dholak (a horizontal two-sided percussion drum) and sing traditional wedding songs throughout the evening. The Mayoun generally merge in to Dholki.

Mehndi or Rasm e-Henna is generally celebrated couple of days before wedding. The bride wears a yellow dress for this event and uses only light, or no, make up. Flowers are worn by women like gajray (flower garlands) in place of jewellary. While the groom wears a white shalwar kameez. The bride and the groom are brought forward under a decorative dupatta by their close relatives and friends. The women of the family sing traditional wedding songs and dance on this occasion. The bride’s palms and soles are decorated with intricate Mehndi designs.

Nikah is the Islamic marriage contract. It takes place at the bride’s house or sometimes at the Masjid. The Nikah Khawan (Authorized person for recording the Nikah) normally Imam Masjad (head for prayers). The bride and groom must both have three witnesses present. A close male relative asks from girl her consent and gets her signatures on the Nikahnama. Dried dates are served to guest to celebrate.

Baraat (for boys) or Rukhsati (for girls) is the main day of marriage. It kicks off with Sehra-bandi. The groom wears a sehra (a veil of flowers) from his residence. Family members of the groom present him gifts or salami (gift money). The reception of barat is organized by the bride’s family so it traditionally takes place in the bride’s home (hotels or marriage halls); tents may be set up to accommodate guests. The place is suitably and auspiciously decorated with lights for the festive occasion. The bridegroom starts out from his home in a form of procession on cars (traditionally on a decorated horse to the music of shenai (a shrill flute) and dholak (drums) with his family and friends. They are greeted by the bride’s family with flowers garland and rose petals.

What happens at reception of barat? It is customary for the bride’s sisters and friends to stop the barat from entering the arena until a sufficient amount of cash is given to them. Other traditional rasams include doodh pilai (milk drinking), jooti chupai (hiding shoes). The bride traditionally wears a heavily embroidered red outfit along with jewelry while the groom wears sherwani with a sehra or turban. Food, sweets, pans are served afterwards in feast.

Rukhsati (see off ceremony) takes place, when the groom and his family leave together with the bride. Usually Quran is held over the bride for blessings. The departure of the bride becomes a very emotional scene as she says farewell to the home of her parents and siblings to start a new married life.

At groom home (welcoming ceremony) – Upon arrival at home of groom the traditionally the eldest female members of the family welcome the grooms with prayers, a typical job to do is using water utensil revolving around the heads of bride and grooms.

Valima (feast dinner) is the final day of wedding celebrated at the house of the bridegroom. It mainly consists of a feast dinner. The bride wears dress and jewelry provided by the groom’s family.

Technorati Tags: Ceremonies, Pakistan, wedding

Assam is a state known for its cultures, believes and symbolism. Symbolism is an important asset of Assamese culture; various beliefs, identities and feeling are used to express using the art of symbolism. The three most popular symbols of Assam culture are Gamosa, Tamulpan and Xorai. Assam is a state practicing different ethnic cultures, so their festivals vary accordingly. Though, Bihu is a common festival in Assam and is celebrated at a large scale all over the state.

Assam is famous for its traditional music and folk dances. Cane and bamboo crafts forms the most conventional utilities of the state. With all the other celebrations, marriages in Assam are not only an occasion to dance and celebrate, but it is also union of two families, the families of the Assamese bride and the groom. The rituals performed during marriage are aimed to introduce both the family members for their contribution towards a successful married life of the newly wed couple.

The rituals followed in Assamese marriage are as follows:

Pre- wedding rituals

Juran Ceremony: It is the ceremony, where the family of the groom visits the house of the bride, where they are welcomed by the bride’s mother with a traditional arti. After which, both the bride and the groom’s mother exchanges Tamul and Paan between them and carries a traditional vase which is later filled with mango leaves and water of their native lands.

The mother in law of the bride places betel and ring on the forehead of the bride, and then pours oil three times on the betel, and applies sindoor, after which she presents her with the assamese wedding dress, ‘mekhla chaddar’, a two- piece silk cloth and other jewelry and gifts.

Wedding Day Rituals:

Both the mothers of the bride and the groom bring water from the nearby lake or river, by which the assamese bride and groom take sacred bath. The process of bringing the water from the nearby water source is celebrated with great pop and gaiety. The wedding ceremony takes place at the night, with fish and meat being the main course for the feast that night.

The Assamese groom wears the traditional dhoti- kurta and shawl worn over his shoulder, while the bride wears a silk saree, wore in their traditional style.

Like all other marriages, groom reaches the venue of the marriage with a grand procession including his family members and friends. The Groom’s family is not allowed to enter the venue hall until they pay heavy price for their entry; all this involves great fun, drama and enjoyment.

Then the groom is welcomed by the bride’s mother with a religious arti, after which the sister of the bride washes the groom’s feet as a ritual. Then the bride’s brother lifts the groom and carries him to the wedding mandap. The bride is made to eat a dish made of ghee, curd, raw- milk, honey and sugar called amrit- panch, after which she is taken to the mandap by her maternal uncle on his shoulders.

Then the actual wedding ceremony starts with the exchange of garlands between the assamese bride and groom, after which they take seven circles around the sacred fire promising to be with each other in all the ups and downs of life. Then the groom puts sindoor on the forehead of the bride marking the completion of their wedding ceremony. The mothers of the bride as well as the assamese groom do not attend the actual wedding ceremony.

The bride is then welcomed by her mother- in- law with a traditional arti and some customs at the groom’s house, following which some customs are performed and from then onwards they get entitled to leave happy married life.

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Poochieheaven is the place to go for Dog dresses and dog dress. We also have a dresses for dogs.Dogs are a man’s best friend was just a saying until a decade ago. No one really treated them exactly like they would treat another human friend. All they did was shower huge amounts of love, fed them, bathed them and took them out on strolls. Dog lovers these days have taken their craze for their furry friends a step way too ahead. Just the way they update their dressing and accessorizing according to the ever-changing fashion trends, they care too much not to leave behind their canine better halves for the same. This has been possible thanks to a lot of media uproar on how celebrities groom their dog and buy them expensive products and sport them around wherever they go.

A lot of fashionable and chique dog dresses are now available in the market. It is fun to pamper your dogs and dress them up and make them feel special. It is a common notion that dogs don’t need dresses since they have furs but it doesn’t hurt to make your dog feel way better than a stray dog on the streets. Many dog dresses and accessories are available on the web or in stores. Dresses are categorized basically based on the gender. Just like for humans, there are dog t-shirts, sweaters, sweat-shirts, floral summer dresses, raincoats, swimwear and others that form casual wear. Don’t be surprised when you see there is a section for party wear and evening wear dresses as well. You would be shocked to see the kind of designs that are used are no different from dresses designed for humans. Wearing these would surely make your furry friends feel like royalty.

Male dogs have options to choose from suits and bow ties and female dogs have vast varieties to choose from, like the ones that are glossy and shiny and sequined and others that are silky soft. One must remember though to keep the clothing material lightweight since dogs tend to get stinky with time and they need proper aeration through their outfits. Also it is wise to choose fabrics that can be easily washed and the ones that do not shrink. To make it easier to wear its advisable not to use buttons or zips instead use of Velcro is recommended, it makes the process of changing the clothes very convenient for both the dogs and their masters.

Designer dresses for dogs are also readily available for you. So if you choose to indulge your pets in some fashion luxury you can opt for the designer dress and sport them around as a proud owner. On the contrary, it is rather economical to use some clothing from your own wardrobe to stitch your own dog dress with that personal touch. You can always match the garments used for your canine loved ones with your own. Never do forget to keep a hole for a leash at the front of the dog dress.

So the next time you go shopping for yourself, try and consider your lovely pet dog as well. Dogs might not be able to express it verbally but they sure would love to be dressed up and flaunted around.

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Go with something that is more creative and that you will love showing off to your friends and family. Finding the right individual to make it is important. The overall flavoring of your wedding cake needs to be determined as well. When there are several cakes to be made and displayed the cost will increase.

Do you want an icing that is very sweet or one that is more like whipped cream? The time it takes to decorate them will also be factored in. Customized wedding cakes are available from most locations too so tell them what you have in mind and they can create it. The number of people you will have at your wedding reception will influence the size of the wedding cake you purchase. Some of them are very basic in design featuring the colors for the wedding while others are very elaborately designed. It is one of the visual elements of the wedding reception that your guests won’t be able to take their eyes off of. The size and style of your wedding cake is a big decision with so many gorgeous ones out there. It is also one that they will eagerly anticipate getting a slice of at the end of the evening.

Some are only one size of cake and others have many layers with a large cake on bottom and then smaller ones on the top. Do you want white cake, chocolate cake, or a combination for your guests to have the one they like the most? For example offering a lovely tier of Wedding Cupcakes instead of a traditional cake is a great idea. There are so many choices out there that you shouldn’t have to take anything less than what you would really like to have for your special occasion. You can go online and look at pictures to see what your choices are. Not only will it cost less but your guests will find it more convenient to just select a cupcake than to have to wait for a slice of cake to be offered to them. The cost of a wedding cake will depend on what you go with. Have a great time finding the wedding cake that is right for your style of reception and for your budget.

The Wedding cake you decide upon needs to be one that looks wonderful and will taste great. If you want something that is reflective of you as a couple you can steer away from the more traditional wedding cakes. The more complex the overall decorating style is the more you will pay for your wedding cake. If you aren’t going through a bakery make sure you find out what the credentials are for the person that will be making the cake. You need to know that they will get it done on time and that it will look amazing when they are done with it.

You don’t want to trust your wedding day cake to just anyone. Some wedding cakes also have filling between the layers so that is something you can consider as well. On the other hand, you don’t want to have lots of cake left over because that is a waste of money. You want to make sure you have enough of it to go around. There are some great choices out there today that you may want to consider off the beaten path. You can also look at pictures in any give bakery to see what they have to offer.

Finding a wedding cake you love is going to take some time so doesn’t put it off until the last minute.

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