The Complete Saga of a Rajasthani Marriage - Traditions, Cuisine and More
These are some of the unique Rajasthani marriage rituals that you won’t see anywhere else. Read on to take inspiration on how you can add a royal Rajasthani touch to your own wedding.
Image Courtesy: Shades Photography by Ashwin M.
Rajasthan is a land known for its cultural heritage and royal lifestyle. Traditional Rajasthani marriage is no different and is a grand affair full of royalty, style and culture. From pre-wedding functions, post-wedding functions, wedding day functions, feasts, music, dance to the wedding outfits, everything is royal in its own unique way. These are some of the unique Rajasthani marriage rituals that you won’t see anywhere else. Read on to take inspiration on how you can add a royal Rajasthani touch to your own wedding.
Pre-wedding rituals
Some unique Rajasthani marriage pre-wedding functions closely associated with a traditional Rajasthani wedding are the Tilak Ceremony, Ganpati Sthapana, Pithi Dastoor, Mehfil, Mahira Dastoor, Palla and Janev Ceremony and Nikasi.
In a traditional Rajasthani marriage all the women of the family and the neighbourhood gather and sing folk wedding songs till the wedding day. Then, 3-4 days before the wedding Ganpati Sthapana and Grih Shanti rituals are done to cast the evil away and complete the wedding rituals without any obstacle.
Wedding Rituals
Image Courtesy: Shades Photography by Ashwin M.
As part of a Rajasthani marriage, the wedding customs comprise of Aarti and Saat Phere. On the entry gate of the wedding venue, the bride’s mother welcomes the groom with tilak and aarti, then she pulls the nose of the groom after which he is brought inside by the bride’s brother.
The primary wedding ritual is the Saat Phere, where the bride and groom take seven rounds around the holy fire and commit to a lifelong relationship of a husband and wife.
Post-wedding rituals
Following the wedding day rituals, the bride is welcomed in the groom’s house and a number of rituals are performed like the Jua Khilai, Vidai-Paharavni, Bahu Agaman, Devi Devata Puja, Ganga Puja, Sirguthi, Suhaagthal Chura Pehenana and Paga-Lagni, Pag Phera and lastly Phool Sajja.
Jua Khilai is a Rajasthani marriage ritual wherein, the bride and groom are made to play a few games by an elderly woman. This happens in the morning following the wedding at the bride’s house.
In the ritual of Vidai-Paharavni, bride’s family members gift their son-in-law a coconut and ‘nek’ (money) and other gifts. This leads to the Bahu Agaman which symbolises the fact that the bride is entering her home for the very first time.
The Devi Devata puja is performed after the day of Bahu Agaman. The bride and groom do this puja where four bricks are placed outside the gate of the house. They put a red tikka and rice on the bricks and break a coconut. After this, they go to a nearby Hanuman temple to complete the ritual.
The Sirguthi ceremony is where the groom’s sister-in-law and sisters apply makeup on the bride and comb her hair.
Rajasthani Cuisine
A traditional Rajasthani marriage food menu houses a lot of mouth-watering dishes. Primarily they consist of vegetarian dishes but can also have few selected non-vegetarian options as well.
Dal Baati Choorma, Methi Bajra Puri, Shahi Gatte, Ker Sangri, Gatte ke Pulao, Laal Maas, Mawa Kachori, Ghevar, Balushahi are some of the dishes from a traditional Rajasthani marriage that you can add to your wedding menu to give a Rajasthani touch.
Adding these dishes to your menu are sure to leave your guests drooling.
Rajasthani Bride
In a traditional Rajasthani marriage, the bride’s outfit is full of bright colours and heavy handwork embroideries. The lehenga-choli worn by the bride in a traditional Rajasthani marriage is made with a silk base and embellished with colourful stones & gems.
The ghagra worn by the bride has traditional motifs and floral patterns made with hand embroidery.
A traditional Rajasthani bridal outfit isn’t complete without an odhni. An odhni is heavily embellished and is worn over the head.
A Rajasthani bride also adorns many pieces of jewellery to give a royal look. The main jewellery pieces worn by Rajasthani brides are the Rakhri which is worn on the forehead, Timaniyaan which is a choker studded with diamonds, Chooda which is a set of gold and ivory bangles, Bajubandh which is an armlet, Bichhiya which is a toe ring and a Nose ring.
You can take inspiration from the traditional Rajasthani bridal look and look like royalty for your D-day.
Rajasthani Groom
Image Courtesy: Shades Photography by Ashwin M.
The traditional Rajasthani marriage outfit of the groom consists of a long coat called the Achkan with Churidar and royal shoes. The whole outfit is brought together by their royal turban which is embellished with stones and jewels.
A Rajasthani groom accessorises the whole outfit by sporting a jewellery piece called the Serpech which is put on the turban. They also wear a long necklace and a Kamarbandh around their waists.
A Rajasthani groom looks no less than royalty in their traditional outfits.
These traditions are what makes a Rajasthani marriage royally unique in its own way.
Tell us which element of the Rajasthani marriage you will be incorporating in your wedding ceremony to make it royally perfect in the comment section below.
