A Muslim wedding in India is all about grandeur, excitement, and beautiful rituals of Indian Weddings that add meaning to the holy union of a bride and a groom. In fact, if you are a filmy kind of person, then you might probably be hearing the song Banno ki saheli resham ki doli playing in your head. Yes, it’s fun! While there are many Muslim matrimony platforms that make it easy to find the one you hope to spend your life with, knowing about the rituals can pave a smoother way for D-Day. So, here are the rituals and customs, pre-wedding and post-wedding ones included, which you can look forward to.
Pre-wedding Excitement
The mangni or engagement ceremony is the start to a whole array of rituals. This is followed by the manjha ceremony. The bride is decked in yellow and smeared with turmeric paste that is meant to turn her into a gushing, glowing bride. You can expect a lot of singing and dancing, which continues well into the Mehendi ceremony, which happens a day or two before the wedding and is attended mainly by women. The bride’s hands and feet are decked with beautiful Mehendi designs. People from other communities are known to draw inspiration from the Muslim culture’s beautiful and artistic designs as well. The bride is not to step outside her house after this.
The Wedding Enthusiasm
The groom arrives in a car or horse as a part of a procession or baraat. His family and friends are part of the baraat and are welcomed at the entrance of the wedding venue. The main wedding ceremony or nikaahthen begins. The bride and groom are not supposed to see each other yet. They are either made to sit in different rooms or in the same room with a curtain drawn between them. The priest or quazi asks the couple if they agree to marry each other with the very famous question ‘qubool hai?’ thrice. This ritual is called ijab-e-qubool. The bride and groom then sign wedding documents. The groom’s family also gives the bride money or meher as a gift.
This is followed by yet another ritual that people could write poetry about –arsimushraf. The bride and groom are given a mirror so they can see each other for the first time after their marriage ceremony is complete. This is a moment they can treasure forever.
Post-wedding Delight
Rukhsat is a ritual where the bride bids farewell to her family to join her new companion. Though the moment is a sombre one, the mood soon changes as the bride is welcomed with great love into her new home. The groom’s mother holds the Quran over her head as she crosses the threshold of the house. The final ritual comes in the form of a wedding reception, where everyone is relaxed yet still in the celebratory mode. Families mingle and enjoy a lavish feast together.
These beautiful rituals and traditions make you go – Subhanallah! No wonder so many Bollywood songs are featured around the Muslim wedding. So, if you are going to tie the knot soon, these Muslim matrimony rituals will surely make for great memories.