Everything You Need to Know About a Bengali Wedding!
If you hear that a Bengali wedding is an ultimate treat to the eyes, it wouldn't be wrong at all! In addition to the Muslim wedding traditions, Bengali events come with a colorful list full of happenings beginning from the date finalization to reception.
Every event is more enjoyable than the previous one!
If you're living in Bengal or planning to attend a Bengali marriage party, there are various traditions and unique rituals you're going to decode. Thus, get ready to have a fun week if there's any Bengali event around you.
Everything in a Bengali wedding seems so joyful that it brings out all the love and emotions from the core of your heart. The excitement for attending or witnessing a Bengali event is well-addressed everywhere. But do you know the reason behind everyone's intimate interest in Bengali weddings? Their rituals and traditions would be the answer.
You may know everything about Pakistani wedding dresses, but knowing everything about Bengali wedding dresses and their rituals is something you're going to prefer overall and fall in love ultimately. So, let's not waste time and jump to the detailed guide about what happens at a Bengali marriage.
• Adan Pradan
The first event, or we can say it the beginning of a Bengali wedding, is known as "Adan Pradan." It's simply defined as the ritual for finalizing the wedding dates with the agreement of both families. Unlike all other regions, Bengali people call a priest to accompany the finalization of these dates. You may find it odd here that they finalize the date according to the Hindu PANJIKA, but well, it’s true.
Once the finalization is done, both the families exchange gifts to show their happiness regarding the beginning of a new relationship. Bengalis consider this event pretty private; that's why they don't like to invite much of their relatives or friends. They prefer keeping it small, intimate, and lovable.
• Ashirbaad
Do you want to know a fantastic fact here? Blessings of ancestors and older people in every family mean everything to those who're supposed to begin a new life. Like the Muslim wedding traditions, Bengalis also believe in giving blessings to the couple before the wedding starts. These blessings are known as the symbol of the inclusion of the bride in the groom's family.
For this whole thing, the families of both groom and bride visit each other's houses to give blessings. While doing so, they bless the bride and groom with dhan with a particular type of dubyo or also called trefoil leaves.
• Aiburo-Bhaat
Another uncommon Bengali tradition we will decode here is serving the last meal to the bride and groom before they get married. The families prefer making their favorite dishes before their marriage to treat them well. This tradition mainly occurs during the daytime before the actual wedding. The name holds some literal meanings known as the last meal before a meal.
Here's more!
Special outfits are designed for the bride and groom for this occasion. However, the most preferred colors for this occasion are red, pink, and gold.
• Bor Boron
Unlike the Muslim wedding ceremony called Barat, in the Bengali wedding, the groom's arrival at the bride's house is known as Bor Boron. The bride's mother welcomes the groom. The groom's family is welcomed at the venue with floral garlands. The family treats them with Arati along with a boron dala. After that, sweets are served as a symbol of love and affection to make the guests feel comfortable.
• Nitbor and Nitkone
Here comes the cutest tradition of the Bengali wedding. Bor is used for the groom, and kone is used for the bride. Small boys and girls accompany the bride and groom till the end of the wedding. This tradition is commonly known as Nitbor and Nitkone. However, there's no religious purpose behind this tradition, but it amuses the children at the wedding and also adds cheerful vines to atmosphere.
• Potto Bastra
Like the Muslim wedding ceremony, Bengali families also offer gifts and new clothes to the groom to show him love and affection. It's the responsibility of the eldest member of the family. This responsibility of blessing some gifts to the groom is known as Sampradan. Chadnatala is the place where this ritual takes place.
• Saat Pak
In addition to all the above traditions and rituals, the most awaited tradition of the Bengali wedding is known as Saat Pak. It relates to the bride's arrival at the wedding venue/Chadnatala for the very first time. Unlike the weddings of other traditions, the Bengali bride is carried to the Chadnatala by her brothers or uncles while she stays in Piri.
You'll love to know the unique tradition of a Bengali wedding, that the bride is taken by her brothers and goes around the groom about seven times. That's why it is called "Saat Pak."
• Subho Drishti and Mala Bodol
If this ritual is known as the most traditional ritual of a Bengali wedding, it would exactly show how it's planned. The couple stand together while facing each other. However, the bride still hides her face with betel leaves. During this tradition or ritual, both bride and groom see each other for the first time in the whole wedding.
Other traditional colors are added to this tradition by ulu dhwani and sankhadwani – a symbol of showing love and blessing on the couple. After the transfer of blessings, both bride and groom are made to exchange the floral garlands three times. The ritual of exchanging floral garlands is known as Mala Bodol.
• Sampradan
No doubt a wedding is an event full of emotions and feelings. But the intimate moment is when the father hands over his daughter to the groom for the rest of his life. It can be regarded as the test of patience for the bride's father. He gives the hand of her daughter to the groom. He does so while reciting some sacred Mantras.
It's done to wish a lifelong full of love, affection, understanding, and togetherness.
• Sindoor Dan
Similar to the Hindu wedding, the Bengali wedding ceremony also includes the final respectful rituals. It is filling the forehead of the bride with red-colored powder. The panditji in the wedding asks the groom to pronounce some sacred chants and prayers after him. The groom does this while applying vermillion on the bride's forehead.
It is regarded as the final and the most wholesome moment for bride and groom since it ends up making them husband and wife for the rest of their lives.
• Bashor Jaaga
The next ritual after Sindoor Dan is known as Bashor Ghor. This name implies the room that is decorated for the couple. The bride's sisters guard the Bashor Ghor and demand some money for letting him enter the room. After deciding an amount from both families, the groom is allowed to enter the room.
However, the groom's entrance in the Bashor Ghor is then followed by several other cultural activities such as singing songs and praising the couple. Different types of games are also played by both sides of the family to strengthen the relationship.
A Quick Wrap Up!
It's all about the commonest traditions and rituals followed by the Bengali people during their wedding festivities. However, different Bengali families follow various rituals. It depends on the family traditions coming from ancestors. So, make sure to read them in detail if you want to know better what happens at a Bengali wedding.