Bengali Pre and Post Wedding Rituals

When looking for the right person from a matrimony site, you would find that Bengali brides and grooms have to go through a number of rituals both after and before marriage. To ensure that you know some of it, we have a short list here. Of course, some of these rituals may not match, because different households have different rituals, but some of this can be there.

Pre-Wedding Rituals

There are a number of pre-wedding rituals during matrimony, and some of them are common to all Bengali weddings. Here is a list of the four auspicious rituals, which are quite common.

• Aashirbad – On one good, auspicious day, the elders of both the families will meet, and bless the bride and groom, signaling their approval. Traditionally, the bride and groom are both provided with a few gifts from both ends. The bride is generally given ornaments.
• Aiburobhaat – This is essentially a great time for the bride, when she is gifted new clothes and good food. Generally, the day before the wedding, the ritual is held, and close family and friends join in for some great food. This also signals that the family members like the match.
• Dodhimongol – Early in the morning of the wedding, the bride’s hands are adorned with the traditional shankha pawla which are adornments of the bride on the day of the wedding. Other married women, typically seven of them, do this for her, and then she is fed a concoction of curd and rice.
• Gaaye Holud – the married women of the family make a paste of fresh turmeric, and then, apply it on the bride. Then she is washed and dressed for more rituals, and the beginning of the matrimonial ceremony.

Post-Wedding Rituals

Of course, there are many different post-wedding rituals which are based on either being Bangaal or Ghoti. But most of these rituals take place.

• Bashar – The night of the wedding, the bride and the groom after marriage are not allowed to sleep. It is on the bride’s family and friends to keep the newly married couple awake.
• Bidaay – The bride is sent off from her home with different rituals, to her groom’s place. This is an emotional event.
• Bodhu bawron – The bride is welcomed to her new home with plenty of different rituals.
• Kalratri – The day the bride enters the house of the groom, she is not allowed to see him, and are separated to prepare for the next day, which is the reception.
• Boubhaat – A banquet is held as the wedding reception for the groom’s side, where there is plenty of food. In the morning of the Boubhaat, the bride is supposed to enter the kitchen to cook something for the groom’s family. However, that ritual is mostly not followed.
• Phool Shojya – A bed of flowers awaits the newly married couple, who are finally left alone, to consummate the marriage and enter the state of wedded bliss.

There are many other rituals for the Bengali wedding, but these are the ones which are most common.