Bengali pre and post wedding rituals

When looking for the right person on a marriage site, you will find that Bengali brides and grooms have to go through a number of rituals both before and after marriage. To make sure you know something, 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 may be there.

Pre-wedding rituals

There are a number of pre-wedding rituals during marriage, 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 a good and auspicious day, the elders of both families will meet and bless the bride and groom, signaling their approval. Traditionally, the bride and groom receive some gifts from both ends. The bride is usually given decorations.
• Aiburobhaat – This is essentially a great time for the bride, when she is gifted with new clothes and good food. Generally, the day before the wedding, the ritual takes place and close family and friends come together to enjoy an excellent meal. This also indicates that family members like the game.
• Dodhimongol – Early in the morning of the wedding, the hands of the bride are adorned with the traditional shankha pawla which are ornaments of the bride on the wedding day. Other married women, usually seven of them, do this for her, and then feed her a mixture of curd and rice.
• Gaaye holud – The married women of the family make a paste of fresh turmeric and then apply it to the bride. She is then washed and dressed for further rituals and the beginning of the marriage ceremony.

Post-wedding rituals

Of course, there are many post-wedding rituals that are based on being Bangaal or Ghoti. But most of these rituals are carried out.

• Bashar – On the night of the wedding, the bride and groom after marriage cannot sleep. It is up to the bride’s family and friends to keep the newlywed couple awake.
• Bidaay – The bride is expelled from her house with different rituals, to the place of her boyfriend. This is an emotional event.
• Bodhu bawron – The bride is welcomed into her new home with many different rituals.
• Kalratri – The day the bride enters the groom’s house, she is not allowed to see him, and they separate to prepare for the next day, which is the reception.
• Boubhaat – A banquet is held as a wedding reception for the groom’s side, where there is abundant food. On the morning of Boubhaat, the bride is supposed to go into 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 newlyweds, who are finally left alone, to consummate the marriage and enter the state of marital bliss.

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