Marathi Wedding Customs

By Author: Ankush Singhal
Total Articles: 173
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Bengali Matrimony celebrations are an elaborate affair, with three days assigned for the rituals to take place. The three days of matrimonial celebrations are attended by relatives and friends of the bride and groom. There are many preparatory rituals as well that start several days before the actual wedding day. Keeping into account all the customs and rituals of Bengali matrimony, the celebrations is frequently punctuated by one thing. It is the food.

Yes, food is one thing common associated with the Bengali wedding celebrations. The beautiful Bengali bride has many rituals with food. Actually, food used in different context of Bengali matrimony celebrations are symbolic and there is hidden meaning attached to it. Just follow the bride at different hours of the day and you will come to know the importance associated with food. Starting with the early morning hours of wedding celebrations, there are so many matrimonial rituals associated with food.

We can well say that food forms an integral part of Bengali matrimonial celebrations. Lets ...
... discuss some of the rituals with food of a typical Hindi Bengali wedding. One of the well-known pre-wedding rituals is the Aia-Buro Bhaat. Aia-Buro means unmarried and Bhaat means cooked rice in Bengali. In this ritual, a meal of Bengali delicacies is fed to the bride to be. This meal is especially prepared by mother for her daughter. This ritual is generally happens one day before the wedding day. Friends and relatives of the bride to be attend this ritual. Usually this is the afternoon meal and all the favorites of the bride is cooked and served. The mother and father make the girl enjoy her first bite of this meal by their hands. Bengali delicacies like fish and mutton are cooked. Traditionally the girl sits on the floor and a big plate of food is given to her to eat. This meal is supposed to be the last meal and signal her last day as an unmarried woman.

Another food ritual associated with Bengali matrimony is the dadhimangal. This ritual takes place on the dawn of wedding day. Before the sunrise, the bride is fed breakfast of yoghurt, fruits and rice flakes. And also addition of Bengali sweets in the breakfast. This special breakfast before the sunrise is symbolic and is aptly named dadhimangal. This is a Sanskrit word, and dadhi stands for yoghurt and mangal means auspicious. As the bride eats, the women members of the family blow conch shells and gives ulu (a typical Bengali sound made during marriage). This meal is given to bride, as she will be fasting during the entire day until she gets married. With this meal of rice flakes and yoghurt, the transformative journey begins, from being a girl to a woman.

Another food custom associated with Bengali biye is the time when cooking for the guests begins. A variety of fish are cooked and served to family members and guests. Fish is considered a symbol of prosperity and fertility in Bengali traditions. This love for food even extends to the bridegroom’s side. The day of wedding, an array of gifts come for the bride and close members of the family. These gifts are collectively known as Tawta. It includes jewelry, clothes, decorative objects, and sweets and fish. The fish given by the bridegroom’s family is expected to be eaten on that day during lunch.