Decoding Bihari Wedding: The Unique Wedding Rituals and Traditions

09 Nov 2020

If you get a chance to attend a Bihari wedding ceremony, never miss it as this would offer you a brand-new experience about the rituals and traditions associated with the Bihari community. Bihar’s people are flamboyant and love to celebrate vibrant traditions as part of Bihari weddings, providing you a quality time. Bihari weddings have all the vibrance that you expect in a traditional Indian wedding. The soon to be married and their families participate in a plethora of ritualistic practices that well describes the endurance of traditions.

There are a few important pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding rituals associated with Bihari marriage ceremonies. Let us take a tour of each.

Pre-Wedding Rituals

Satya Narayan Katha

Image Courtesy: Shubh Celebration Photography

The bride’s parents organize this Bihari wedding ritual. This is truly an intricate prayer session where all the relatives and friends of the bride participate. There will be a chief priest conducting the puja by chanting mantras, which the bride reciprocates.

Cheka

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This is the formal engagement ceremony, which is celebrated at the bride’s residence. The groom’s family and close relatives visit the bride’s house, and they carry gifts such as jewels, clothes, sweets, and fruits for the bride. The groom and the bride exchange ring during this ceremony.

Haldi Kutai

Image Courtesy: Dansrwang Wary

Right after the engagement, the groom’s mother and other female members get involved in this ritual in which they make a turmeric paste and send it to the bride. This turmeric paste (Haldi) is then applied to the bride by her family members. They celebrate this Bihari wedding ritual by singing traditional Bihari folk songs.

Tilak

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This time, the bride’s brother visits the groom’s place carrying Tilak Thaal to confirm the marriage and let the groom’s family know that they have accepted the marriage proposal. The bride’s brother then applies the Tilak on the groom’s forehead and gifts him jewels, clothes, and sweets.

Mandappachadan

Image Courtesy: Dansrwang Wary

The mandap (the main stage) has great significance in Bihari weddings, and this ritual is for setting up the mandap. It gets decorated with banana trees and mango leaves to make it a more auspicious occasion.

Dhritdhaari and Matripooja

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Both the families perform this ritual, and it is done to seek blessings from the families’ predecessors. The bride and the groom offer some money to the ancestors as a gesture to seek forgiveness from them. This ritual is known as Paunpooji.

Silpoha Ceremony

Image Courtesy: Wedding Moment Studio Patna

This is one interesting Bihari wedding ritual in which rice is ground when the Sun God comes out. It happens on the wedding day. The groom’s mother wraps up the rice in the dupatta, and she then grinds it to make it powder.

Imli Ghutai

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By performing Imli Ghutai, it is believed that all the evil eye will go away from the groom. The maternal uncle of the groom also advises the groom to keep himself away from bad habits. He is also given betel nuts from his uncle.

Bihari Wedding Rituals

Paricchavan

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The wedding ritual starts with a special puja by the groom’s mother, where she performs aarti just before the groom leaves for the wedding venue. The groom is then applied Tilak on his forehead by his mother. This is done for a happy life for the couple.

Also Read: Haryanvi Wedding Traditions & Rituals You Should Know

Baraat Prasthaan

Image Courtesy: Dansrwang Wary

In this Bihari wedding ritual, the groom and his family members leave his home to the wedding venue. He proceeds as a procession in a car decorated with flowers. Once they reach the entrance of the venue, they are welcomed by the bride’s family.

Jaimala

Image Courtesy: Dansrwang Wary

As part of the wedding, the bride and the groom exchange garland, and this ceremony is known as Jaimala. This is the most important ritual that takes place during a Bihari wedding ceremony.

Galsedi

Image Courtesy: Quora

Galsedi is another important ritual performed by the bride’s mother and other married women from the bride’s family. They together heat up betel leaves and burn them. The ash made out of heating the betel leaves is taken and put on the groom’s face.

Kangnabandhana

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The chief priest conducting the puja ties a sacred thread on the right hands of the bride and the groom. The thread will get smeared with haldi along with mango leaves and money tied on it.

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Kanyadaan

Image Courtesy: Shubh Celebration Photography

This is the most auspicious ceremony during Bihari weddings. The parents of the bride give away their daughter to the groom. The bride’s father then requests his son-in-law to look after his daughter with good care and affection, for which the groom agrees.

Bhaisur Nirakshan

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In this ritual, the groom’s father gifts his daughter-in-law sarees, jewelry, and lehengas. The groom’s elder brother also gifts her valuables.

Kuldevtaki puja

Image Courtesy: Wedding Moment Studio Patna

The couple offers special prayers to the family deity during this ritual. Also, the bride is gifted ancestral family jewels as part of this ceremony.

Pheras

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The couple join hands and walk around the sacred fire seven times. This ritual is known as Pheras. During each round, the couple throws roasted rice into the holy fire.

Post-Wedding Rituals

 Swagat Aarti

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Once wedding rituals are done, the couple leaves for the groom’s home, where they will be welcomed by performing Aart. This is known as Swagat Aarti, and the moment is extraordinary for the bride. The parents of the groom then shower rice on the couple.

Mooh Dikhai & Chauthari

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As part of this ritual, the bride is given gifts like a set of new bangles or clothes by the groom’s in-laws. Chauthari is a special puja performed by the couple to thank the almighty for making the wedding successful.

Chauka Chulai

 Image Courtesy: Weddingwire

Once all other rituals are over, the groom’s mother hands over the keys of the household to her daughter-in-law, indicating that she will be handling all the house’s responsibilities from then onwards. She is also asked to cook at least five dishes that are then served to all the groom’s family members.

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