Important Traditions and Rituals in Kashmiri Wedding

24 Oct 2020

Known for its picturesque valleys and breath-taking mountain views, Kashmir offers you even more, when it comes to traditional wedding celebrations. The Kashmiri wedding is cultural celebrations to behold as it highlights the rich and enduring traditions of this beautiful destination. From wedding attire to the tasty, delicious dishes, everything related to Kashmiri weddings are different and unique.

The chill that the place offers is absolutely exhibited in the Kashmiri wedding ceremonies.

Come; let’s have a tour of every ritual closely associated with Kashmiri weddings.

Pre-Wedding Rituals

Kasamdry

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Kasamdry is the formal engagement ceremony after the marriage is fixed. The families of the bride and the groom consult a priest to fix the date for the wedding. Once the date is finalized, this ritual is performed, mostly at a temple where the couple exchange flowers and offer special puja.

The bride’s family organizes the ritual, and hence they arrange a traditional Kashmiri vegetarian feast after the function. The bride’s family also offers gifts and sweets to the groom as a gesture of hospitality.

Livun

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Before Kashmiri weddings, the houses of the bride and the groom are subjected to cleaning. The priest fixes the date, and on that day, females of the family throng at the respective houses and start cleaning.

Interestingly, the traditional houses will be smeared with mud after they are cleaned. This is done to beautify the floors. If there is any cooking expert in the family, he/she will prepare a wuvi (an oven made of brick and mud) in which the wedding feast is cooked.

Krool Khanun

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During Kashmiri weddings, the traditional Kashmiri houses will be decorated with beautiful flowers. Loads of flowers will be decked up, making the house a floral destination. It, in turn, gives the houses a festive feel as well.

Wanvun

Image Courtesy: Nikhil Kapur Photography

As part of this ritual, there will be music nights where guests sing and dance along with traditional Kashmiri folk songs and wedding ballads. They will be served traditional Kashmiri drinks like Sheer Chai and pink tea during the function.

Maenziraat

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Get ready for the perfect pampering session. Maenziraat offers you a special time with family and friends, where they bestow all their love and affection towards the bride.

She gets adorned with Henna, making her more charming and getting an oil massage by the family’s older women.

Kanishran

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As part of this Kashmiri wedding ritual, the bride and the groom get smeared with water consisting of milk, curd, and rice.

This is actually a ritualistic bath wherein flowers are showered by the family members. The bride/groom wears new clothes after this ceremony, and they are gifted new attire, jewels, and other valuables from the elders.

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Devagon

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Before the wedding, the bride and the groom separately offer prayer to Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva, respectively. They perform this in the presence of a priest after observing fasting. The priest chants mantras from Vedas, providing a sacred ambiance for the moment.

Wedding Rituals

The Departure of the Groom

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On the morning of the wedding day, the groom and party begin their journey after performing a few rituals.

A woman from the groom’s family touches the groom’s shoulder with a small bowl of rice and coins. The groom then carries a word and start heading to the wedding venue as a procession.

Welcoming Groom’s Family

Image Courtesy: Candid Wedding Photography

When the groom’s party enters the bride’s house, they get a warm welcome from the bride’s family. The bride’s father hugs the groom and takes him to the venue along with his family.

Lagan

Image Courtesy: Candid Wedding Photography

This is the actual Kashmiri wedding ceremony, which is held following the age-old Vedic rituals. The priest performs special puja before the groom, and the bride enters the mandap.

While taking the couple to the mandap, their heads will be covered with a mirror inserted below the coverings. This is done just to let the couple see each other in the reflection of the mirror.

The bride’s father takes her daughter’s hand and places it over the groom’s hand, signifying that he is giving away his daughter, and from that time onwards, it’s the groom’s responsibility to look after and care for her. A special cloth is used to cover the hands, and it is known as Athwas.

Saptapadi

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The bride and the groom start taking seven steps around the holy fire, mutely proclaiming the seven marriage vows. This ritual symbolically represents the beginning of their married life.

Posh Puza

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After finishing all other rituals, the couple is supposed to sit on the mandap while their relatives place a red cloth over their heads. All of them gather around the couple while the priest chants Vedic mantras.

The relatives also offer flowers to the couple, symbolically signifying that they worship the newlywed. And this ritual is termed, Posh Puza. This ritual is performed as it is believed that the bride and the groom are the incarnations of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on the wedding day.

Post-Wedding Rituals

Vidaai

Image Courtesy: Animesh Ray Design & Photography

After the wedding rituals, the couple is now all set to leave for the groom’s place. But before that, they have to stand together on a wooden pedestal for an older woman from the bride’s family to offer them rice three times. The bride says goodbye to all her family members and leaves for her new place.

Welcoming of the bride

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The mother-in-law of the bride gives a warm welcome to the newlywed by feeding them nabad. The Manamal tied on the foreheads of the couple are exchanged. The groom introduces the bride to all his relatives.

Saatraat

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One or two days after the marriage, the couple visits the bride’s house after her parents invite them. The newlyweds are offered an extended and lavish meal that includes all the traditional recipes of Kashmir. They are also given new clothes and other gifts.

Roth Khabar

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This is a special ritual observed mostly on a Saturday or Tuesday. Roth means a cake decorated with nuts. The bride’s family makes this special cake and sends it to the groom’s family. Once they receive the cake, the bride accompanies the one who brought the cake to her house.

Also Read: Rajasthani Marwari Wedding and its 20 Colorful Traditions and Rituals

If you want to celebrate a chilling Kashmiri wedding with all its traditional splendor, feel free to register your matrimonial profile with Happyweddings.com. There would be someone from the most beautiful Kashmir waiting for you.