A Punjabi Groom, whether he is Canada or US or India or anywhere in the world, should follow these sacred seven rituals on his wedding day.
It takes two to get married, two families to connect and celebrate, and if you’re thinking that only the brides get to hog all the limelight then you are mistaken. It’s a day when the wedding groom too gets fussed over, pampered by the sisters, sister-in-laws, aunts and mother dearest, teased a bit too by the men, a day when he gets to dress up like a ‘maharaja’, mount a mare (horse), and shine. From Sikh marriage ceremony to Hindu Punjabi weddings, there are certain groom wedding traditions a wedding groom/Punjabi groom simply cannot forget to observe. And our experience and research points to these seven groom wedding Punjabi rituals and wedding traditions -
Haldi & Mehendi
Groom wedding ritual number one - the quintessential Punjabi ritual of the Haldi/Maiyan ceremony for the Punjabi groom too a day or two before the wedding. The wedding groom too needs his share of TLC - ‘time, love and care’, and this is a Hindu Punjabi wedding ritual which involves all the sisters, sister-in-laws, mothers, aunts, and nowadays friends, to apply the haldi (turmeric) paste made of turmeric and essential oils on the groom. Who doesn’t want to have that happy glow on their wedding! Pataaree has just the right haldi set of peedi fatti and matching thaals and bowls for this haldi and mehendi ceremony. After the haldi, in Sikh and Punjabi wedding rituals a bit of mehendi is put on their hands as shagan.
Gharoli Chadana
For the groom wedding customs, as part of the Sikh marriage ceremony and Hindu Punjabi wedding rituals, on the morning of the wedding day, as part of the wedding tradition for the groom, the sister-in-law visits a nearby gurudwara to get some holy water in an earthen pot called the Gharoli and carry it back to the house safely. The water is then used to cleanse the haldi (turmeric) paste off of the Punjabi groom as a prep for the groom wedding. This is followed by a regular bath by the groom.
Gaana Bandwana
The Punjabi rituals as part of the groom wedding traditions continue on the wedding day morning with the tying of the sacred red thread or mauli on the wedding groom’s right wrist by an elder member of the family. It’s a blessing for the groom wedding, and tied to ward off evil and bad luck. You can pick these handmade sacred protection threads or gaana from Pataaree online store.
Sehra, Surma & Varna
Sehra, surma and varna are beautiful and momentous rituals done as an integral part of the groom wedding tradition. Once the wedding groom is all decked up and ready in his sherwani or wedding attire, he has to sit for the next very crucial ritual - the sehrabandi. Be it Canada, US or India, Hindi Punjabi wedding or Sikh marriage ceremony, the Punjabi groom is adorned with a beautiful headgear called the sehra. In earlier times it was made of real silver or gold threads and beautified with gota and trims. Following a prayer, the groom’s sisters or family tie the Sehra and Pagdi, and in Sikh grooms, a kalghi (a gem studded ornament with feathers) too on the turban. The sisters and sister in law also apply surma in the groom’s eyes or a black dot as a ‘nazar battu’ to ward off evil. Pataaree has handcrafted surmadaanis to make the groom wedding occasion even more special. It’s the groom’s father or an elderly male member who ties his turban and gives him a (fake) sword to be carried throughout the wedding ceremony. Historically, the sword of the kirpan in Sikh marriage rituals was carried for protection as Punjab was always under attack. That tradition has carried on. In Indian marriages, the mother of the groom does not watch the groom leave. It’s with the blessings of his sister and father that he proceeds, and he also has to present a gift to his sister in exchange for passage through the door.
Ghodi Chadna
It’s time for the baraat, and leading the groom wedding entourage is a merry band of baraatis dancing and the Punjabi groom trotting on a ghodi (mare). So, the traditional ceremony of ghodi chadna is another must Punjabi ritual. First, book the ghodi in advance! Next, the ghodi is decked up with all the fineries and for this, you can also go for an exquisite handmade umbrella to carry along. Before mounting the ghodi the siblings of the groom feed jaggery and chickpeas to the mare as good luck and circulate some money over the head of the groom sitting on the mare as ‘Varna or Najar Utarna’. The ghodi is the traditional transport of the wedding groom, and nowadays, the groom does go on it for a while before switching to a vehicle.
Sarbala
Sitting along with the Punjabi groom on the ghodi is the youngest (male) child of the house, called the Sarbala. He sits with the groom during the entire time of baraat. The sarbala stays with the groom throughout the ceremony, post it he is, as a ritual, supposed to sit for a while in the new bride’s lap. He too dresses like a little groom!
Welcome Tilak
The tilak ceremony takes place once the groom and baraat reaches the wedding venue. Here the bride’s side waits with ribbon and tilak. The bride’s mother welcomes the groom and applies the tilak on the groom’s forehead. He is then led inside the Hindu wedding venue and is also tasked with smashing a clay pot with his foot symbolizing his ability to overcome future obstacles the couple might face. This ceremony is called Pokwanu.
Now that we’ve given you an exhaustive list of groom wedding ceremonies and traditions to perform and attend, are you excited to attend your next Punjabi wedding? If you’re looking for groom wedding gifting and items, check out Pataaree for more!
