When it comes to Punjabi weddings, Punjabi wedding Rituals, and Indian wedding traditions, it’s never a one day fare. Be it Canada or US or back home in India, there are days and days of celebrations, of Punjabi wedding rituals, Punjabi wedding traditions for the bride and groom, and traditions customs that families have to undertake and honor in order to bless this ‘once in a lifetime’ auspicious event. Starting with the informal affirmation and parental acceptance to the rishta with a roka ceremony, the list of Punjabi wedding rituals, customs and traditions and Punjabi/Sikh wedding ceremonies is a long one. To make things more streamlined and help you follow Sikh wedding rituals step by step, we’ve handpicked top five Punjabi marriage traditions/Punjabi wedding rituals that you simply cannot miss performing at a Punjabi wedding. So here goes the list, and don’t forget to tally yours with it -
Shagun & Chunni Ceremony
Post the roka ceremony, no blessed event can ever kickstart without the quintessential Punjabi wedding ritual of shagun ceremony at a Punjabi wedding. The brides-to-be brace themselves at the shagun ceremony, when the groom’s family makes their way to her abode and shower both the bride and groom, and with gifts including cash, jewellery, sweets, clothes, make-up, etc. As a precursor to the Punjabi wedding and part of the Punjabi marriage traditions, a bridal chadar or dupatta is bought or handmade especially for this occasion to adorn the bride with, thereby welcoming her into the new family. We’ve had clients from Canada, US, England reaching out exclusively for the entire shagun essentials set! You can check out the exclusive handmade shagun ceremony products.
Haldi/Maiyan Ceremony
Happy occasions especially Punjabi weddings and Sikh wedding events demand a ‘nazarbattu’, an evil eye that wards off negative energy for which we celebrate the Punjabi marriage tradition of the Haldi ceremony. Not only is it held to accentuate that glow on the bride with the traditional turmeric ‘ubtan’, but this Punjabi wedding ritual marks new beginnings in the bride’s life. Haldi is a symbol of purity, blessing, good luck and prosperity, and the Haldi/Maiyan ceremony is therefore celebrated as a big event in Sikh wedding traditions. The first thing Punjabi/Sikh households traditionally do is to pick a clean or new wok (kadai), tie a gaana (sacred red thread) to it, and make sweet fluffy doughnuts called google from atta and gur which the bride is given to distribute. Warhiyan (lentil dumplings) are also made in Punjabi weddings as a ceremony. Then, the bride is made to sit on a peedi with her feet on a wooden plank called the patri or fatti and a chadar (usually red or yellow) is held above her by four women relatives, while all married women of the household including her mother rubs a paste of haldi, flour and mustard/almond oil on her feet, hands, arm and face. Here’s a tip - wear old clothes and get your mehendi done after the haldi ceremony. And this goes for all the brides in Canada, US and India! Infuse life into this Punjabi wedding ritual with your Haldi ceremony items including the haldi chadar, haldi plate and haldi thali with covers, bowls and oil bottle to the peedi and fatti ready!
Mehendi, Sangeet & Jaago
The three very important Punjabi wedding rituals. Now there is a reason why these three are clubbed in Punjabi weddings these days - first, it’s a lot of fun, and second, in this fast paced world, where while we want to follow Punjabi wedding traditions and rituals, time is a huge constraint. In Punjabi weddings, these Punjabi wedding rituals spread over a weekend generally, with the mehendi and sangeet taking place early evening and the musical jaago procession kickstarting late night. As Punjabi wedding rituals and Punjabi wedding tradition goes, there is a Suhag Pataaree that comes from the in-law’s side before the mehendi, and in it is packed make-up, jewellery, mehendi, clothes, things for the bride to be. This mehendi, as a ritual, is also used for her mehendi ceremony. Then there are mehendi favors for the relatives and friends, and there are some adorable keepsakes and bundles at Pataaree. The sangeet night traditionally in Punjabi weddings is an all women event, but nowadays, it’s a mixed crowd with cocktails - this is a personal call. But jaago is something the women, especially the elderly ones take out, singing, dancing, beating their sticks and chhajja, waking up everyone, announcing the upcoming marriage across the neighbourhood, even if it’s in the UK, US or Canada! Brighten up this Punjabi wedding ritual with your jaago sets of brass matka, chhajj, sticks and pakhi from Pataaree!
Choora Ceremony
One of the most sentimental Punjabi wedding ritual and main highlights of the Punjabi weddings is the choora ceremony, and it’s conducted a day before the wedding by the bride’s maternal uncle who brings the choora (red and white/ivory colored bangles) in a chuda box for the bride for auspicious new beginnings. One of the oldest Punjabi wedding traditions, the choora ceremony symbolises new beginnings in a bride’s life. Ladies, don’t forget to add the kalire brought by the girlfriends and sisters to tie on the bride’s bangle at the choora ceremony. This Punjabi wedding ritual a momentous occasion, for which we have curated elegant choora ceremony products including chooda cover, chuda box, kalire box, thaal and choora bowls.
The Wedding Day
Ah, the D-day, and it’s a day filled with Punjabi wedding ritual after ritual in Punjabi weddings at the Gurudwara. Punjabi Sikh weddings begin with the Punjabi wedding ritual of tying of the gaana before leaving the house on the bride and groom’s wrist. Once at the Gurudwara, the bride’s side welcomes the baraat with milnis and ribbon cutting ceremony, and a bit of negotiating between the bride’s relatives and the groom over ‘payment to pass this threshold’. In Punjabi weddings, as a Punjabi wedding ritual and Sikh tradition, sisters are also gifted gold/silver rings called kaleechari during this time. Next, while the parents perform the Punjabi wedding ritual of kanyadaan (giving away the daughter ceremony) at the phere/lavan or anand karaj during the Punjabi wedding at the Gurudwara, the bride’s relatives get busy with pranks, starting with hiding the groom’s shoes. There is a huge reward hidden in this playful tussle for the groom cannot leave without his shoes!
Weddings! The grand events of our life leading to grander memories!
