SIKH INDIAN WEDDING

In a Punjabi Indian wedding, the wedding atmosphere sets in a week before the wedding. Shagun is the first ceremony which marks the commence of activities, where the two families exchange gifts to conform the engagement. An important ritual connected with the bride is the bangles ceremony, where the maternal uncle and aunt of the bride put white and red bangles on the bride's wrists. Light ornaments of beaten silver and gold called kalira are tied to the bangles.

The groom’s procession, the baraat, reaches the bride's house, with friends and relatives dancing to the tune of the music. After the feast, in the late hours of the evening, the actual wedding ceremony commences. Here the bridal couple sit in front of the Granth Sahib. The ardas are read, and the ten Sikh gurus are saluted. The last ceremony is the doli, or the farewell to the bride. As the bride leaves she throws handful of rice over her shoulders.