Indian Weddings – The ‘Baraat’

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Indian Weddings are more of a religious ritual than a social or legal affair like that in West. Indian weddings are a perfect blend of traditions, values and celebrations. The ‘Barat’ for instance, is the Grooms ceremony. It is an elaborate event where the groom enters the wedding venue with his family after participating in a convoy wherein the Groom, or Barat, sits on an embellished white horse, elephant or for the more contemporary groom, by boat or car.

 

The groom is adorned with a saafa (turban, normally a shade of pink) and a sehara (floral veil), tied around his forehead by his mother. In some regions, a sword is also provided to the groom and how many men do you know who wouldn’t love that!

The Barat and his party are accompanied by a Dohl player or music band in front of them who play the special drums and entertain them on the way to the venue and sometimes fireworks are sparked to contribute to the festivities. Reaching the venue, dancing and celebrating, the group is greeted by the family of the bride. The bride’s mother performs a tradition called Aarti before the groom and after this ritual the baratis are allowed to enter the venue.

The ‘Barat’ is just another example of how Indian weddings grandly portray the rich culture, heritage and ethnicity of the country. Indian marriages have many different kinds of rituals and traditions but one thing remains constant, the beautiful display of love, concern, commitment, and emotion.

Pictures courtesy of: Andrena Photo, Megan Finley Photography, Sean M. Haffey Photography, and www.sacramentoweddingplanner.com 

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