h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No mention of Hindu wedding (except the picture) Hindu weddings are the longest, most ritualistic and traditional, colourful and Fun. If you have not attended a hindu wedding yet, you are missing something! ( I can not invite you for mine, it happened four years back) well as for as Hindu wedding etiquette is concerned a serious etiquette is Groom or his parents must not ask for dowry ( some people still ask for dowry )

There are so many ceremonies and variety is amazing. I mean you have various versions of Hindu wedding like Gujrati wedding, Bengali wedding, Maharashtrian wedding, Kashmiri Wedding, Parsi wedding, PAnjabi wedding etc.
Sagai(Engagement) , Ganesh Puja(worshiping lord Ganesha) , Mandap (fixing a place for the ceremony and mounting a canopy) GRihshaanti( Praying for peace), Barat Agaman ( Grooms comes to brides house with his relatives, He rides a horse!) Saat fere (taking seven oaths by circlaing round the fire), Varmaala(Exchanging Garlands), reception( meeting guests), Vidai(Bride leaves her parents house her parents and relatives cry ), Grih Pravesh(Bride is welcomed in grooms house) are some of the rituals!
Till last decade it used to be five to seven days function. My wedding was a three day function, Day one: Ganesh Puja and Dance party, Day two: Grihshanti, Mehndi, and Dance, Day three final ceremony. (There was no engagement)
It can also be just one day ceremony if you get it done in Arya Samaj temple.

There are many things you need to plan before wedding
Decide time for the wedding (Muharat: Auspicious time)
Get invitation cards printed
Guest list
Sending invitations
Booking Pandit (Priest who will carry out the ceremony)
Booking caterer for the Lunch/ dinner Party on the Wedding day
Book a place where Baarat (grooms party) and your guests will stay hotel or a lodge whatever. Decide the place for ceremony. (Best thing is not to carry out any ceremony at home so that once wedding is over you come back to clean home)

Hi Anushodhak

I too was disappointed that the responses to this topic had such a Western/Christian focus. I had a feeling this would happen, which is one of the reasons I had for choosing to draw a scene from a Punjabi wedding. It's a shame your contribution didn't come in time to be included in the article but at least it is here in this thread for all to read .

Amy

Hi Amy

I am rather new here and could not spot the topic in time . I mentioned Parsi wedding as well in my post. Zoroastrians or Parsi is a different religion. May be I should have named my post 'Indian Wedding'

Hi Anushodhak,

If you're interested in contributing to other Topics of the Week, you might find this page quite useful - A587108 - it's the list of previous Topics of the Week, but at the top there's also a short list of the topics yet to be compiled. Although topics are on our Front Page for a week, they're still active for contributions for up to four weeks before we compile the entry.

Hi Jimster,
Thanks for the useful tip. I have added the page to my favourite and will keep my eyes open in furure
The entry wedding etiquette is very interesting and informative!!!