India Is Famous For Everything!! I know you will definitely agree on this, maybe for positive or even negative things.
For a few famous Indian things you may even find a decent match around the world. However, there is one thing that is truly unique to India and Indians which indeed does not have a match on this earth. Yeah, you got it right, that’s “Indian Wedding”.
If you think it’s only the BIG FAT Indian Weddings those amuse the world, not really. It’s the culture, traditions, rituals, food, clothing, dance… oh the list is never ending. The very fact that every Indian wedding involves all these interesting things, answers, why Indian weddings are much loved affair around the globe.
The pillars of strength for the Indian wedding system are its traditions and rituals. These differ from one region to another. You will see a different custom in every state of India; in fact there are different rituals within a state too. Up north, Punjab has very loud weddings with loads of music and drinks whereas down south Tamil Nadu and Kerala have silent, low fuss but high on gold shine celebrations. There are different musical instruments which compliment these celebrations.
One very interesting ritual that comes to my mind is Groom carrying the Bride and racing to finish the ritual, which happens typically in Bengali weddings. The similar custom is even followed in some part of south India. Another interesting ritual, which I guess unique to Indian weddings is the shoe theft of the Groom by his Sis/bro in-laws. This turns out to be the funniest part as there is loads of gaming, planning, drama and bargaining at the end. Few regions, they gift a cow and calf to the bride before she leaves for her husband’s place. Though, this is now restricted very much to remote areas.
These different rituals, customs do keep the tradition alive. Also, they act as a cohesive bond between the family members and relatives.
Values are Preserved, Traditions are Kept Alive
With the modern and young Indians exposed to western cultures, Indian weddings too have undergone a paradigm shift. Few rituals have been tweaked to suit the current generation. Old musical instruments have been replaced by more advanced and digital ones. Photography and digital recording specially has taken to a new height in terms of techno- advances. If taken a closer look at a few BIG FAT Indian weddings, when we receive Indian wedding cards, we realize this is one occasion; people do not mind splurging money, even though it may leave a deep hole in their pocket. Lavish gifts being exchanged, customized designer dresses, celebrity performances, world on a platter for food, high end cars. It does not surprize that a whole lot of Indian small- medium businesses run on these events.
As a whole, Indian weddings reflect the current socio-economic picture. There are lavish weddings, there are simple low key affair weddings too. Regardless of the scale, both fulfil the purpose of making two souls meet under the divine rituals and start their new life. This is the mantra of the wedding.
They say, matches are made in heaven. I say, of course but marriages should definitely be made in India.
