Sindhi Marriage Culture and Traditions

In the Hindu mythology, marriage is regarded an auspicious union of two souls. A Hindu marriage in not simply exchange of vows and rings, it is rather a ceremony which consists of a number of rituals and religious ceremonies. A marriage is a Sindhi community is rather a lavish ceremony which is followed by a number of rituals before and after wedding.

A Sindhi Hindu community is rich class which generally consists of traders and business people who have lots of people. Sindhis are basically very superstitious people have lots of faith in religion. Once the compatibility of boy and girl is established, 'misri ceremony' is performed. It is believed that by exchanging the rings, complete heart is formed. Fourth finger of the hand is associated with the heart. Girl puts ring in the right hand of the boy and boy put ring in the left hand of the girl thereby making a complete heart.

It is followed by the 'mehendi ceremony'. Henna paste is prepared by mixing henna leaves, lemon juice and oil and it is applied on the hands and feet of the bride. Various types of patterns are made. After this bride and groom dress themselves in the beautiful attires and jewels leave for the wedding ceremony. Both are accompanied by their friends and sisters. When the groom reaches the bride house, he keeps his foot on the top of the bride's foot to signify that he will dominate the life and respect the relationship. After the groom enters the bride house, his feet are washed with milk.

After this, 'kanayadan' is performed by the father of the bride. Father washes her hand off on the hands of the girl and this way gives his daughter to the grooms who enchants the mantras and seek the blessings of god and goddesses. Turmeric is pasted on the hands of the bride which signifies her change of status from a girl to a woman. 'Hastamillap' is done by placing the right hand of the girl in the boy's right hand. 24 threads of raw cotton which signifies various human characters are wind together and placed on the couple's shoulder's Fire is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. So the fire is light in the center to make it a witness of the strong bond of love between the couple. Couple sits besides the holy fire and Vedas are recited to please the gods. A white shawl is put on the boy's shoulder which is tied to the edge of sari of the girl. Various Veda mantras are recited and the bride's hands are filled with rice, oats and leaves by the brothers or the cousins.

After this, both of them take four circles in which groom comes first this signify that girl will always follow her husband. In the last three rounds, girl comes first to signify that during old age she will be the first one to die as she do not want to be a widow. Both are declared man and woman. They touch the feet of their elders together and seek their blessings for the new and prosperous life.

It is followed by the feast in which special dishes and drinks are served. At the groom's house, bride's feet are washed. Her head is covered with a cloth and she sprinkles the water all over the house which signifies that she will maintain the respect of the family and will calm the situation if any misunderstanding occurs in the family. Salt ceremony is performed where bride fills her palm with the salt and pass it to the groom's hand without splitting. She repeats this process with the whole family. It signifies that as salt dissolves in the food and enrich its flavor, the bride will also become the part of the family and spread love and affection in the family.