 Top
 Marriage is one of the most special events for any Bengali family. Being an auspicious occasion for any Bengali family, one follows a number of traditional rituals, performed mainly by the women of the house.
Marriage
|
Marriage
|
Top
Among the Hindu Bengalis, the actual marriage ceremony, with a backdrop of Vedic rituals, is performed by a Brahmin priest. The ceremonial aspect of a typical Bengali marriage ceremony employs a number of symbols that signify good and evil, purity and sanctity, sexuality and other aspects of life. The actual ritual of a Bengali marriage ceremony begins with the 'Ashirbaad'. This is followed by ‘aai buro bhaat’, ‘adhibaash’, ‘dodhi mangal’, ‘jal shaoa’, ‘naandi mukh’, ‘gaaye holud’, and they all culminate in ‘bar jaatraa’ – when the journey of the groom begins to his prospective in-law's house. After all these comes the actual wedding (biye, often called 'bibaaha' in the solemn classical style). The actual wedding includes ‘kanyaa daan’ or 'sampradaan ' – the ritualistic 'giving away of the girl to the other family', ‘shubho dristi’ which includes the exchange of garlands, ‘shaptapadi’ – or 'going around the fire seven times together' as well as ‘sindoor daan’ – placing the vermilion mark on the girl's forehead and parting of hair'. These are followed by the ritual of 'basor ghar'. After the actual wedding comes the ‘baashi biye’ (also called, 'kusum Dingaa'), ‘bidaay’, 'bou baran', ‘kaal raatri’, ‘bou bhaat’, and ‘phul sajja’.
Top 
Among the Muslim Bengalis, marriage is the most pompous ceremony among all the social ceremonies. A Bengali Muslim wedding is typically a five-day affair displaying a variety of ceremonies, influenced by regional customs, but the basic structure is common. There are some interesting stages in the marriage ceremony of the Bengali Muslims. These are the Panchini (engagement), Gaye halud, Biye, Bashar Shajja, and Bou-Bhat etc.
Top 
The Christian wedding ceremony in Bengal is full of charming customs like welcoming the bride, the wedding mass, homily, the nuptials, the solemn promise, blessings and exchange of rings, penitential rite, liturgy of the word, prayer of the faithful, offertory procession, the communion rite, nuptial blessing and the recessional. The church announces the name of the bride and the groom three weeks prior to the date of the marriage. Thus initiates a Christian Wedding.
Top 
A Bengali Buddhist marriage is a very private affair and only very close family friends are invited. It has a simple format and it does not include complicated rituals. An auspicious day for proposing the marriage is fixed in consultation with the lama. After consulting the lama (priest), the groom's family chooses an auspicious day to visit the bride's house and propose the marriage. On this occasion, the date of marriage is fixed.
Top
|
