When I found out there was a family wedding in India and my mom wanted to go, I was not going to pass up this opportunity to see a Punjabi wedding. So, I started packing to go to India for about two weeks.
On the way to New Delhi, India, we had a stop on the way in South Korea. Having a stop is great to get through 24 hours on an airplane. It is not easy, but it can be done when you are excited. We arrived in New Delhi, India on February 18, and even though we were tired, we had a nine-hour drive to get through.
Finally, we got home and now it was time to start shopping for the week-long wedding. Indian weddings are known to be long, and they have a lot of traditions and rituals, and Indian food is served at every event. After a day of rest, we got straight to shopping, and we all had to buy at least five dresses.
The first ritual was a singing night at the groom’s paternal family house. Because I was born in America, I did not know any of the folk songs that the women sang, but I just sat there and supported them. Before the day of the wedding, the groom’s paternal and maternal family tease each other at events to add some laughter to the wedding.
A day after the singing night, there was a gathering at the groom’s house to pray for the well being and happiness of the family. It is the first official event for the groom’s side in the wedding because many people come.
Then, there is the Jaggo where everyone dresses traditionally, dances, and sings folk songs. It is a really fun event because everyone dances care-free for many hours. Girls normally wear traditional skirts with gold jewelry.
After that, the next event is the ring ceremony, which is when everyone officially sees the bride and the groom and sees them become engaged in front of everyone. The ring ceremony is special because it is when the bride’s family and the groom’s family come together. This is when the groom’s paternal and maternal families also become one family of the groom.
The last event of the wedding is the actual wedding. The bride, groom, and their close relatives go to a temple, and the bride and groom get married. After getting married, the newly married couple and the family arrived at a resort where all the other guests have already arrived. Snacks are served and then lunch is served for all of the guests. Everyone also dances and goes to meet the married couple on the stage. Then, it is time for the bride to bid farewell to her family and go with the groom. The bride cries, and everyone else gets teary as well. The relatives go to the groom’s house and welcome the bride after which the wedding is over.
Indian weddings do have a lot of traditions and events, but it is worth the time. Everyone comes together to sing, dance, and wear Indian outfits. It is beautiful to see the bride and groom come together after completing all of the other family rituals. It was a very nice experience for me because even though I have been to India before, I actually enjoyed myself and got involved in this wedding. So if you get invited to an Indian wedding, you should go.
