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Muslim Weddings - A Beautiful Affair

A Muslim wedding is a simple and beautiful affair.

A Muslim wedding is a simple and beautiful affair. It ties a man and a woman into a pious knot that marks a journey of togetherness. Here’s a sneak peek of the Muslim Wedding rituals in India. Mehndi ceremony The rituals of a Muslim matrimonial begin with one of the most beautiful ceremonies, called the Mehndi. This ceremony is usually held at bride’s home either on the eve of the wedding ceremony or a couple of days before it. The female relatives and friends of the girl smear her with turmeric paste to bring out the radiance in her complexion. Then, a relative or a mehndiwali or a mehndiwala applies mehndi on both the hands and feet of the bride. Mehndi has a festival feeling to it and is considered as one of the most entertaining occasions with the women singing traditional songs and dancing for the bride. On this occasion, bride is supposed to adorn only sober clothes with no make-up. As per customs, she must not move out of the house for the next few days until her marriage ceremony. Sometimes the cousins of the bride apply a dot of mehndi on the palm of the groom. Welcoming of the Baraat The groom enters the wedding venue along with his Baraat. His entry is marked with a band of musicians who strike some traditional musical notes to announce their arrival. Then, the groom shares a glass of sherbet / sweet drink with the bride's brother. The bride's sister gives the occasion a lighter feeling and plays pranks and slaps the guests playfully with batons made of flowers. Nikaah – The Wedding After that, begins the official matrimonial ceremony, called Nikah. The Nikaah or wedding ceremony can take place at the home of the bride or the groom or at any other convenient venue for both the families. A priest in the presence of close family members, relatives and friends commences the ceremony. In conventional Muslim communities and marriages, the bride and the groom are made to sit separately. During this ceremony, the 'Walis' (the father of the bride and of the bridegroom) play an important. The priest recites selected verses from the Quran and the Nikaah completes after the Ijab-e-Qubul (proposal and acceptance). A proposal is send from the groom’s side and the girl's side conveys her acquiesce. The mutual assent of the bride and groom is of high significance for the marriage to be legal. On the day of the Nikaah (the wedding), elder members of the two families mutually decide the amount of Mehar (nuptial gift). The Mehar is a amount of money which has to be given by the groom's family to the bride. Nikaahnama The Nikaahnaama is an official document under which the marriage contract is registered. It includes a set of terms and conditions that must be paid respect to, by both the parties. The Nikaahnaama also gives the bride the right to divorce her husband. The contract must be signed by the bridegroom, the bride, the Walis, and the Maulvi to be legal. Blessing the groom After these formalities, the groom receives blessings from the older women ant the groom in return offers them his salaam. Other guests pray for the newly-weds togetherness and happiness. Dinner and Prayers Mostly during the dinner, the women and the men dine separately. After having their lavish meal, the newly-weds sit together for the first time. Their heads are covered while they recite prayers under the direction of the priest. Then, the Quran is placed between them and they are allowed to see each other through mirrors. Rukshat The wedding slowly takes a different turn; the bride's family bids her a tearful farewell before she departs from her parents’ house. The bride's ‘Walis’ father gives her hand to her husband and asks him to protect and take good care of her. Welcoming of the bride As the new bride enters the new house, she is welcomed by the groom’s mother, who holds the Quran above the head of her new daughter-in-law. Chauthi This is the fourth day after the wedding; it is when the bride visits the home of her parents. After all the somberness, she receives a cheerful welcome on this day. Valimah or the Reception The Valimah is a lavish reception organised by the groom's family after the Nikaah. It is a merry-making occasion that brings the bride’s and the groom’s families, their relatives and other well-wishers together.

Sukhpreet Kaur writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing matrimonial website, provides online Indian matrimonial classified services. Jeevansathi.com enables users to create aMuslim matrimony profile on the website and allow prospective grooms and brides to contact each other. Users can search for profiles through advanced search options on the website. Users can avail free registration and make initial contact with each other through services available on Jeevansathi.com via Chat, SMS, and e-mail