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The Maharashtrian wedding is done on
the basis of the stars. The horoscope is matched and only with the
consent of the respective Brahmin who accepts the matching points, the
marriage is preceded.
The matching points should be sixteen
and then only the wedding knot can be accepted and the process for
wedding in Maharashtra begins.
The first step towards a wedding
initiates with a Baithak. This is a meeting with the elders of both
families who decide on several issues in regard to the actual
auspicious time.
The ceremony that comes first is the
Sakharpuda. This is the engagement day. This is held one day prior to
the wedding or even on the wedding day morning.
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The Sakharpuda ceremony is the day the
groom’s parents present the bride with a saree. This is a sign of
acceptance of the bride into their family and her hands are adorned
with green colored bangles as a proof to her engagement.
She is handed a packet of sugar representing
the happiness. The Maharashtrian wedding is simple. The prior day a
haldi (turmeric) paste is smeared on the bride and this is known as
haldi ceremony. This ceremony is held for the boy as well.
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A group or relatives, especially women
apply haldi and douse with water. This is a ritual enjoy when the groom
feels a little shy. The wedding in Maharashtra is an enjoyable
experience without heavy rituals.
The wedding in Maharashtra is done
with the acceptance of sharing the expenses by both the families. On
the wedding day the Groom and the bride are called the Var and the
Vadhu are traditionally dressed.
The Vadhu is embellished with
flowers, jewellery and perfumed. She is beautifully dressed in her
Shalu, the wedding saree. The bride and the groom are brought by their
maternal uncles to the pandal.
The bride and the groom are made to
stand facing each other, and between them a white cloth called
Antarpath is held.
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On the white cloth a swastika is marked
with kumkum. The Maharashtrian wedding continues with the auspicious
shlokas and blessings come in colored rice to greet the new couple. The
bride garlands the groom and seeks his blessings by touching his feet
and then the groom garlands his wife.
The married ladies come from both families
and take aarti of the new couple. The Maharashtrian wedding is almost
complete. After garlanding ceremony, the couples sit near the Home and
the Var puts a mangalsutra to his wife and toe rings. He fills her
forehead tip called maang with Sindoor.
The couple stand and go around the Agni
(Fire) seven times such that the initial two rounds the Var leads the
Vadhu and in the next two rounds the Vadhu leads the Var.
After this hom, the couples perform Laxmi
pooja, and the bride is given a new name that the groom writes on rice
with a gold ring. The wedding in Maharashtra completes with a
Satyanarayan Pooja held at the Grooms place.
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