East Indian Wedding Traditions: – The flashes and glimpses seen across various cultures, traditions and customs of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam etc. The wedding customs in India are very much driven by the cultural subsectors that have been followed since ages. Every region of India is distinct in it and has nourished a different set of cultural attributes that offer to provide a unique fervor to the society of that region.
Though modern couples glean on many varieties of ideas, they don’t forget the basic traditional rituals. Bengali and Assamese weddings are almost similar and it starts with Aashirwad ceremony- a pre-wedding ritual, Vridhi Ritual- offering puja to the ancestors, Ai Buddho Bhaat ritual- a rich dinner at the bride’s home, Wedding Piris- conch shells are blown and ululation is raised , Dodhi Mangal Ritual- inviting Goddess Ganga to the marriage, Haldi Uptan Ritual- paste of turmeric and mustard oil is applied on the body , Shakha Paula Ritual- adorn the bride’s hands with the traditional bangles, Gae Halud Tattva- exchanging gifts, Adhibas Tattva, Kubi Patta- worshipping Saint Kuber, Snan, Mandap is decorated with plantains and a large Alpina is set to host the wedding ceremony. The elaborate amalgamation of rituals differs from state to state.