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Muslim Wedding

Muslim Wedding or Nikah is celebrated on a grand scale for a period of five-days. Muslim wedding can be conducted at any convenient time, as there is no concept of auspicious time. Although a variety of ceremonies exist between different communities, the basic five-day structure is the same. The Nikah ceremony can take place either at the bride or bridegroom's residence or at a place that is convenient to both parties.

Mangni or Engagement Ceremony
In this ceremony, the exchange of rings takes place between the boy and the girl. The outfit worn by the girl is provided by the boy's family. The actual ring ceremony takes place with the serving of sweetmeats like peda to celebrate the auspicious occasion.

Legan Chir
When the date of marriage is finalized, cash is sent to the bride's father by the groom's father. The ceremony is known as Legan Chir.

Day 1 and Day 2 Ceremonies
The first two days are spent in the bride and groom's families visiting each other, and bringing mehndi paste to adorn the palms of the women in the families. There are music ceremonies that have songs teasing the couple to bring in the fun element.

Manjha Ceremony
On the third day, manjha ceremony takes place. The prospective bride is seated on a small square table and anointed with haldi (turmeric) provided by the boy's family. There is, again, much celebration and singing following this ceremony. A married friend will accompany the bride everywhere and at all times. This friend will also spread the turmeric over the bride's whole body before she bathes. For this ceremony the bride is supposed to wear yellow clothes and no jewelry. After this ceremony, she does not move out of her house or change her clothes till the wedding day.

Mehndi Ceremony
The Mehndi ceremony is held at the home of the bride on the eve of the wedding ceremony or a couple of days before it. The female relatives of the bride anoint her with turmeric paste to bring out the glow in her complexion. A relative or a professional mehndiwali applies mehndi on the hands and feet of the bride. The event has a festive feel to it with the women singing traditional songs. The bride wears sober clothes on the day. According to the custom the bride must not step out of the house for the next few days until her marriage. The bride's cousins sometimes apply a dot of mehndi on the palm of the groom.

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Wedding Rituals

Welcoming the Baraat
The baraat (or the procession of friends and relatives accompanying the groom) starts from the groom's place and moves towards the wedding venue, with the groom seated on a horse or in a car. A shamiana is pitched if no concrete covered area is available for conducting the wedding ceremonies. The arrival of the groom is accompanied by the beating of drums and playing musical instruments. Everybody dances rhythmically to add to the gaiety around. On arrival, the groom and the brother of the bride exchange a glass of sharbet (or juice) and money. The saalis (or the sisters of the bride) welcome the guests by playfully hitting them with a phoolon ki chadi or a stick wrapped around with flowers.

The wedding attire
It is customary for the boy's family to send the wedding attire, jewellery and cosmetics for the girl. She usually wears the outfit as per the norms of the state she hails from; for instance, a gharara or a zari sari or salwar kameez. The groom normally wears a sherwani or an achkan. Both the bride and the groom don a sehra or a veil of flowers around their foreheads.

Nikaah
Nikaah symbolizes the actual wedding ceremony, the venue for which can be groom's house or the bride's, as per convenience. Traditionally, the men and women have to be seated in separate rooms or have a purdah (or curtain) separating them. The Walis (the father of the bride and of the groom) play an important role in the ceremony. It is on the day of the Nikaah that the elder members of the two families decide the amount of Mehar (nuptial gift that is a compulsory amount of money to be given by the groom's family to the bride's.) The ceremony is directed by a Maulavi (priest), who reads quatrains from the Holy Quraan. Prior to this, the consent from both the would-be life mates are sought by reading aloud a document called Nikaahnama, a document wherein the marriage is registered. First, the groom and the two witnesses sign it, and later the bride does so. After the Nikaahnama, the Qazi delivers a sermon called Khutba, consisting of verses from the Quran which were recited by the prophet and which lay particular emphasis on obligations toward women. The Qazi explains the meaning of these verses to the audience with an explanation of the mutual rights and duties of the spouses.

In south India, the bride gets a lachha (a necklace, similar in concept to a mangalsutra) from the groom. Whereas in the north, the bride gets a nose ring. This is followed by the Maulavi reading the verses from Agadh-a-Nikaah which symbolizes the grant of religious approval to the wedding. The boy and the girl are hereafter deemed as 'married' to each other.

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Blessing the Groom
After the wedding ceremonies are over the groom receives blessings from the older women and offers them his salaam. The guests pray for the marital bliss of the newly wed couple.
Dinner, Prayers and Aarsimashaf: Dinner is a lavish spread. Usually, the women and the men dine separately. After dinner, the newly-weds sits together for the first time. Their heads are covered by a dupatta while they read prayers under the direction of the maulvi (priest). The Quran is placed between the couple and they are allowed to see each only through mirrors.

Post-Wedding
Post-Wedding rituals followed in Muslim Nikah are similar to what we see in other Indian weddings. However, here the customs are followed under different names with some cultural variations.

Ruksat
The bride's family bids her a tearful farewell before she departs for her husband's house. The bride's father gives her hand to her husband and tells him to protect her and take good care of her.
Welcoming the Bride: At the groom's house, the groom's mother holds the Islamic Holy book Quran above the head of her newly wed daughter-in-law as she enters her new home for the first time.

Chauthi
The Chauthi is the fourth day after the wedding. It is customary for the bride to visit the home of her parents on this day. The bride receives a joyous welcome on this day.

Valimah
The Valimah is the lavish reception that the groom's family hosts after the Nikaah. It is a joyous occasion that brings together the two families, their relatives and friends.

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