The Indian marriages continue for at least 4 to 5 days in a row depending on the community in which the occasion is being followed.
The pre wedding ceremonies comprise of a number of customs starting right from the ceremonies of engagements, Rokka and invitation card distribution which tends to involve the association of the relatives and friends to give social recognition to the occasion of wedding. The pre wedding ceremonies on the day of the wedding comprise of the ceremonies of Haldi or Uptan, Mehendi, Sangeet which involves the preparing of the bride and the groom for the main ceremony of wedding. The pre wedding ceremonies in each of the states in India tend to vary from one state to another and simultaneously from one community to another among the Hindus.
The engagement rituals in Indian wedding ceremonies are one of the essential rituals which signify the engagement of the bride to the groom. Following the engagement rituals the bride becomes committed to the groom and after the engagement period she can’t accept marriage proposals from any other man. The engagement ceremonies in the various states and communities vary from one another. For example among the Punjabis the engagement ceremony is followed by the ritual of Chunni Chadhana where the groom’s family offers a red chunni to the bride to declare the ceremony of Rokka.
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