Nov30,2023
It is needless to say that any wedding ceremony is incomplete without the wedding dress and this stands true for both the bride and the groom.
The bride wears a skirt called ‘Raslila’ on her wedding day. They also put on a red and black sarong which is known as Pindhan. The entire dress is teamed up with a blouse referred to as Silum.
The groom wears almost no jewellery at all. He wears a turban and a white dhoti-kurta
The wedding process begins with the Hinaba ritual, which refers to the very first meeting of the parents of both the bride and the groom. At this ritual the horoscopes of the bride and the groom are matched and the date of the wedding is set
Another pre wedding ritual is the Yathang thanaga where the parents of the bride visit the groom's place and finally gives their approval to the wedding.
Waraipot puba is another ritual where the groom’s family brings food items to the bride's place. Heijapot ceremony refers to the formal engagement of the couple.
On the day of the wedding the groom and his family along with other kinsmen are welcomed at the bride's place by a Meitei woman. The wedding altar and the seating arrangement are made around the tulsi (basil) plant.
The bride and the groom exchanges garland with each other and after the garlanding of the couple, the bride and the groom takes seven circles (saat pheras) around the basil plant amidst the sound of the kirtan and shehnai.
After this two women from both the sides releases a pair of taki fish into the water, which symbolizes the bride and the groom. Last but not the least a lavish feast is served to the deities for the blessing and happy life of the newlywed.
The last custom in a Manipuri wedding is the Mangani Chakouba. This ritual is organized after a period of five days from the wedding. This ritual marks the first visit of the newlyweds to the bride's place after their wedding