Village Weddings

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India is a land of diverse culture and ethnicity, wherein the important occasions are celebrated in a myriad of ways. Throughout the length and breadth of the country, you will see that weddings are given paramount importance in people’s social life. Here, marriage is not only a legal bonding between a man and a woman, it is a great occasion, that brings the families of the two, closer. The ceremony often takes the shape of a festive occasion that is observed with pomp and gaiety, in the Indian subcontinent. This is the reason why wedding is often celebrated lavishly and elaborately. Nonetheless, you will see a contrast in the ways in which the wedding rituals are observed in the rural and the urban areas of the country.

Weddings In Indian Villages
Just like urban areas of India, the wedding is an elaborate affair in the rural parts of the country. The rituals conducted before, during and after weddings are conducted with special attention to the nuances of the same. Depending upon their belief, people in villages organize a number of pujas before the wedding, to ensure the smooth conduct of the ceremony. After the marriage, they conduct certain rituals to ensure that the newly wed couple leads a prospered life forever. If you go deep into the rural areas of the country, you would witness huge differences in the same rituals, because people in the villages are very particular in following the customs that are native to their community.

Unlike cities, in Indian villages, the role of wedding planners is played by the family members of the bride and the groom. The expenses of wedding are generally borne by the bride’s parents, while the groom’s family arranges the reception party. Since the system of joint families is still prevalent in the villages, the arrangements for a wedding are conducted very smoothly. It is a joint effort of the family members, relatives and close friends, when it comes to organizing a wedding. All the people involved in the preparations for the wedding ensure that everything is conducted smoothly, before, during and after the ceremony.

Depending upon the financial status, the grandeur of the wedding ceremony varies. For instance, if the families of the prospective bride and the groom are not financially well settled, they would restrict the wedding to a short and crisp affair, inviting only the relatives and close friends. On the other hand, if it is the wedding of a renowned person of the village, who is financially well settled, then the wedding would be just like a festival for the village, wherein every villager is invited to mark his/her presence and grace the occasion. In general, weddings in Indian villages are as celebrated with pomp and gaiety, which is no less to those witnessed in urban parts of the country.

Till some time back, people in villages of India were strictly against love marriages. They strongly believed that two people should not tie the wedding knot without the consent of their elder members of the family and relatives. Due to this perception, arranged marriage is customary in Indian villages. However, with the passing times, people living even in the interiors of rural India are not so strictly against the concept of love marriage and hence, if persuaded, they would not hesitate to come forward and solemnize the wedding of the two loving souls, in this regard, the perception of weddings in the rural India has changed drastically.

by Sankari Kalugasalam

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