Parsi Weddings – Rituals and Customs

Like all other Indian wedding rituals and customs, Parsi wedding traditions also last for a couple of days. In a Parsi matrimonial, celebrations are divided into three parts, pre-wedding rituals, wedding day rituals and post wedding rituals. During a pre-wedding ritual called Madhavsaro (which happens four days before the marriage), the families of the bride and groom plant a young mango tree in a pot, amid recitation of prayers by the family priest, and place it at the doorway of their homes. The tree is watered every morning till the eighth day after the wedding and then transplanted elsewhere.

Adarni, the third day before the lagan, is celebrated as a day for exchanging gifts. The groom's family visits the bride's home to present her with all kinds of gifts like clothes, jewelry, etc. This is ritual is known as Adarni.

The day prior to the wedding is called Supra nu Murat. It is quite similar to the mehendi and haldi ceremony of the Hindus. During this ceremony, four married women are given a supra each, containing paan, supari, haldi, dates and a piece of coconut. These supras are exchanged seven times among the women cross-wise, length-wise and breadth-wise, while singing traditional songs. After that, a fifth lady sits in the middle with a khalbatto and dry turmeric. Then all those present in the occasion, apply the paste on the groom and bride and bless them for a happy life.

Rituals on the Wedding Day:

Nahan is the day of the lagan. On this day, the entrance of the bride’s and groom’s house is beautifully decorated with designs of rangoli. As per Zorastrians, the time immediately after sunset or very early in the morning is the most auspicious for marriage. For lagan, the bride’s ensemble includes madhavate the white dress, ornate wedding saree given by her parents, while the groom adorns the traditional Parsi dagli and feta a white kurta like garment and a black cap. The Parsi lagan takes place either at a baug or at an agiary (the fire temple). A stage is set up for the bride and the groom and before they step on it, a ritual called achumichu is performed. The bride's mother gets a tray filled with a raw egg, supari, rice, coconut, dates and water and begins the ceremony with her would-be son-in-law. After that, Ara antar ceremony is performed. During this, the couple sits facing each other with a cloth held between them, so that they cannot see the other.

After this, couple is circled by a priest with a string, seven times. On the seventh round of the ceremony, the couple throws rice at each other from over the curtain. Whoever is able to do it for the first time, is supposed to rule the household. Now, the couple sits adjacent to each other with the seven strands of string binding them. Then, oil lamps are lighted on their sides and the priest begins the prayer ceremony. This is followed by showering of rice and rose petals, after which rings are exchanged by the couple. This particular ceremony is called Chero Bandhvanu. Another beautiful matrimony ceremony following this is Haath Borvanu, in which the bride's sister puts the groom's hand in a glass of water, throws milk on his shoes and unties the seven strands binding the couple, in lieu of token money.

Post Wedding Rituals
The marriage ceremony ends with a grand reception. The reception is held in an elaborate manner with varied menu of food, drink and music. This party lasts for the whole night with music and dancing and all the guests have a gala time. The menu mainly comprises of traditional Parsi dishes like Parsi bhonu like sarya (crisps), achaar - rotli (pickle and rotis), patra ni macchi (steamed fish), salli margi (chicken with potato crisps), lagan nu custard, pulao-dal and ice cream. The wedding reception concludes with the couple being accompanied home by the bride's family and the achumichu being performed again by the groom's mother for the happiness, togetherness and well being of the couple.

Parsi marriage is conducted with a great ardor and passion. Although the rituals performed during the wedding are quite simple and provide full opportunity for enjoyment. However, like other Indian marriages, Parsi marriages also have a number of rituals which extend over many days.

Sukhpreet Kaur writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing matrimonial website, provides online Indian matrimonial classified services. Jeevansathi.com enables users to create a Parsi matrimony profile on the website and allow prospective grooms and brides to contact each other. Users can search for profiles through advanced search options on the website. Users can avail free registration and make initial contact with each other through services available on Jeevansathi.com via Chat, SMS, and e-mail