Bengali wedding refers to both Muslim wedding and Hindu wedding in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Although Muslim and Hindu marriages have their distinctive religious rituals, there are many common cultural rituals in marriages across religion among Bengali people. There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Nuptial is the adjective of wedding. It is used for example in zoology to denote plumage, coloration, behavior, etc related to or occurring in the mating season. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hindu teaching and customs of marriage. ... West Bengal   (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... The Bengali people are the ethnic community from Bengal (divided between India and Bangladesh) on the Indian subcontinent with a history dating back four millennia. ...

Arrangement of the Wedding

A traditional wedding is arranged by Ghotoks (matchmakers), who are typically friends or relatives of the couple. The matchmakers facilitate the introduction, and also help agree the amount of any settlement. A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ... Marriage à-la-mode: The Marriage Contract by William Hogarth: a satire on arranged marriages. ...

In older times, the settlement was a dowry to be paid by the bride's family to the groom. However, dowry is illegal and is being discouraged. Even then, it persists, especially in rural areas and among Hindus. There is another settlement to make which is called 'Mahr' or 'Kabin' to be paid by the groom to the bride - which is a religious requirement in Muslim marriages. The amount of the settlement is set so as to avoid too many zeroes in the amount, such as 10001 rather than 10000; the final zeroes being said by some to signify bad luck. A dowry (also known as trousseau) is a gift of money or valuables given to the family of the bridegroom by the family of the bride at the time of their marriage. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... A dowry is a gift of money or valuables given by the brides family to that of the groom to permit their marriage. ... See also: A groom is a type of officer-servant in the British royal household. ... Bride Bride in formal dress North America. ... Look up zero in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Bengali weddings are traditionally in four parts: the bride's Gaye Holud, the groom's Gaye Holud, the Beeya and the Bou Bhaat. Bengali Hindu weddings have another part called the "Phoolshajya". These often take place on separate days. The first event in a wedding is an informal one: the groom presents the bride with a ring marking the "engagement" which is gaining popularity.

Gaye Holud (Pre-Marriage)

Main article: Gaye Holud

Bride's friends and family apply turmeric paste to her body as a part of Gaye Holud ceremony.

The Gaye Holud ("yellowing the body") is in preparation for the Beeya. Gaye Holud is a ceremony part of the marriange related festivities. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1082 KB) The owner of this file is Arman Aziz; uploaded the picture with permission of the bride. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1082 KB) The owner of this file is Arman Aziz; uploaded the picture with permission of the bride. ... Gaye Holud is a ceremony part of the marriange related festivities. ...

For the bride's Gaye Holud, the groom's family - except the groom himself - go in procession to the bride's home. They carry with them the bride's wedding outfit, wedding decoration including turmeric paste and henna, sweetmeats and gifts. They also take a large fish cooked and decorated. The procession traditionally centers on the (younger) female relative and friends of bride, and they are traditionally all in matching clothes, mostly orange in colour. Look up Decoration in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up henna in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The orange, a fruit from which the modern name of the orange colour comes. ...

The bride is seated on a dais, and the henna is used to decorate the bride's hands and feet with elaborate abstract designs. The turmeric paste is applied by the bride's friends to her body. This is said to soften the skin, but also colours her with the distinctive yellow hue that gives its name to this ceremony. Look up henna in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In zootomy and dermatology, skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial tissues that guard underlying muscles and organs. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... A yellow Tulip. ...

The sweets are then fed to the bride by all involved, piece by piece. There is, of course, a feast for the guests. The groom's Gaye Holud comes next, and has the same form as the bridal ceremony. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Beeya (Marriage)

Bride and groom in a Bengali wedding ceremony

The actual wedding ceremony "Beeya" follows the Gaye Holud ceremonies. The wedding ceremony is arranged by the bride's family. On the day, the younger members of the bride's family barricade the entrance to the venue, and demands sort of admission charge from the groom in return for allowing him to enter.This is however done in fun, and is not an integral part of the wedding. There is a bargaining between groom and bride's family members on the amount of money of the admission. There is typically much good-natured pushing and shoving involved. Another custom is for the bride's younger siblings, friends and cousins to conceal the groom's shoes for money; to get them back the groom must usually pay off the children. Siblings, friends and cousins also plays many practical jokes on the groom.
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x684, 130 KB) Edit of Image:Bengali wedding. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x684, 130 KB) Edit of Image:Bengali wedding. ... Nuptial is the adjective of wedding. It is used for example in zoology to denote plumage, coloration, behavior, etc related to or occurring in the mating season. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Custom has a number of meanings: A custom is a common practice among a group of people, especially depending on country, culture, time, and religion. ...

For a Muslim wedding, the bride and groom are seated separately, and a Kazi (authorized person by the govt. to perform the wedding), accompanied by the parents and a Wakil (witness) from each side formally asks the bride for her consent to the union, and then the groom for his.
For a hindu wedding, a priest makes couple chant mantras from the holy texts that formalises the following :
i)Kanyadaan (giving away of the bride by the father of the bride or a father figure, could be an uncle).
ii)Saat Phera (The couple walks round the ceremonial fire seven times. See Saptapadi.)''
The actual formalizing of the wedding and the signing of paperworks is now done before the ceremony for convenience. Usually it is carried out on the morning of the wedding and the feast is at night.
This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... Saptapadi (in Sanskrit, written as सप्तपदी, saptapadī) or Saat phere (in Hindi, written as सात फेरे, sāt phéré) is an important part of a Hindu marriage ceremony, undertaken by the bride and the groom around a sacred fire. ... The Forum for European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation (FEAST) is a non-government organisation aimed at highlighting and developing collaborative research activities between Europe (European countries and the European Union) and Australia. ...

At this time, for muslim weddings, the amount of the dowry / Mahr is verified, and if all is well, the formal papers are signed, and the couple are seated side by side on a dias. The brides oorna (headcovering) is draped over both, and a mirror placed in front. The groom is then supposed to say something romantic on what is notionally the first time he has laid eyes on his bride.
A dowry (also known as trousseau) is a gift of money or valuables given to the family of the bridegroom by the family of the bride at the time of their marriage. ... A dowry is a gift of money or valuables given by the brides family to that of the groom to permit their marriage. ... Dias may mean: Direct Internet Access System Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Detaşamentul de Intervenţii şi Acţiuni Speciale, a Romanian police rapid response unit Destruction in Art Symposium Transparency slides, sometimes known as dias film Dias (meaning Days) is also a common surname in the Portuguese language...

Everybody celebrates the union with a feast.

While seated on the dais, the bride's entourage will make attempts to steal the groom's shoes, which they will return for a ransom. Once the return of the shoes is negotiated, the bride takes tearful leave of her family. Finally, the happy couple make their way from the venue to the groom's home, where a bridal room has been prepared.

Bou Bhaat (Reception after Marriage)

The reception, also known as Bou-Bhaat (reception) or Walima among the Muslims, is a party given by the groom's family in return for the wedding party. It is typically a much more relaxed affair, with only the second-best wedding outfit being worn. Look up reception in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Chehel Sotouns Wall painting, that dates back to the Safavid era, depicts a Chaharshanbe Suri celebration. ... See also: A groom is a type of officer-servant in the British royal household. ... Men and women wearing suits, an example of one of the many modern forms of clothing (from the 1937 Chicago Woolen Mills catalog) Clothing is defined, in its broadest sense, as coverings for the torso and limbs as well as coverings for the hands (gloves), feet (socks, shoes, sandals, boots...

It's a lot like the wedding, the bride and groom however receive and see off guests and dine together. After the party, the bride and groom go to the bride's family house for two nights. On the second day, the groom's family are invited to the bride's house for a meal, and they leave with the bride and groom. This meal is called "Firani".

Phul Shajya (Bed of flowers)

Also called "Basor raat", this is considered the last stage of the wedding in Hindu tradition, though in Muslim marriages, this takes place on the night of the wedding. Phul Shajya literally translates into Bed of flowers.For this ceremony the bride wears a lot of floral ornaments and their marriage bed is decorated with flowers by the groom's family. This is the night of consummation. As a verb, consummate means to bring something to its completion, such as a transaction, concept, plan or action. ...

See also

• Marriage
• Gaye Holud
• Culture of Bangladesh
• Culture of West Bengal