Punjabis are simple yet fun-loving people who express their emotion with a lot of gratification. Just like them, their Punjabi marriage rituals are also colourful, loud, grand and sometimes over the top. Filled with fun and lots of opportunities for singing and dancing ones heart out. Punjabi weddings may be simple or lavish, but they ensure unlimited fun and celebration.

So, here are 10 Punjabi marriage rituals you need to know about!

1. Roka and Thaka

This is the initial and the first ceremony which commences the marriage of the couple. When all the aspects of marriage are fine, the bride’s family visits the groom’s house to offer him their blessing along with various gifts for his family like fruits, sweets, clothes, money also known as ‘shagun.’ This custom is known as the Roka. The Roka ceremony marks the beginning of the relationship between the two families and usually begins with a small puja called Ardaas.

2. Chunni Ceremony  

Chunni ceremony marks the engagement of the couple. Usually, the family members of the groom visit the family of the bride with gifts. A red-coloured outfit like a sari or a lehenga is gifted to the bride. She has also gifted a headscarf called chunni.

3. Sangeet

The Sangeet is a musical occasion arranged by the bride’s family. It is one of the most talked-about pre-wedding events and is a celebration which brings the two families together. The ceremony offers respite from all the hectic seriousness of the wedding preparations. Women of the family get together several days before the wedding day with dolaks and spoons, surround the bride and sing traditional wedding songs.

4. Sagaai or Engagement

The roka is an informal engagement when the couple are blessed and recognised by both families as to-be-weds. The chunni ceremony just cements this and makes them official fiancés. The ceremony involves the boy’s family visiting the girl’s house or venue that they have arranged to accommodate the guests.

5. Mehendi Ceremony

Indian weddings are incomplete without a grand mehndi celebration. The brides of today eagerly wait for their mehendi and sangeet functions.  Mehndi designs which are considered to be one of the sixteen adornments of an Indian bride without which her beauty remains incomplete. This traditional mehndi ceremony usually takes place just a day or two before the marriage.

6. Jago

The night before the wedding, the family stays up till late at night and Jago is celebrated at very early hours in the morning. A brass or copper Khada is decorated, then the maternal aunt of the bride or groom carries the vessel on her head while another lady will try and shake it with a long stick having bells attached. 

7. Kalire Ceremony

The bride’s sisters and friends tie the kalire to her chooda. They are golden or silver in colour but nowadays the brides opt for other colours as well. The significance is to provide good wishes to the bride and also to remember her cousins and friends whom she is going to leave behind when she gets married.

8. Joota Chhupai

While the groom is busy with the wedding ceremony, the bride’s sisters take hold of his shoes and hide them. When the wedding is complete and the groom steps out of the mandap, they demand a ransom in exchange for the shoes. There is a lot of bargaining involved between the two parties and they come to an agreement. This is one of the most interesting Punjabi marriage rituals at a wedding. 

9. Gharoli 

After the haldi ceremony, the bride and groom’s sister in law visits their nearby temple with a pot of water. That holy water is used for thr last bath before the wedding.

10. Pani Verna

This is yet another one of the most interesting Punjabi marriage rituals it is performed after the married couple reaches the groom’s house. Groom’s mother performs an aarti of the couple with a pitcher of water. With every round of aarti, the she has to drink water from the pitcher and the bridegroom is expected to stop her. Except, she is only allowed to drink from it the seventh time. After that, the bride has push over a pot of rice with her right foot before she enters her new home with the groom.

Let us know which of these ceremonies caught your attention! Also, don’t forget to share other unique rituals in a Punjabi Wedding.

Also read,

7 Interesting Bengali Marriage Rituals You Need To Know!