An Inside Look Into Haldi And Weddings

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July 2, 2010
An Inside Look Into Haldi And Weddings

Every Saheli already knows that turmeric keeps you gorgeous and healthy, but this wonder-spice is also the center of a South Asian pre-wedding ritual that takes as many different forms as there are languages in the Indian subcontinent. From a Bengali Gaye Holud to the Sikh ceremony Vatna, CitySaheli got the scoop on how Sahelis all over South Asia take part in this age-old (and sometimes messy!) tradition.

Taking center stage at any haldi ceremony is the traditional paste that is smeared all over the bride and groom. The paste is most often made with turmeric, rosewater, and sandalwood, but can also be made simply with turmeric and water. Brides and grooms often have separate haldi ceremonies where relatives and friends apply the haldi paste all over their face, arms and legs. The beautifying properties of turmeric are thought to cleanse and purify the skin, while the blessings from the invited relatives and friends bring luck to the soon-to-be-married couple.

In West Bengal and Bangladesh, the haldi ceremony is combined with the mehndi ritual and known as a gaye holud. The gaye holud often takes place a day or two before the wedding and can range from a small family-only affair to a party as large as the actual wedding reception. The bride-to-be, dressed in a simple yellow or green sari, is smeared with the traditional paste of turmeric and rosewater by close friends and family, all of whom then hand-feed the newly yellow-ed bride a variety of sweets and fruits. Afterwards mehndi is applied to the bride-to-be’s hands and feet.

Pakistani brides celebrate a ritual known as mayoon, a ceremony that, like a gaye holud, is often combined with the mehendi ritual and takes place a day or two before the wedding. The mayoon is usually an all-night affair, and only women are invited. With the boys out of the way, the women spend all night singing and dancing, and of course, beautifying the bride-to-be. Dressed in a traditional yellow-colored salwar kameez, the bride is blessed by elder members of the family while other relatives and friends apply the traditional paste called ubtaan, made of turmeric, sandalwood, and other aromatic oils, to her hands and face.

The Sikh tradition of vatna is usually separate from the traditional mehndi ceremony, and takes place a few days before the wedding. A combination of barley flour, turmeric, and mustard oil is smeared all over the bride and the groom, and afterwards, both are required to take a ritual bath. It is after vatna that the bride and groom are then confined to their respective homes until the day of the wedding—according to this tradition, known as maiya, the bride and groom are not allowed to leave their houses or even change their clothes until the big day. (Modern adjustments to this ritual include holding it the day before the wedding, making the confinement last only one night!)

The Parsi community has its own take on the haldi ceremony. Called supra nu murat, it usually takes place the day before the wedding. Four married women each hold a supra, a small pot, containing paan, haldi, some dates, and a coconut. With traditional folk songs playing in the background, these four supras are exchanged seven times among the four women. A fifth woman sits in the center of the four women, holding a dry piece of turmeric in a brass khalbatta (small cup). This ritual is supposed to bless the soon-to-be married couple. Afterwards, haldi paste is smeared all over the bride and groom by relatives and friends.