India is popular for its big fat weddings. In every Indian wedding, one can find a loofah of cultures mixing with several rituals. It is easy to fly high in the sky but difficult to stick to your roots. Indian weddings have a rich heritage that differs in various locations. Nonetheless, if you have been to North East weddings, then you will forget about any other cultural wedding ceremony. Girlossip brings to you the most unexplored rituals done at homegrown weddings in India which can not be found anywhere else in the world. So hold onto your seats while we take you through a roller coaster ride.
When it comes to inter-caste and interfaith weddings, one can witness the merging of two cultures together. The bride and groom have different beliefs and that is what makes homegrown weddings beautiful and bizarre. Are you planning to include these customs in your wedding? If yes, then go ahead without a doubt because these cultural rites will make your wedding stand out. After all, we all imagine our weddings to be perfect and different.
What States?
India is a country of diversity. Every state has numerous wedding traditions. These customs include distinct rituals perfected by the families of bride and groom. It is a sad reality that not many people in India are aware of these traditions. It is because they are hidden inside the remote villages of several states.
When it comes to North East weddings, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur are some states that follow Northeastern wedding culture. You can choose a handful of rituals from the weddings in these states and plug them into your wedding. So when the guests arrive, they are blown away with all sermons, it will surely make your wedding the most distinctive.
Every state in India has a separate wedding culture depending upon the religion they follow or faith they believe. In Kashmir, Bengal, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Kerala as well, people have a vibrant heritage with weddings. But if we go on discussing them, the entire blog will keep elongating itself. So let’s come back to our homegrown North East weddings.
Go for Girl Power
Indian society consists of substantial male domination. Whether it is education and employment or traditions and customs, women have to bear the brunt of the structure of the society. In wedding rituals too, one can see how women are always kept on the unfortunate side. However, when it comes to North-Eastern wedding ceremonies, the women are given more of a preference.
The most important reasoning behind this is that in the North-Eastern states, the women go out to work, take major family decisions, and share responsibilities equally. Their society is not male-dominated. The state of Meghalaya is the most leading representation of how to treat women with respect and equality in every sphere of society.
All the necessities of the bride are fully taken care of. The Dowry system has been abolished and prohibited by the law but it is still prevalent in some parts of India. However, in Northeast states, you will rarely find people giving dowry for their daughter.
You can say that whatever happens at a big fat Indian wedding, northeast weddings do the exact opposite. The groom takes the bride’s mother’s name after marriage. The groom has to live in the ancestral home of the bride to honor the women. The women of northeast states are considered the so-called ‘heads’ of the family.
But the most amusing ceremony in Northeast weddings is the ring ceremony. The bride and groom have to exchange the rings in bags containing betel nuts. If you are getting all geared up for your wedding, then this ritual can add up a little fun for relatives and friends.
No one can pick just one
Most Indian weddings have regressive customs because they are loaded with patriarchal norms. But some tribes like the Semas from Nagaland are going against the flow. They voluntarily practice polygamy to showcase their liberalism. But if that is too much for you, you can go for the concept of open marriages.
Even after being polygamous, they keep their customs intact. A man has to choose a ‘head wife’ amongst all the wives. Men have the freedom to marry as many women as they want. This selection of head wife can invite a flurry of family drama too but let’s just say, where there are pros, there are cons too. But this custom is that social structure is only restricted to their tribe.
Nagaland is a state of many tribes. The culture of civilization has not reached them and that has worked in their favor. The Changs (another tribe from Nagaland) also practice polygamy but the limit of their wives is set to six. People keep wondering why they chose the number six but the reason is not yet known.
It is clear that the tribes in Nagaland have stuck to their culture only, they have followed their norms with getting them infected with evolution. One such tribe is The Lotus, it bends on favoring rich men. The rich man of this tribe can marry twice and bring a second wife during polygamy.
Till Death Do Us Part
Now that we have discussed the rituals and tribes of Nagaland, it is time to explore Mizoram. This state is popular for its diverse traditions which create a great blend of orthodox beliefs and contemporary schools of thought. You can find Christian practices at weddings because the people in Mizoram practice Christianity spiritually.
There is a set system of marriage payment in Mizoram where the groom has to approach the girl’s family. After discussions and several opinions, a price is decided for the marriage. The best feature of marriages in Mizoram is that the bride and groom are provided time to know each other. This establishes a good bond between the couple before marriage.
The groom has to wear a Puandum given by the bride. It is a rug like apparel to be worn on the wedding day. You can include this tradition in your marriage too. However, there is a creepy tradition associated with this rug. It is believed that the groom has to wear this rug even after death. You may eliminate this part from the ritual if you have already been creeped out. That’s why this custom is named ’till death do us part’ quite literally.
Fowl Play
The Angami tribe gives the wand to the hands of the women of its tribe. The women can at any time cancel the marriage if they are not satisfied with the groom. However, the most important reason to be considered substantial is to call off the wedding is if she finds something inauspicious.
Many people in India are proceeding towards a vegetarian lifestyle. But the Angami tribe of Nagaland believes in strangling a fowl before marriage to get a good omen.
Are you worthy of the wedding my daughter?
It is only in the state of Tripura where the men have to get their blood, tears, and sweat to get wedded to a woman. You can lure your man too to woo you and follow the tradition of men from Tripura. Isn’t it exciting?
After all, one must marry a man only after checking if he has the potential to take care of you. The groom has to move to the bride’s house for a year and show his love towards the bride and her family.
And guess what? If you don’t like his behavior, his attitude, and his beloved, just send him right away. Yes, it may appear to be morally wrong but why marry a man who cannot be your perfect companion?
If you are up for the challenge, include this custom in your wedding and see how it goes.
Wanna take a trade trip?
Have you ever heard about the Mongsen tribe? Nagaland is abode to India’s most incredible and cultural tribes. Imagine going on your honeymoon even before the marriage. Sounds fun right? The Mongsen tribe sends the future couple on a trip, however, this trip is not just about joy and fun. The couple has to do some rounds to make profits, often called moolah by the locals.
Well, because what is a marriage without money? One cannot each love and drink care. But what if they make losses instead of profits? If there is no moolah, the couple is not allowed to marry. They cannot be considered a good team.
He will capture you (literally)
The state of Arunachal Pradesh has a treasure when it comes to unusual homegrown weddings in North East.
- The first and the most conventional wedding is ‘Marriage by Negotiation’. Here the bride and groom have to negotiate on the terms, conditions, and everything else before marriage.
- ‘Marriage by Kidnapping’ and ‘Marriage by Eloping’ are considered social evils in Indian society but in Arunachal Pradesh, they are considered to be adventurous traditions full of thrill. Don’t consider kidnapping at all and if you try it, make it your own risk.
When it comes to helping with marriage, it has to be romantic. But everything comes at a price. The groom has to make a sacrifice by performing certain rituals recommended by the villagers. A little sacrifice for a romantic eloping wedding, why not?
Furthermore, the groom must convince the bride’s family for this kind of marriage. When the groom’s family approves of the wedding, the groom has to pack enough for 4 days of an extended stay.
Now the journey starts, the couple has to climb a mountain and shout to the top of their voice ‘Ho!’ to implicate that they’ve arrived.
It’s time for lunch from the bride’s family when the couple has reached the top. The lunch is followed by songs, dance, playing Holi with colors and all the gizz that a wedding ceremony consists of.
What is waiting for? Dive in these homegrown traditions to celebrate your wedding.