A modern Hindu wedding

This is not a shaadi video, but more a documentary examination of the pomp, madness and energy of a modern Hindu wedding in Delhi city!

A wedding ceremony marks the cementing of two lives into a new oneness and at the same time, it connects two families and brings the whole horde of relatives together in celebration. A typical traditional Hindu wedding is usually an extended, noisy, and happy gathering of family and friends over plenty of food and delicacies.

Hindu weddings comprise of a series of rituals that have evolved since ancient times and differ significantly from a western wedding ceremony.

The pre-wedding ceremony includes the engagement, the mehndi or henna ceremony, the Sangeet or musical night, Haldi or the application of turmeric and the 'Baraat' - the arrival of the groom's family and friends at the bride's residence, often in the form of a very boisterous procession.

The post-wedding ceremonies involve the "bidai" or departure ceremony and the Reception party hosted by the groom's family.

Day 1: We are at the Sangeet ceremony of Rohan Sayal and Aradhana Kaura. The groom, Rohan is an Investment banker living in New Delhi and the bride Aradhana is an Advocate from the same city.

The Sangeet ceremony kicks off the celebrations and is one of the most enjoyable ceremonies of the wedding. The groom's father, Sanjeev Sayal welcomes the guests to the Sangeet and is later joined by his wife Kavita.

Day 2: Mehndi is yet another traditional and exciting pre-wedding ceremony. Mehendi or henna is one of the sixteen essential adornments of the bride and her beauty is considered incomplete without it.

The Mehndi ceremony usually takes place a day before the wedding. According to tradition, Aradhana, the bride-to-be, will not step out of her house after this ceremony. A Mehndi expert is called to apply the henna paste on Aradhana's hands, arms and feet.

Day 3: Chura or bangles are one of the important accessories for a married Hindu woman. Punjabi chura has great significance in the wedding. As part of the ceremony, haldi or turmeric paste is applied to both the bride and groom by their relatives and friends.

Now at the groom's place, after Rohan has dressed up in his wedding attire, a puja is performed. The groom's father or an senior relative ties the 'Sehra' or groom's turban for him. This ceremony is known as 'Sehrabandhi'.

The Baraat is one of the most fun filled traditions in the entire wedding ceremony. The groom is seated on a decorated mare and rides amidst the procession towards the venue. The ride is highlighted by dancing and singing along with music played by the live moving band accompanying them.

On their arrival, the members of the baraat are greeted and warmly welcomed. With the arrival of the Baraat, the ceremony of Milni or introductions between the two families takes place. Here, parents, uncles, brothers and relatives meet and greet each other; they shake hands, embrace each other and exchange garlands.

The bride and groom assemble in the middle of the circle formed by the families. There they exchange floral garlands called 'Varmala' in the 'Varmala ceremony' to symbolize that they accept each other and will love and live together as one.

An auspicious hour or time called the 'muhurat' is chosen beforehand to carry out the wedding rituals. As the mahurat approaches, the ritual of Kanyadaan takes place where the father of the Bride gives away his daughter literally, by putting the bride's hand in the groom's hand. It is after the kanyadaan that the pheras begin.

In a Hindu Punjabi Wedding, the couple walks around the Agni or sacred fire seven times. After this the groom applies Sindoor (vermilion) to the bride's hair parting.

Now it is time for the Bidai ceremony which is usually an emotional moment for the bride`s family and friends as she leaves her parent's home and goes to her husband`s home to start a new life. Bidaye is a new beginning for her as wife and bahu or daughter in law with a new family. She leaves her parent`s home with tears of sorrow as well as hope.

Day 4: A wedding reception party follows, hosted by the groom's family. Rohan and Aradhana's wedding is a perfect example of a modern Hindu wedding.

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of tens of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and [email protected].