Sikh – Punjabi Wedding Photography

As an Indian, one of the things I love about Indian weddings are the various cultures and traditions inherent and the many differences in them, thus making each unique. Let me first of all correct your understanding of the Sikhs and Punjabis; while Sikh is a religion, Punjabis hail from the state of Punjab. Sikhism originated in Punjab, it is only natural that Sikhs are Punjabi and speak the Punjabi language. The Punjabis are found all over the world and do not necessarily have to be Sikh.

SIKH PRE-WEDDING RITUALS

Kurmai:

Sikh wedding ceremony starts with a Kurmai engagement event. This is where the work of the wedding photographer starts and it doesn’t end here. Sikh Punjab weddings take days before it comes to and end.

Akhand Paath:

The families of the bride and groom start off the Sikh wedding rituals by reading the whole Guru Granth Sahib and after this, the wedding date is decided and fixed. After the rituals, both families present gifts to each other and the bride and groom exchange rings.

Chunni Chadai:

When the engagement ceremony is over, the groom and his family visits the bride and the mother of the groom covers the bride’s head with a Chunni as a symbol and the family of the groom present the bride with clothes, jewelries and many other gifts.

Mehndi and Chooda Ceremony:

These ceremonies are done together and is a time when the bride gets her hands and feet decorated in beautiful henna/mehndi designs. The Sikh Punjab weddings are fun to witness. The Chooda ceremony is when the maternal uncles of the bride gifts her with a set if red and white bangles which are symbolic because they are to be dipped in milk before presenting to her. Also, golden ornaments called Kalires are tied to the bangles.

One of the similarities of this ceremony to the Christian wedding is the tossing of the bouquet of flowers to the bridesmaids by the bride. Here, whoever catches the flowers is said to be the next bride.