CULTURAL PRACTICES OF A SIKH WEDDING

I would like to narrate how a Sikh wedding is conducted, using the example of my cousin's wedding. The wedding ceremony in Sikh culture is called “Anand Karaj” meaning a joyful union. Typically, it is a glowing and distinctive ceremony whereby two people become joined in a sort of partnership made of two people treated as equals. It does not take the form of a legal and physical contract but is instead a sacrament, that is, a holy connection of two souls. A Sikh wedding has a specific goal spiritually which is for the couple to merge their souls. Third was the ritual of akhand paath that occured over the weekend prior fixing the date of the Anand karaj. This ritual was done by both the families of the couple separately and it involved reading out the Holy book to the bride and groom which I also took part to teach the groom and bride regarding the significance of religion and teachings of the holy book.

Forth was the Kirtan ritual which involved a lot of religious music performances believed to create a good omen before the anand karaj. Fifth was the ardas ritual that involved conducting visits before the Anand karaj by both families to the temple and we also read out loud random prayers that were opened randomly. Sixth was the karah Prasad & langar in which we made sweet Prasad at the gurudwara and then distributed to those in attendance. Chooda and Kalira ritual was characterized by the set of 21 bangles presented to the bride as gifts from her uncle followed by the tying of metallic ornaments (called kalire) to the bride mostly done by the bride’s relatives. On the day of the wedding, the Sikh grooms traditionally used to wear Kurta which is white colored then don with an Achkan or lengthy overcoat.

Achkans are usually made from fabrics such as brocade or silk. My cousin's groom chose to wear Sherwanis on top of the kurta as a replacement to the traditional achkan. He then paired the Sherwani/achkan with Churidar Pajama and also wore traditionally decorated slippers known as ‘Mojri’. The soorma & kalgi ritual involved the application of a black dot believed to send away any possible bad energy from the groom. The baraat ritual required the groom to travel to the place of the bride (where the wedding will be conducted) while on a mare. On arrival, the milni ritual was done to welcome him to the venue of the wedding just beside the bride’s place. The Anand karaj ritual was performed at the gurudwara hall of prayer during the day.