Weird yet fun Indian wedding rituals that you probably didn't know about

Indian weddings are an elaborated and overwhelming affair which goes on for days. While there can be moments when you get bored, there are a few interesting rituals that will keep you entertained and make you look forward to similar quirky customs.

Published on: Aug 02, 2022 4:39 PM IST

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A big fat Indian wedding is not just about the glitz and glam, long dance performances and the delicious food but also those strange yet interesting rituals that will either leave you in splits or keep you questioning. Indian weddings can get very tiring but the rituals will surely keep you entertained. There are a few common ones like stealing the groom's shoe, nose pulling ritual and marrying a peepal tree. Here is a list of weird wedding rituals followed in different parts of India. (Unsplash)

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Bride and groom's mothers are not invited to the wedding: According to Bengali tradition, the presence of their mothers during the wedding ceremony is considered 'inauspicious' because of the emotional attachment of mothers towards their children that is linked to the mother's evil eyes. The present generation considers this custom 'regressive.' (Unsplash)

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Twisting the groom's ear: It is not as bad as it sounds. In Maharashtrian weddings, the final custom is called 'Karya Samapti' in which the brothers of the bride gently pull the groom's ear to remind him of his responsibilities and marital duties. (Unsplash)

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Wedding without a priest: Down south, in Coorg, weddings happen without a priest. What they do is pray to their ancestors, seek blessings from the elders of the family and enjoy a grand feast. (Unsplash)

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Groom's nose pulling: This is a famous Gujarati wedding custom where the bride's mother gives all the royal treatment to the groom by welcoming him with aarti, tilak and sweets and gently pulling his nose as a funny way of telling the groom to be humble as he comes to his to-be wife's house. (Unsplash)

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Ripping clothes of groom: There is a custom called 'saanth' in Sindhi weddings that is performed before the wedding. In this ceremony, the groom's clothes are torn by his family members as a symbol of leaving his past behind and starting fresh. (Unsplash)

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Soaking feet in milk and honey and drinking it: In Gujarati communities, the groom is welcomed by the bride's family with a lavish treatment of washing his feet in milk and honey mixture. It gets weird when he has to pick up the utensil and drink the mixture. (Unsplash)