Wedding
Ganpati Puja, Devdevak and Gurihar Puja
Like many other auspicious Maharashtrian occasions, the wedding day commences with the worship of Lord Ganesha. Ganpati Puja is performed for a bright future of the couple. The family deity is then invited at the wedding Mandap by Devdevak. In Gurihar Puja, the bride all dressed up in her wedding attire, worships to the goddess Parvati for her prosperous life. The maternal uncle of the bride gives her some rice which, she then offers to the Goddess.
Punyavachan and Seemanpuja
The bride’s parents take her to the wedding venue and ask everyone to bless their daughter on Punyavachan. In Seemanpuja, on the groom’s arrival, the bride’s mother receives him with Aarti and sweets. She washes the groom’s feet and applies Tilak on his forehead.
Antarpat
The groom enters the Mandap and sits on a designated wedding spot. The Antarpat or a curtain is hanged in front of the groom restricting his vision of the bride who’d be sitting opposite to him
Sankalp
The bride then enters the Mandap and the priest chants Mangalashtakas or sacred vows accompanied by musicians. On an auspicious moment, the Antarpat is removed and the couple exchange garlands. That’s when everyone showers them with Akshata or whole rice.
Kanyadaan
The father of the bride gives away his daughter to the bridegroom with blessings. The groom promises to love and respect his wife forever.
Lajahoma
A sacred fire is ignited and the bride offers grains to the fire chanting three mantras repeated by the groom. The fourth mantra, however, is uttered silently only by the bride. After that, the bride’s parents worship the couple as avatars of Vishnu and Laxmi and the couple then tie a turmeric thread on each other’s hands. As a final touch, the groom ties the Mangalsutra around the bride’s neck and puts vermillion on her forehead.
Saptapadhi
Saying out loud the seven wedding vows, the couple together encircles the holy fire seven times.
Karmasamapti
The couple performs the Laxmi Pujan and worships until the fire puts out. The groom then gives the bride a new name. Finally, the brother of the bride teasingly twists the groom’s ear to remind him of his marital duties and the couple takes everyone’s blessings in the end.
