Pre-wedding Rituals:
Mehndi ceremony
Just like wedding rituals and customs of different communities, Parsi wedding traditions are
spread over a couple of days. In Parsi wedding also the wedding celebration is divided into
three parts pre wedding rituals, wedding day rituals and post wedding rituals. Among the pre
wedding rituals or customs we have Madhavsaro, which is celebrated four days before the lagan,
the families of the bride and groom each plant a young tree in a pot, amidst recitation of
prayers by the family priest, and place this at the entrance of their homes. This is generally
a mango plant and is treated as a symbol of fertility. The plant is watered every morning till
the eighth day after the wedding and then transplanted elsewhere.
Adarni is the third day before the lagan, and it is celebrated as a day for gift exchanging.
On this day the groom's family visits the bride's home to present her with all kinds of gifts
like clothes, jewelry, etc. This is ritual of gifting the bride is known as Adarni. The
relatives, neighbors and friends are invited for a traditional meal of sev and dahi, boiled
eggs and bananas. The day before the wedding is called Supra nu Murat it is more like the
mehendi and haldi ceremony of the Hindus. In this ritual four married women are given a supra
each, containing paan, supari, haldi, dates and a piece of coconut. While singing traditional
songs, these supras are exchanged seven times among the women cross-wise, length-wise and
breadth-wise. A fifth lady sits in the middle with a khalbatto and dry turmeric. Then a paste
of it is applied by all to the groom and bride along with a showering of blessings.
Wedding Day Rituals
Nahan is the day of the lagan, on this day the staircase, doorway and gate is decorated with
beautiful decorative designs of rangoli. According to the Zorastrians the time immediately
after sunset or very early in the morning is considered auspicious for marriage. For the
marriage ceremony the bride dresses in her madhavate the white, ornate wedding saree given
by her parents, while the groom wears the traditional Parsi dagli and feta a white kurta
like garment and a black cap. The Parsi lagan is called Achumichu, which takes place either
at a baug or at an agiary (the fire temple). A stage is build up for the couple and before
they step on it, the groom first, a ritual called achumichu is performed. The bride's mother
takes a tray with a raw egg, supari, rice, coconut, dates and water and begins the ceremony
with her son-in-law to be. In Ara antar ceremony the couple is made to sit facing each other
with a cloth held between them, so they cannot see the other. Among the other main day rituals
are Chero bandhvanu, Haath borvanu, etc.
Post Wedding Rituals
In the post-wedding rituals the reception is held in a grand manner with varied menu of food,
drink and music. The party is a whole night affair where all the guests have a lovely time.
The menu mainly comprises of traditional Parsi dishes like Parsi bhonu like sarya (crisps),
achaar - rotli (pickle and rotis), patra ni macchi (steamed fish), salli margi (chicken with
potato crisps), lagan nu custard, pulao-dal and ice cream. The wedding ceremony ends with the
couple being accompanied home by the bride's family and the achumichu being performed once
again by the groom's mother for the well being of the couple.
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