Grah Shanti:

What is the Grah Shanti Pooja?

It is a pre-wedding ritual which is performed to remove all the obstacles and bring happiness and prosperity into the lives of the couple. As it is believed that the stars and the planets have a great influence on our lives, this pooja is performed to ensure that the Navagrah or 9 planets are aligned for both the bride and the groom in order to live a happy life together. Like the name suggests, Grah means the house and Shanti means peace, thus it means the peace of the house.

When Is it Performed?

Grah Shanti pooja is the final step taken by the bride and the groom before they enter married life. That’s why it is performed a day or two before the wedding ceremony. It is also a way of beginning the festivities officially with the blessings of the Almighty. In Hinduism, it is considered very important that all the god and goddesses attend the marriage ceremony to bless the couple. That’s why they are invited in this pooja to give the celebration an auspicious start. Also, the ancestors and the forefathers of the bride and groom are invited.

How is it performed?

The ceremony is performed with the bride and the groom separated into their respective houses with their families. It is done this way to get rid of individual doshas that either of them may possess. Learned priests perform the pooja at both the locations. As Lord Ganesha is considered to be the remover of all the obstacles, he is invoked during this ceremony. The venues are adorned with icons, flowers, and other elaborate decorations. Close friends and family are also invited to bless the couple.

Benefits of the ceremony include:

- It helps to get rid of all the negative energies of the person doing the pooja.

- It helps to purify the surroundings with holy vibes and also bestows the house with peace and prosperity.

- It helps to remove all the obstacles that may come in the life of the couple and gives them protection from the evil eyes.

-Another benefit of this pooja is to ensure that there is no negative effect on your spouse’s planets on you.

What to wear for this ceremony?

- Something Traditional

-Avoid Black

-Avoid leather accessories

-Wear colorful clothing (Proper attire)

What is the Haldi Ceremony?

The haldi is a prewedding ritual common at traditional Indian weddings. The haldi ceremony is a significant prewedding event and ritual in almost every Indian regional wedding. It is celebrated on the wedding day or one day prior to the wedding day and is usually a close-knitted event. The closest family, relatives and friends come together on this auspicious occasion to apply turmeric paste (haldi) on the bride and groom's face and body. Some families also smear chandan (sandalwood powder) with rose water on the bride's face and hands and shower flowers on the couples. The occasion is celebrated with dhol (drum beats), Bollywood songs and endless dancing."

Ganesh Puja: The First Prayer

Before the ceremony, the priest leads a prayer (puja) to Ganesha, the Hindu god of beginnings. “The priest begins the puja with invocations and offerings to Lord Ganesh, remover of all obstacles. He asks for Lord Ganesh's blessings to provide a peaceful atmosphere before commencing the ceremony.”

Baraat: The Groom's Procession

“The groom arrives accompanied by family, friends, music and dancing. They are welcomed at the entrance of the ceremony by the bride's parents.” Sometimes the bride’s family will toss rice over the groom when he arrives and apply a tilak (a mark with a paste made of ash, clay, sandalwood, turmeric, charcoal or red lead) to his forehand. The tilak represents devotion to God and incites positive thoughts and energy.

Kanya Aagman: The Arrival of The Bride

“The bride arrives at the mandap escorted by her uncles or her brothers, although nowadays Hindu brides are increasingly choosing for their dad to walk them down the aisle, as commonly happens in Western culture. This can be so beautiful too.” The mandap is a decorative structure under which the marriage ceremony is performed. It’s typically adorned with flowers, foliage, lengths of colourful fabric, crystals and often twinkling lights, with ornate chairs for the bride and groom and their parents to sit on.

Jai Mala: The Exchange of Garlands

A jai mala is a flower garland exchanged between the bride and groom. “It’s symbolic of the first step taken by the newlyweds into marriage”, says Karishma. “Most couples follow a playful tradition whereby their uncles or brothers lift the bride and groom up and they compete to see who can garland the other first.”

Kanyadaan: The ‘Giving Away’ of The Bride

“'Kanya' means unmarried daughter and 'daan' means to offer or gift. According to Hindu scripture, there is no greater gift than the gift of one's daughter. The bride's father places the bride's right hand into the groom's right hand to symbolise their lifelong union as partners.” Rohita explains that “a Hindu bride is also given a mangalsutra, which is a gold and black beaded necklace that symbolises that she is now married. It’s said that the bride receives blessings throughout her marriage when wearing it.”

Saptapadi: The Seven Sacred Steps Around the Fire

“To signify the viability of the ceremony, a fire is kept burning in the middle of the mandap to bear witness to the marriage”, says Rohita. “Offerings are made to the fire during the ceremony”. Karishma details that “the bride and groom hold hands and take seven sacred steps together around the fire while the priest chants Vedic mantras, representing the seven sacred vows of marriage. This ritual marks the beginning of the bride and groom's journey as a married couple.”

Rohita highlights that the bride and groom are often physically joined to one another for the saptapadi too. “Before making their vows and circling around the fire, the bride and groom tend to each wear a scarf or piece of long material which are tied together – typically the bride’s veil or dupatta and the groom’s sash”. This denotes their eternal bond.

Sindoor: Declaring the bride as married

Depending on the couple’s preferences and family tradition, “a red powder, called sindoor, is applied to the bride's parting by her new husband to symbolize that she is married”, says Rohita. The bride may choose a bindi dot instead. “Some women carry on this tradition on a daily basis, or only when they have traditional family occasions” explains Rohita.

Vidai: The Send Off

“This is the most emotional moment of the marriage ceremony as the bride's family and friends bid her a teary farewell”, says Karishma. “The family blesses the bride and wishes her a happy married life, then the father of the bride takes her to the car or the doli (a wedding carriage) and hands her to the groom.”

IT'S TIME TO PARTY!!!!

Please join us for an eventful night of celebration post wedding. There will be plenty of games, dance performances, speeches and ofc an open dance floor