The Jains are a religious and peace-loving community, and Jain’s marriage is a sacred duty towards God. A typical Jain marriage follows traditional spiritual practices. These are observed with much dedication and zeal. Several rituals mark a typical Jain wedding just like other Asian weddings, some customs and traditions are followed to solemnize the marriage.
Lagana Lekhan
it is the event that begins with the wedding proceedings. In this ceremony, the marriage date is fixed at the girl’s house. A puja is performed at this auspicious time when the Jain Digambar Matrimony date is set. The Jain matrimony groom’s family is then let known of the time and the date of the wedding.
Lagna Patrika Vachan
An event is conducted at the boy’s house wherein the priest reads out the lagan Patrika vachan, a sacred letter.
Sagai or Engagement
Another meaningful ceremony held at the would-be groom’s house is the engagement or saga wherein the couple exchanges rings, and a formal announcement is made of their marriage. The groom has to wear traditional headgear and offer pujas during the sagai.
Mehndi
The mehndi function here is a homely affair, with the women coming together to apply mehndi designs to the Jain matrimony brides’ hands and dab some for the groom as well.
Bana Betai
A Jain marriage has its version of the Haldi ceremony, called the Bana Betai. However, instead of the standard turmeric paste, the bride and the groom get a dab of chickpea paste of besan, followed by a ritualistic bath.
Mada Mandap
Mada Mandap is another occasion held before the wedding day when certain important rituals are observed in both the groom and the bride’s family.
Barati
We understand Barati as the groom’s procession, but as per Jain rituals, Barati is the welcome of the bride’s family’s parade. The bride’s brother also gives a welcome gift to the bride, which contains coconuts, sweets, clothes, and other things. Barati is welcomed at the girls’ house with an aarti that the house’s female members perform along with the traditional Mangala geet.
Granthi Bandhan
Next, in Granthi Bandhan’s event, when a corner of the bride’s dress is tied to the groom’s shawl. The couple takes the seven rounds of the fire as it is the most sacred element in a Jain marriage that sanctifies their matrimony. After then, they exchange marriage vows and are declared husband and wife.
Kanyavaran
Granthi Bandhan is followed by the Kanyavaran ceremony, which signifies the bride’s gift to the groom by the bride’s parents. After this, a havan is executed with the chanting of the mantras by the priest.
The priest and the parents of the bride and groom offer their blessings to the newlyweds. A grand feast is laid for the guests after all the wedding day rituals are over. The bride then bids goodbye to her family and proceeds towards her husband’s home to start a new life.
A Jain wedding is an important event. Know more about this tradition at Matrimonial Sites. This is celebrated with a lot of joy and merriment. A Jain pundit usually conducts the ceremonies, though, in some instances, Brahmins too perform the pujas. The Jains, however, does not favour spending much money on the wedding.
Thus, they do not prefer very elaborate matrimonial. Matchmaking is done by the family and within the friend’s circle. However, the process of searching for a perfect life partner has become more straightforward now. Make a matrimony profile and register yourself at the matrimonial sites.
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