Kumaoni Wedding Rituals: Aapdev, Purwang, Pratima Vivah, Dhuliargh, Suwal Pithai

Effigy of mother-in-law and father-in-law

Kumaoni weddings are quite long. As a person whose roots are Kumaoni, I have attended many Kumaoni nuptials.

Therefore, in this blog, I uncover the traditional Kumaoni wedding ceremony like Aapdev, Purwang, Pratima Vivah, Dhuliargh, Suwal Pithai and many others.

The effigies covered with a yellow cloth and tied in a basket. As the priest recites the rituals, both the bride and groom’s family exchange these effigies.

“Exchange of effigies is a common tradition in Kumaoni wedding. Moreover, marriage is not only about the acceptance of the bride and groom but also of their families,” says Chandru Joshi, a priest who performs Kumaoni weddings.

Women applying turmeric on the bride

Ganesh Puja

Kumaoni wedding starts with Ganesh puja. Tied to a knot in a yellow piece of cloth are areca nut (supari), raw turmeric, soaked rice (akshat), roli (a mixture of turmeric and lime) and the coin. This is called Kankan. “Till the wedding ceremony completes the bride and groom must wear it. Kankan is a sacred element of the marriage,” says Joshi.

Suwal Pithai

Following Ganesh puja is suwal pithai, an old Kumaoni ritual.

During suwal pithai the elder ladies clad in pichora sings marriage songs. Pichora is a traditional dupatta with saffron color base, covered with red polka dots. Married women drape pichora over a saree or lehenga .

Suwals are like puri. Milk and flour kneaded together to make suwals' dough so that they remain fresh for a long time. “Earlier the bride had to travel a long distance after marriage so the suwals kneaded in milk remained fresh during the journey,” says Joshi.

Suwal Pithai

Aepon

In Kumaoni wedding rituals aeopn designs decorate small wooden seats. Aepon is a red and white color design made by Kumaonis for festivals, puja and ceremonies. “Nowadays people use paints, earlier aepon prepared with red earth powder and rice paste decorated the wooden seats. Even stickers are available in the market for aepon,” explains Joshi.

Stool decorated with aepon

Ladies Sangeet and Mehendi

“In villages, during the wedding ladies sangeet was never such a big affair as in the cities these days,” says Manorma Pant, who belongs to Kumaonicommunity. Earlier only female relatives and neighbors sang songs and dance to the tunes of dholaks and manjira, recalls Pant.

Nowadays men also come to the ceremony and it is not a small ceremony, unlike earlier times. The application of henna to the bride and groom is also new to the culture. “I did not apply henna on my wedding. During that time, we didn’t have this ceremony,” says Pant.

Ladies Sangeet

Apdev and Purwang

Many ceremonies take place on the day of Kumaoni wedding. “Ap-dev and purwang are very important ceremonies in Kumaoni culture,” says Joshi. Aap-dev is performed by the males in the family to pay homage to the ancestors and seek their blessings. Aapdev is followed by purwang in which both families along with their priests perform this ceremony. The priest is given rice, pulses, five kinds of dry fruits, milk, curd, clothes, and an amount that the family finds suitable.

Engagement Ceremony

Another peculiar thing about the Kumaoni wedding is the engagement ceremony. A small number of people from the groom’s side go to the bride’s place. The groom’s brother slips the ring into the bride’s ring finger. Meanwhile families exchange sarees, sweets, fruit baskets, and dry fruits. “Nowadays most of the people don’t follow this custom. The engagement ceremony is a big affair that takes place on some other day,” says Pant.

Pratima Vivah

“Kumaoni weddings fixed by matching the horoscope of the bride and groom,” explains Joshi. If it is not done, the bride ties knot with Lord Vishnu at first. This ceremony is called Pratima Vivah. “It looks like people have moved forward but when it comes to superstitions, they still believe in it,” says Joshi.

Dhuliargh

On the eve of the wedding, unmarried girls welcome the marriage procession with urns filled with water and leaves placed on their heads. This ceremony is called Dhuliargh. Meanwhile, the bride’s brother uses an umbrella to escort the groom to the place where the ceremonies are taking place.

“In villages the groom used to walk till the bride’s place on foot. Before performing the ceremony the bride's father cleaned the groom's dusty feet,” says Pant, adding, "people still follow this ritual." The bride’s father cleans the groom’s feet and bride’s mother applies tilak on the groom’s forehead and performs aarti. The families from both sides, their priests and an Acharya perform the ceremony. The acharya could be the groom’s brother in law or nephew.

Jaimala

The bride and the groom perform Jaimala on the bride’s arrival. In this both the bride and groom exchange garlands which signify mutual acceptance. The bride and groom have dinner after the jaimala.

Kanyadan

The bride and the groom head to the mandap for kanyadan after dinner.

Kanyadan is a Sanskrit word which means ‘giving away the bride’. During Kanyadan the bride and groom sit on the opposite side.

The bride’s father and mother perform kanyadan. “People who are doing Kanyadan have to fast for the whole day,” emphasized Joshi.

There is an exchange of clothes, sweets, fruits and ornaments between the families. The bride adorns the ornaments from groom's side. The father puts the palm of her daughter over his palms. Other members of the family pour water from a small pot. “It is the most emotional ceremony in the Kumaoni wedding in which the parents have to go through,” says Pant.

After kanyadan the bride sits beside the groom. “Adorned with a crown, the rituals acknowledge the bride and groom as God. The bride wears a crown depicting Radha and Krishna and the groom wears the crown depicting Ganesha,” explains Joshi.

Bride and Groom with the crown

Aanchal Bandhan and Saptawadi

Following kanyadan is aanchal bandhan. Interlocked by Aanchal (a long yellow cloth), The bride and groom perform saptawadi in which they take seven rounds around the holy fire promising vows. After this, the groom ties mangalsutra (necklace) on the bride’s neck and applies vermilion to the bride’s forehead. Following the ceremony, they are pronounced as husband and wife.

“You will not find people following the Kumaoni wedding these days as they are more tilted towards the big-fat Indian wedding, not the minimally styled wedding,” says Pant. There is a decline in the traditional culture and rituals as more people are moving away from rural areas. Maybe the future generation might not be able to experience the alliance in the mountains.