Barat

Indian Weddings are known for their grandeur. Both parties of the 'Barat' put in their maximum effort to make the wedding a successful event. Marriage is a combination of different ceremonies and rituals which are joyous and colorful. It is due to these events that the Indian marriage ceremony lasts for so many days time. Friends, family and relatives take part in the ceremony to bless the bride and the groom.

There are several ceremonies and rituals which take place in an Indian wedding ceremony. An event, in which the groom arrives at the venue with his family and relatives, is known as arrival of the 'Barat'. In an Indian Wedding Barat, there is a procession that includes all the relatives, friends and family members of the groom. They arrive at the venue, dancing and rejoicing. At the entrance they are welcomed by the family of the bride, with great enthusiasm. The Barati's introduce themselves to the family of the bride, which is known as Milni. The mother of the bride performs a ritual known as Aarti before the groom. It is after this ritual that the members in the Wedding Barat enter the house or the venue.

The groom, along with his cousins, siblings, etc, is seated on a white decorated horse as he heads to thewedding venue. The Barati's usually lead the procession with dance an music. With changing times, nowadays grooms prefer to travel in their luxury car which is decorated, giving it an extravagant look. Fireworks are lit as the Wedding Barat approaches the wedding venue.

• Traditionally in north India, the groom, dressed in his wedding attire, is seated on a white decorated mare, when he heads towards the wedding venue along with the baraati.
• Before sitting on the mare, the groom is adorned with a saafa (turban, preferably pink or saffron colored) along with a sehara (floral veil), which is tied around his forehead, by his mother. Saafa is mandatory, but tying sehara is not a compulsion. In some regions of north India, a sword is also provided to the groom.
• In the mare, the groom is accompanied by his younger brother, cousin or nephew who acts as his caregiver, who is called 'sarbaala'.
• The baraatis are often accompanied by music band, which provides them with entertainment, while on their way to the venue. The baraatis dance to the tune played by the band.
• A vivid display of fireworks contributes to the festive spirit of the marriage procession.
• A contemporary approach to the ritual is to make use of a car, instead of mare. For the purpose, people rent a car, in which the groom is seated. However, to maintain the tradition, the groom travels a certain distance via car and then rides on the mare.
• After reaching the wedding venue, the groom and the marriage procession are welcomed by the bride's parents and the elder members of her family.The bride's mother performs the aarti, when the groom enters the venue. In the mean time, the other members of the bride's family welcome others in the marriage procession.
• The groom's acquaintance is introduced to the bride's family, friends and relatives. This ritual is known as milni.
• Earlier, married women were not allowed to join the marriage procession. However, with the changing time, they have also become a part of the baraat. Nonetheless, married women are still not allowed at the interiors of rural India, to accompany the groom in the marriage procession.
• The barati who comes in the procession are garlanded and seated. Cold drinks, snacks and sweets are served to them. They are also invited for dinner as the guests of bride's parents.
• In most of the cases, all the expenses of the barat reception, marriage ceremony and the dinner are born by bride's parents in most of the cases.