Have you ever attended a Jain wedding? No, they are not as boring as you think they might be. Jains know how to have fun without onions and garlic and pull off a gala event. Jain weddings are the epitome of simplicity in grandeur. Jains perform traditional ceremonies to bless the couple in the presence of the Almighty, Lord Mahavira. You’ll be stunned to know how Jains celebrate the pre-wedding ceremonies, leading to a beautiful marriage. Here are ten pre-wedding rituals that are carried out in every Jain wedding.

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1. Roka Ceremony

This ceremony marks the first step towards marriage in Jainism. Roka reflects the consent of both the bride and groom to marry each other. Their families meet for the first time to bless the couple and make their bond official by exchanging sweets and gifts.

2. Lagana Lekhan and Lagana Patrika Vachan

In Lagana Lekhan, the bride’s family invites a priest who performs a puja to decide the date and time of the wedding. Then they send the letter as an invitation to the groom’s family. In Lagana Patrika Vachana, the groom’s side holds a Vinayakyantra puja, where the priest reads out the invitation letter to the family. Very demure, very old-school kind of sweet!

3. Sagai

Sagai, or engagement ceremony, usually follows an exchange of rings between the couple. But Jains like to tweak it a bit to add to the fun. They perform a tilak ceremony where the male members of the bride’s family put a tikka on the groom’s forehead. His family further gifts a silver plate with coconut and sagan as a part of the bride’s Khol Bharana. But the best part is when the married women from the groom’s side do shringaar on the bride. They reapply some makeup and bindi as a part of the tradition, along with adorning her with new bangles and jewellery. The function also includes fun dance and music performances prepared by families from both sides for the couple.

4. Haldi

Just like other South Asian cultures, Jain weddings also have a haldi ceremony where everyone applies turmeric paste to the bride and groom. But at the same time, we believe in giving a typical homemade facial to them before their wedding. So, we mix other items like oil, water, sandalwood powder, and grass into the haldi paste. It’s a playful ceremony where the cousins take joy in showering milk and haldi all over the couple till they have to run for a quick shower.

5. Mehendi

This ceremony is an intimate affair in Jain weddings as women from both sides gather to apply mehendi or henna on the hands of the bride and groom. The mehendi artists sit for hours, creating intricate designs on the hands of women as they demand all the pretty strokes. The women sing various traditional songs to celebrate the ceremony and also tease the couple.

6. Sangeet

The Sangeet ceremony is a much-awaited pre-wedding function, as Jains never miss a chance to groove and celebrate. All the family members, including kids, dance to the beats of happiness, leaving everyone in awe of them. The ceremony ends with a beautiful dance performance by the power couple, making the evening highly memorable.

7. Bhaat Ceremony

It’s a universal truth that maternal uncles, or Mama ji(s), are the soul of an Indian wedding, as they tirelessly help in all the preparations. So, Jains celebrate the Bhaat ceremony to give the centre stage to Mama ji(s) from both sides of the families. This ceremony takes place either on the day of the wedding or a few days before at the residences of the bride and groom. The maternal uncles go to their sister’s house to present gifts and sweets to their beloved, soon-to-be-married nephew or niece. This wedding ritual follows a dhamakedaar entry of the Mama ji on the enthusiastic beats of a dhol.

8. Mada Mandap

Jains observe this ritual to purify the mandap on the wedding day. This happens at the residence of the bride and groom, where the elders and the priest construct a mada mandap. This is Jains’ way of cancelling the buri nazar to create positive energy for both families entering a new bond.

9. Ghudchadi

And here comes the groom with excitement and joy to get married to the love of his life. Ghudchadi is one of the significant Jain marriage rituals that is performed on the day of the wedding. The women of the groom’s family apply tikka on his forehead and tie his pagri, or the traditional headgear of the wedding outfit.

10. Baraati

This marks the welcome of the groom by the bride’s family at the wedding venue. The bride’s family and relatives honour the groom’s family members, aka the baraatis, with garlands and duppattas. They share a warm hug to celebrate the new relations, as Jains believe in the union of two families and not just the couple.

It’s time to ask your Jain friends to invite you to their family weddings because these rituals are worth witnessing!

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