Hindu marriages in India are known for their great pomp and show. The marriage customs and rituals are carried out for a period of 3-4 days, which are based on the traditions that have been followed since the time of the ancestors of the family. Hindu religion considers the wedding as an important sacrament, which unites not only two hearts but also their families.
With a number of people belonging to different communities, India is a land of diversity that highlights different cultures. Teli is one such community that denotes a business caste of oil pressers, and belongs to Vaishya varna. Like other Indian communities,
Teli Matrimony is also full of a number of colourful rituals and customs.
This holy union of two individuals and their families requires a number of customs to be followed, which are divided into three parts- pre-marriage, marriage and post-marriage ritual. The pre-marriage rituals form the main framework of the wedding, which is the most enjoyable part of the Teli matrimony. With the pre-marriage rituals, the marriage ceremonies start. Engagement, tilak, shagun, sagai, sangeet and mehendi, are included in the pre-marriage rituals.
Engagement ceremony or roka: The exchange of rings by bride and groom-to-be is the man custom of roka or engagement ceremony. The family of groom gifts the bride with sari, jewellery, dry-fruits and sweets. Similarly, the groom is gifted with suit, dry fruits and sweets by the brides family. Engagement ceremony denotes fixing of the marriage.
Tilak:
The Tilak ceremony takes place 2-3 days before the wedding, when the brides family visits the grooms family. The brides brother applies tilak (red mark of vemillion) on the groom's forehead and the family offers him gifts. In various Teli families, a grand feast follows the tilak rituals.
Sagai:
Another fun-filled custom is Sagai, which is followed by the Teli families. In this ceremony, the bride, groom and their families meet and exchange gifts. Sagai is generally considered as an optional function, due to dearth of time and resources available.
Sangeet:
Sangeet is generally conducted at the brides house, where women and girls of both families meet and families sing and dance to enjoy. The women and girls dance on the traditional music as well as on the tunes of Bollywood wedding numbers, making the moments of Teli matrimony more enjoyable. Blessings are also given to the new bride for a blissful married life.
Mehendi:
Mehendi is another custom that is followed at the Brides house, where the hands and feet of the bride are decorated with beautiful and intricate designs of mehendi. Earlier, a relative or friend of the bride used to apply the mehendi on the hands and feet of the bride, and elderly women used to sing wedding songs. Nowadays, the tradition has changed and mehendi professionals are called to apply mehendi on the hands of the bride and other women and girls of the family. The mehendi is sent by the grooms family as a token of love and blessings, along with some gifts.
Teli matrimony generally includes arranged marriages by the elders of the family. Earlier, such marriages were arranged without the consent of the bride and groom, but these days traditions have changed and preference is given to the choice of the bride and groom. The advent of Internet and matrimonial websites has eased the selection of bride and groom in Teli matrimony.
Such websites make it easy for the youngsters to look for their suitable partners. For the candidates looking for the suitable partners, these matrimonial sites have so many options to choose among the Teli Hindu Brides or Teli Hindu Grooms. These Teli matrimony portals help the people to filter their search as per their caste and preferences.
