Significance of Bidaai Ceremony in Indian weddings
Who wouldn’t agree on the fact that weddings are full of love, laughter, joy and all possible kinds of
emotions imaginable! It begins with some really fun pre-wedding rituals like Haldi, mehendi, Sangeet,
Chooda-Kaleerey ceremony, Joota-Chupai, Varmala, etc. followed by the actual Wedding Ceremony.
Throughout the wedding, you get to witness so many things – Joyful uncles, dancing aunties, friends &
cousins playing pranks on each other and what not! The bittersweet ceremony which occurs at the end
of all this is Bidaai. It marks the farewell of the bride from her home. As the bride begins a new chapter
of her life with her husband, all her relatives bless them for the upcoming adventure.
When a 'just married' bride leaves her parents' home for the fresh new journey of her life, it's an
emotional roller-coaster moment. In the western countries, this event is mostly celebrated with
laughter, bidding farewell to the bride with smiles and cheer. But here in India, things are a bit more
intense!
The entire wedding days are full of joy and laughter, while the parents and the relatives bless their child
with a life full of happiness and love; there is also an overwhelming sense of loss. The pain felt by the
parents while they say goodbye to the daughter who has been with them since her birth can only be
known to them.
This special moment is both bitter and sweet at the same time. Bidaai is the ritual which spells out as
‘goodbye’. It is unarguably the most sentimental part of any wedding. Well, of course. How can the
thought of being separated from their child not swell up the parents’ eyes.
The Bidaai ceremony is carried out right after the Kanyadaan. In Bidaai ceremony, after the kanyadaan
the bride is taken to her home where she is accompanied by her close family. She is given a thali filled
with rice & coins and then she proceeds outside towards the door, then she throws handfuls of rice &
coins over her head. This moment holds a special place in everyone’s hearts.
Once this ritual is completed, the father of the bride takes her hand and gives it to the groom. That's
when the groom promises to take care of her for the rest of their lives. This part of the Bidaai ceremony
is an extended version of the Kanyadaan ritual.
As per the custom, after the wedding is over and the bride dresses up in her bridal lehenga which
includes the holy Mangalsutra and Sindoor. Sometimes, if the Bidaai ceremony takes place after a
considerable duration, the bride changes into something comfortable. Maybe a light lehenga or a salwar
suit. She can also lessen the amount of jewellery or put on some lighter ones. However, the
Mangalsutra, the bridal Chura and Sindoor remain as they are integral parts of a bride's Shingara.
While the ceremony comes towards the end, everyone tears up. The moment is full of bittersweet
emotions and mixed feelings. Where on one hand everyone is sentimental about a daughter's farewell,
they're happy about her new life too. That's the beauty of a Bidaai ceremony. It's like a completely new
phase opens up in a woman's life filled with memories as well as dreams!
Weddings in India hold a special place in everyone’s heart and we at Shaadi Proposal want to make sure
you find the right partner to make this festive of celebrations the best days of your life.
Shaadi Proposal is a brand for the people- to connect them with each other for the rest of their life
