Weddings:

Romania
vs India
The wedding
dress - Romania
Traditionally the bride would wear her best
costume (usually worn only at special
occasions and when going to church) or would
have one made especially for the occasion.
The blouse had to be as embroidered as
possible (flower motifs were preferred).
The aprons were made out of velvet, but only in
some geographical regions.
On her head, the bride would either wear a veil
or a floral wreath. In some regions, brides also
wore beads on their forehead. During the
wedding feast, the godmother would remove
the veil/wreath and replace it with a kerchief.
The bride wore her best necklace as well as
beads and bracelets.
Today most brides wear Western-style wedding
gowns, and the garments described here
largely fell out of use during the 20th century.
However, they can still be seen in more remote
areas, where traditional weddings still take
place.
The Wedding
dress - India
The bride wears a sari, a
lehenga, Gagra Choli or
Odni, depending on
the region.
Red is considered to be the
most auspicious color among
Hindus (because it symbolizes
fertility in their culture).

The bride is decked up with
gold jewelry and adorned
with henna patterns all over
her palms, hands, forearms,
legs and feet.
The bridegrooms
outfit - Romania

The bridegroom wears a
typical traditional costume: a
shirt (that had been sewn by
the bride after the
engagement), trousers and a
belt.

The shirt is heavily
embroidered (floral motifs
being preferred)

On his head he wears a
traditional black hat or a
lamb fur hat with a flower
pinned to it.

Coins, feathers and barley
may also be pinned to the
hat.
The bridegroom
India
Many communities of
South,West and Eastern India
still adhere to the traditional
costumes,i.e. Dhoti,or
sometimes Lungi,and Mundu.
A kurta may be worn or
an Angavastram may be used
to cover the chest. Kurtas can
be worn with Salwars,or Dhotis.
In the Northern parts, the
bridegroom usually wears
a Sherwani or Jodhpuri suit.
The grooms face is covered
with a Sehra in the North,which
is not the custom elsewhere

Dhoti Lungi
Mundu
Kurta Angavastram Sherwani Jodhpuri
Traditional Romanian weddings relied
on flowery motifs for the clothing and
decorations, but it was not
accustomed for the bride to have a
bouquet.

However, in modern weddings having
a traditional theme, the bride usually
has a bouquet (probably due to the
hybrid nature of these weddings)


Bridal bouquet - Romania
Bridal bouquet - India
The tradition of the bridal bouquet does not
exist in India.

However, during the wedding ceremony,
Indian cuples lovingly place long strands of
vibrant blossoms around each other's necks.
The Jaimala ritual is a symbol of the mutual
respect the bride and groom have for each
other.
Wedding Decorations - Romania
In traditional Romanian
weddings two fir trees used to
be placed in front of: the brides
house, the bridegrooms house
and the godparents house.
The trees were decorated with
ribbons, paper garlands and
small bells by the friends of the
bride and groom.
On top of the tree they placed
sweet bread of a bottle of
liquor.




In most rural areas this custom is
preserved as such nowadays.
In urban areas however, it has
been replaced by decorating
the entrance of the block of
flats where the bride and the
bridegroom live, as well as the
staircase using small fir tree
branches, flowers, ribbons,
garlands and tulle.
Wedding decorations - India
The entrance to the bride and
bridegrooms home is
decorated with a string of
mango leaves which will stay for
a period of one year after
marriage.
The mandap (four pillared
canopy) under which the
wedding ceremony is
performed is also decorated.
All the decorations are made by
family members of both the
bride and bridegroom.
Wedding Rings - Romania
In Romania the wedding rings are placed on the bride and
bridegrooms fingers during the religious ceremony by the priest and
godparents, in the case of orthodox ceremonies (in the case of
catholic and protestant weddings the bride and groom exchange
wedding rings themselves)
The rings should be worn on the ring finger of the left hand (the first
three fingers being considered to represent the Holy Trinity).
Since the bride is already wearing an engagement ring on that finger,
this ring should be removed and replaced by the wedding ring during
the ceremony. However, some brides may wear both rings on the
same finger after the wedding.
Wedding rings are the subject of
many superstitions in the
Romanian culture.
If the ring is dropped during the
ceremony or lost afterwards by
one of the spouses, it is said that
the couple will later get
divorced.
If one spouses wedding ring
gets broken, it is said that person
will die.
If one or both spouses stop
wearing their rings it is said that
they make room for fights and
arguments into their family life.
If the couple buy their wedding
rings on a Friday it is said that
they will forever have an
unhappy marriage.
If the ring is too tight on a
persons finger, it is said that this
person will always be jealous
and controlling of his/her
partner, whereas if it is to loose it
is a sign that the person is not
truly in love.
If the couple wear the wedding
rings on the ring finger of the left
hand before the wedding
ceremony, this brings bad luck
(they are however allowed to
wear the rings on the ring finger
of the right hand)
If one of the partners dream of
a shiny wedding ring, it means
that their husband/wife will
never cheat on them.
If they dream of a rusty wedding
ring, it means that their
husband/wife will cheat on
them frequently.
Wedding Rings - India
In india, rings are exchanged during the
engagement ceremony (known as misri,
aashirwad or mangni)between the
future gride and groom. No other rings
are exchanged between the couple
during the wedding ceremony.
The engagement ceremony takes place
shortly before the wedding. During the
ceremony the relatives and families of
the bride and groom to be exchange
gifts, sweets and good wishes. A formal
ring ceremony is then done to solemnize
the engagement. The prospective bride
and groom are then introduced to each
others family.
Though the left hand is considered
inauspicious for religious activities, a ring
(not to be called wedding ring) is still
worn on the left hand. Men generally
wear the rings on the right hand and the
women on the left hands.
Gestures
Dressing the bride



It represents helping her with her
new life, with her new status
Shaving the groom


Shaving the groom means his
traditional transformation. He
becomes a real man who will
be responsible for his new
family.
Decorating the wedding fir


Decorating the wedding fir with
cookies, accessories reveals the
richness and the opulence.
Drinking the wine


Drinking the wine from the same
cup represents the happiness of
the wedding and the one of the
union.
Surrounding the table


Surrounding the table, slowly,
represents the patience with
which the young people
become a real family.
Stepping over the doorstep


Stepping over the doorstep
means that the groom wants to
keep his bride away from the
bad spirits which are,
traditionally, under the
doorstep.
India
In India, many marriages are
arranged by the families of the
two grooms, taking into
account the astrological part of
a human life.


Nowadays, the young grooms
are against this practice and
they are the one who choose
their future partners
Months before the wedding an engagement ceremony, known as
Mangni (in North India) or Nischitartham (in South India), is held. The
two families meet to perform rituals to make the engagement official.
A muhurat (auspicious date & time) for the wedding is decided based
on horoscopes.

Traditional Indian weddings last a week, and start with pre-wedding
ceremonies. Haldi is a ritual holy bath during which turmeric (Haldi), oil
and water is applied to both the bride and groom by married women.
This is followed by Mehendi ceremony, during which the brides hands
and feet are decorated with intricate patterns by the application of
Henna.
The wedding is usually held at the
brides home or a wedding hall.
The arrival of the groom is an
important and fun-filled event.
The groom, dressed in his
wedding attire, leaves his home
to the wedding venue on a
decorated ghodi (horse) or for
the more extravagant, on a
decorated elephant! Along with
the groom sits his 'best man'
usually a younger brother, cousin
or nephew who acts as his
caregiver. However, these days,
these customs are not seenany
more as most grooms like to travel
by luxury cars.

Another interesting tradition is
the Sapthapadhi which means
taking seven steps together. It is
believed that if one follows
seven steps with another
person, it is considered as a
confirmation of their eternal
friendship. Thus in a wedding this
symbolizes that the bride and
the groom will keep up their
friendship for life and also
partake equally in both good
and bad times in life.
After the wedding ceremony is
over, the bride is bid farewell as
she leaves for her husbands
house. This is a very emotional
moment for the bride and her
family, as she is leaving her
parents family to join her
husbands. In some traditions, the
couple goes first to the brides
house, and after a few days
leaves for the grooms. In olden
days, the bride used to be carried
to the grooms house in a doli
(palanquin). Upon arrival at the
grooms house the newly-wed
couple is greeted at the doorstep
with Aarti to ward off bad spirit.
Bibliography
http://www.weddingokay.com/portrait-photography-indian-weddings/
Google Images
www.wikipedia.com
Indian Wedding Traditions-V.I.P article submitted by:Sravani Gullapalli
(Phd. Student -Chemical Engineering) and Aparna Raju Sagi (Phd.
Student -Chemical Engineering)
http://www.nunta.tusiromania.ro/pages/traditii-si-obiceiuri-de-
nunta.php
http://www.galaevents.ro/traditii/traditii-de-nunta-la-romani.html