East Indian Wedding Traditions

Since our blog on Goan wedding traditions was such a hit, we’ve decided to cover another Christian community and highlight the East Indian wedding traditions for you. If you’re wondering who the East Indians are…they were the original inhabitants of Greater Mumbai and North Konkan. These Marathi speaking folk were mainly fishermen (Kholis), farmers and land owners to name a few. To prevent the British from confusing their identities with that of the Goans, Manglorean and other Christian communities, they adopted a new designation called the East Indian Community.

The traditional East Indian wedding can span over 6 to 8 days, each day celebrating a different event leading up to the wedding. It’s jammed with culture, mouth watering food, song and dance to help the bride and groom prepare for their big day. Although some of the East Indian wedding traditions differ from village to village, the main events like the Umbracha Pani and a few unique wedding customs are the most popular traditions. Let’s take a look at what a “Big fat East Indian wedding” is all about.

FunFact: Invitations are given out only after the First banns are read 4 weeks before the wedding. Marriage banns are the announcement of a couple’s intention to marry made in church.

Day 1: Wedding Pickle Day

The ladies of the house and the neighbors gather to prepare the wedding pickle. It is made of chopped and dried carrots, raw papaya dry dates, ginger, whole green chilies and flakes of garlic. It’s tossed in some spices and vinegar and left to marinate until the wedding. This homemade East Indian delicacy is an absolute delight as well as a staple dish that compliments everything served at the buffet on the wedding day.

Day 2: Papadi Day:

Homemade Papryias are prepared from scratch using rice flour, sugar and water. The outcome is a perfect rice crisp, traditionally known as Papryias, and they are served during the wedding events.

Day 3: Mehr Pokahar or Chunna day

Mehr Pokahar  means ‘sanctify the entrance’. The pendal is set up for the Umbrachi Pani and this entrance is blessed by all the women of the house except for the widows. On this day the young children from the neighborhood go to the neighborhood inviting the families on behalf of the groom/bride to be, for the wedding and mark a wall of the house with a small Chunna(mixture of lime powder and water)Cross.

Fun Fact: The Bottle Masala which is used in most of the East Indian dishes is made by drying, roasting and pounding around 21 spices which is finally bottled.

Day 4: Day of Rest

This is a day of rest and has no main event or celebration. Meanwhile the ladies are hard at work, preparing some traditional East Indian food for the weekend ahead. These dishes include the dough for the Varias & Fugias also the Sorpotel and Vindaloo. All made from the world famous East Indian bottle masala.

Day 5: Umbracha Pani/Mova Ceremony

On the eve of the wedding, young unmarried girls accompanied by their elders, would head to the nearby well, pond or river singing and dancing to the tune of a traditional band called a Vajantar. They draw water from the well for the bride or groom to bathe in on the wedding day; this water is called the Umbracha Pani. This is a time for merriment, food and drink.

The groom has a traditional Mova ceremony where he is shaved and groomed for the big day at the Pani. A barber (Mova) is called, but nowadays the groom is just superficially shaved as a part of the entertainment for the night. Thereafter, the other male member of the family and the groomsmen also join in for the fun. The Pani is the most awaited night for everyone and also the most famous of all the East Indian wedding traditions, so don’t forget your dancing shoes for this party.

Fun Fact: At the Umbracha Pani traditional potent liquor is served called the Kimad. This is made with spices and tea leaves, and is served warm.

Day 6: Wedding Day

And finally it’s the day of the wedding! Before the couple goes to the church for their nuptials, the parents, god-parents, and close relatives bless the couple. A small prayer ceremony takes place in their respected homes. The nuptials at the church are usually a solemn Roman Catholic ceremony as the couple exchange vows. After the couple is pronounced husband and wife by the preist, they head straight for the wedding reception. 

Fun Fact: Its tradition for the families to gift each other a beautifully decorated cake or a basket of fruit entirely made of marzipan called the Palgan.

Day 7: Paspotni(Day after the wedding)

Just when you thought the wedding was over and done with, there is yet another dinner party planned. The Day after the wedding the Bride’s family invite the newlyweds along with the grooms family for a dinner party. This is called the Paspotni. For this dinner the bride is traditionally seen wearing a red Lugra(East-Indian sari) called the Saaryacha Lugra.

The whole week is clearly jammed packed with fun filled events each with their unique significance and culture. An East Indian wedding is definitely something you won’t want to miss out on. The community may be small, but their weddings surely aren’t. Featuring lip-smacking food, banging beats,  colourful lugra saris and a whole lot of memories to last a lifetime. These weddings also bring everyone together as all the neighbours and family members are actively involved in each day.

We would love to hear about your East Indian wedding…tell us in the comments below.

To know more about other wedding traditions like Goan weddings, click here.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss our next blog

Don’t forget to Share this Blog with your family and friends.